bluesharper
27 posts
Aug 15, 2009
5:01 AM
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I may be buying a new harp in A soon i was just wonedring what make i should buy.
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GermanHarpist
556 posts
Aug 15, 2009
5:21 AM
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I would recommend a Suzuki Harpmaster.
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
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scstrickland
179 posts
Aug 15, 2009
5:38 AM
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1 question 1000 answers
Buy a Lotus harp from Buddha. I think that will be my next.
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tookatooka
378 posts
Aug 15, 2009
6:36 AM
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Depends what you want from it. If you are happy with Equal Tuning then I'd say anything Suzuki for playing melodies. If you want it more for chordal playing then you need to look at harps with JI tuning. I'm researching this myself and haven't been able to make my mind up yet. I can't afford Custom so it needs to be off the shelf and I keep getting conflicting reviews. So far the weight is towards Special20 cause I don't like wood. I am hoping the Suzuki Manji will be JI tuned but I don't think it is. The JI Fabulous is £199 in the UK which puts it out of the ballpark.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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jonsparrow
799 posts
Aug 15, 2009
8:10 AM
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marine band. or if you got more money custom marine band.
Last Edited by on Aug 15, 2009 8:11 AM
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congaron
43 posts
Aug 15, 2009
8:37 AM
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I just recently got a marine band in A. I really like it. It did need a little work on the 3 hole draw, but it was minimal and the thing plays fantastic now.
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catfish row
2 posts
Aug 15, 2009
9:13 AM
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Delta Frost.
You won't have to do anything to it for it to sound great.
Last Edited by on Aug 15, 2009 9:14 AM
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congaron
44 posts
Aug 15, 2009
9:41 AM
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same with harpmasters..good to go even on some of the overblows.
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eharp
310 posts
Aug 15, 2009
10:53 AM
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does cracker barrel sell their harps in A?
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jonsparrow
802 posts
Aug 15, 2009
11:14 AM
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i just got a my hohner super 64 in the mail thanks to chromaticblues. you could allways get a chromatic if you dont have one.
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congaron
45 posts
Aug 15, 2009
12:08 PM
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How hard is that to learn?
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jonsparrow
803 posts
Aug 15, 2009
1:24 PM
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not very. this is the first chromatic i ever played. at first it was a little confusing. but iv been playing it non stop for hours now an im starting to get the hang of how the notes are set up. im starting to make up little tunes on it. it take alot more air then a diatonic though. you get dizzy if you play too long lol. also it realy weird of play a diatonic afterwards. also it make an A harp seem high pitched. lol
Last Edited by on Aug 15, 2009 1:37 PM
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
144 posts
Aug 15, 2009
3:05 PM
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That's the interesting thing, when you ask that question you get 5,000 answers... all different and you're no better off than when you started.
Ask that question again. Only this time, say what you want to do with the harp, how you want to play it, etc.
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ness
48 posts
Aug 15, 2009
5:46 PM
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I have, at one time or another, seen every make and model described as someone's 'best out of the box' harp. So...here's how my thought process went:
1) I wanted something long-lasting, with replaceable reed plates.
2) I wanted something solid, not toy-like.
3) I wanted non-wood comb.
4) Suzuki Promaster.
Aluminum comb, replaceable reed plates, nicely finished chrome covers, has some heft to it.
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Bluzdude46
119 posts
Aug 15, 2009
11:42 PM
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If you're a begginer Lee Oskars are good for the money, they bend easily out of the box you can't work on them, the reeds are just not tolerant, go out of tune when you mess with them and break easi;ly. SP20's have sweet tone , move well and you can adjust them when you learn to gap & emboss. Another way to go, I've found, is to buy used harps on ebay (clean thoroughly with alcohol) and you can learn to work on them and if you completely screw them up you blow 10-12 bucks instead of $30 + And then when you learn how to work on them buy new ones and keep the old ebays for parts. Not for everyone but I've spent thousands on harps over the years.
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bluesharper
31 posts
Aug 16, 2009
4:07 AM
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Okay Like Elkriver harmonicas said im going to ask again but this time ill say what i want to do with the harp.
1. I want a long lasting out of the box harp with good tone.
2. I want to play blues on it.
3. I dont care if its wooden comb or any other comb like acrylic, aluminium etc..
4. And a harp that good at overblowing out of the box with any tweaking.(will that ever happen lol?)
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congaron
48 posts
Aug 16, 2009
5:28 AM
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my harpmasters and promasters all have hole 6 overblow otb. hole five was just a slight tweak away. I bet all of them could be easily tweaked in. My marine band in A, same deal, although hole 3 draw did require regapping to get it right for me. two minute fix. Suzukis are the closest to what you are saying from my personal experience (and I am no expert, believe me.) I intend to get more promasters, and more marine bands. Money has become a constraint again since my employer slowed down. Man, I really like them all...lol.
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bluesharper
32 posts
Aug 16, 2009
5:51 AM
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Okay after alot of thinking i think im gonna get a promaster in A.
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tookatooka
385 posts
Aug 16, 2009
5:56 AM
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You could always get a Bluesmaster then fit it with ProMaster plates when it gets older. Bluesmaster plastic comb is just a little more comfortable on the lips in my opinion. Just to confuse things a little more.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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Jim Rumbaugh
77 posts
Aug 16, 2009
6:19 AM
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I'm with Tooka about the Bluesmaster
I have (had) a 6 pack of Suzuki Bluesmasters (A Bb C D F G) All play good. Good consistancey between harps. I prefer the plastic comb over the metal comb of the Promaster. I do not overblow, so I cannot comment on that. I love the Bushman Delta Frost harp also. The plates of the Bushman are interchangable with the Bluesharp and Proharp.
My "A" Bluesharp went bad. I took a plate from a Proharp and put it in my Bluesharp. Now it's OK
Congaran said HarpMaster. I've had one. It played as good as the Bluesmaster, but it had a short life.
So my current 3 recomendations are Special 20, Bluesmaster, and Delta Frost. (I know I didin't talk about the Special 20)
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sorin
27 posts
Aug 16, 2009
6:38 AM
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I have to agree with Jim , if you like the full cover , get the bluesmaster , if you like regular covers get the delta frost , they use the same plates.Or just wait a couple of weeks and get the Manji , a long slot harp it's a better sounding harp any day ( in my books anyway), plus the Manji ( with the long slot, tight tolerance) will be more suitable for overblows .
Regarding the long lasting aspect , that depends 98% on you .
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Bluzdude46
120 posts
Aug 16, 2009
6:43 AM
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I gotta admit I've never owned Suzuki or Bushman Harps, are Bushmans tuned JI or ET?
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sorin
28 posts
Aug 16, 2009
6:52 AM
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Both ET.
Last Edited by on Aug 16, 2009 6:53 AM
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bluesharper
33 posts
Aug 17, 2009
3:14 AM
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okay after some more comments i have decided some things
That i want to play blues.
And i want something that sounds quite loud when i tongue block.
So i think ill go for marine band.
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tookatooka
388 posts
Aug 17, 2009
4:02 AM
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bluesharper. Please report your findings when you get it. I'd be pleased to know how you get on and what you think of it.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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bluesharper
34 posts
Aug 17, 2009
6:24 AM
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sure thing i will post it on this thread. But i am going away for a week so i will probably have it in a couple of weeks. So there is no point in lookin' tommorrow cause i'll be gone. ;)
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congaron
51 posts
Aug 17, 2009
8:46 AM
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Ah Marine band in A! I just did this...glad i did! So is my band.
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LIP RIPPER
116 posts
Aug 17, 2009
12:19 PM
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I have 9 Lee Oskars and I've embossed all of them. I've improved them considerably. The proof in the pudding was saturday night. My buddy Phil and his wife came over to jam. She brought her LO in the key of "C" over. After she pulled it out of her pocket and messed around with it she dropped it on my table along with all of my harps. I was playing bass so I didn't notice until she asked, which one is mine? I though oh shit, I've put alot of time into mine and I sure as hell didn't want her to accidently end up with it. Well, it wasn't hard to tell the difference. I played them both and the difference is night and day.
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Randy G. Blues
65 posts
Aug 17, 2009
3:08 PM
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You might as well ask what underwear to get.. You really have to find out on your own, and you won't find out until you own a few different ones.
Part of the problem is that all off-the-shelf harps have limitations. Some need better tuning and most all need to have the reeds gapped a bit. It is a skill best learned early.
For something basic (as in just starting out) I think that the Suzuki Harpmaster is a good blend of playability, comfort, tone, and parts availability iirc.
Parts availability and customer service with the Bushmans has been questionable- so much so that I quit buying them (still have around 16 of them, but got fed up with trying to get reedplates).
Lee Oscars need work right out of the box and that includes opening the back of the covers as they sound choked off. The hole numbers stamped into the top plate are also tough on the lips, but that varies with the production run. I had two that could have been used to grate cheese.
As others have mentioned, if you are serious about playing and are going to put the time into learning the intricacies of harmonica, then look into getting a custom harp.
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tookatooka
390 posts
Aug 17, 2009
3:24 PM
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Randy, Suzuki ProMaster plates fit the Bushman Delta Frost. I use them all the time.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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