I've seen Johnson's Blues King harmonicas for very low prices. How do they compare to Hohner or Tombo? UGH!! they DONT!!
I can pick up a Blues King for 拢3.00 in the UK and a Hohner, or Tombo for 拢20ish.....guess why?
its honestly not worth buy cheap harmonicas, they dont have the tone, durability, or build quality of the 'named' brands.
Look for a Silver Star, or a Huang Silver Tone as your cheapest, but a good beginners harp is a Hohner Big River Harp.
Once you have got the basics down you will soon work out JUST which harps suit you (my 'poons of choice are Hohner Marine bands) and then, the sky is your limit!
Hope this helps dont go cheap! go with a hohner marine band, hohner golden melody, or a lee oskar. extremely good and well made, and affordable (around $20). A harmonica lasts about ten cents an hour. If you are serious, go with a Lee Oskar or Hohner Special 20.
I've already answered this and quite a few other harmonica questions if you care to look at my profile. So let me cut and paste from one of my last posts.
All the Hohner hand mades sound somewhat alike. The reeds are the same on the Marine Band, the Special 20, and the Golden Melody. If you are slick and can tune and repair a harmonica without problems then the Marine Band should be OK. It is put together with nails and wood screws. If you fiddle with them when they are new to get them in tune, you might void the guarantee. I live at altitude and have better luck with wood combs because they distribute heat and therefore condensation better. The Special 20 and Golden Melody are put together with self tapping metal screws and bolts + nuts. The Special 20 and the Golden Melody have plastic combs, which are durable, safe, and easy to deal with. Special 20s are probably the best harps on the market for blowing chords. Golden Melodies have protruding reed plates that are not great for tongue blockers. But they work very well for overdraws. Golden Melodies are in equal temperament, which is better for single notes rather than chords. Again, you can change the tuning yourself if you are slick.
If you are a beginner, the quick and stupid answer is to get a Special 20, or a Lee Oskar. The vast majority of professionals give the same advice. After you have developed a well defined playing style, other brands and models will come into the picture. Write me if you are an experienced player with a specific idea of what you want and I will tell you which one you will do best with.
If you want to research harmonicas go to Coast2Coastmusic.com and read the reviews and customer ratings. They are very customer oriented. The other rational place to purchase your harmonicas is harpdepot.com. Expect to spend about 10 cents an hour to play the harmonica, if you don't repair and tune them yourself.
Prepare yourself for a lot of answers contesting which is better, wood or plastic. Aside from the heat distribution qualities and the beauty of wood, there is no difference in sound. The shape inside the harmonica, etc, controls the sound. The Special 20 and the Marine Band do sound slightly different for these reasons.
The Blues Harp is a MS for Modular System Harmonica. They come with replacement reeds and plates together so an amateur can repair them. Hohner sells two kinds of Harmonica. 1. The three hand mades described above. 2. MS models including the wood combed Blues Harp. Quick and stupid answer is that all professionals agree that the hand mades have superior reeds compared to the MS models. Of course, a professional can probably tune and repair a harmonica without the benefit of replacement parts. The Lee Oskars also have replacement parts, and like the Golden Melody, they are great for blowing single notes. They need to be tuned properly yourself if you are going to play chords. Lee Oskars are freakishly durable even without the replacement parts, which is why professionals that can tune them themselves love them so much. They are typically recommended for beginners because beginners, [and a few professionals,] are seldom into playing chords.
Like all Harmonicas made in the orient [Lee Oskar and Suzuki are made in Japan, Cheap Chinese are a no go], I can't overdraw the thin reeds without rolling my tongue into a tube. I can do flat tongue overdraws on western harps like Hohner [hand mades], Seydels, and Herings. Hohners and Seydels are made in Germany. Seydels have no condensation problems and can be gapped very tight to make bends and overblow/draws absolutely awesome. Their chords are right up there with the Special 20. Seydels are the highest quality harps in the world. 1847.com Herings are made in Brazil and sound great at a low price. But they are constructed and serviced by a third world work force. If you don鈥檛 mind getting an oddball bad harp, Herings are a go. I recommend the 1923 Model. It is absolutely beautiful to look at, and also plays wonderful chords.
Those are the six places in the world where harmonicas are produced. Essentially you get what you pay for with harps man.
I blow out of Hohner Special 20s, which are usually between 22-30 dollars here in the states.
The Johnson Blues Kings are a good starter set for the amateur. They are pretty durable for a $3 harmonica.
However, if you want to be a serious harp master, go for a set of any Hohner product. The Marine Bands are good but, be careful as the wood can get warped and cut the hell out of your lips and mouth. Something with plastic guts will be ok, tone won't be as sure, but they'll last most of the time. And if you are really wanting to be serious, go for the bright-toned Lee Oskars by Tomko. Most folks swear by them. I prefer the wood of a Marine Band for a blues-ier sound.
Hope this helps! Happy harpin'! |
