Thank You David for your kind words and encouragement.
Yeah, I’ve read about that Malcolm Gladwell 10,000-hour thing. I guess it’s true, but I still feel like some people have a natural aptitude for one thing or another.
Probably I’m expecting too much too soon and I’m probably a bit lazy also.
“Awful lot of time and effort” Yes, you’re right of course. Whether its sport or music or anything else, the most successful people, natural aptitude or not, work very hard at their craft.
Thanks again for the confidence boost.
Regards
Craige
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Yes @DavidW and @PapaCurly, I always say: “Everyone sees the well-trained dog, but no one sees how much work goes into it.” 
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The folks on this forum are absolutely the BEST! The support and encouragement as well as the richness and depth of experience here are priceless. These responses hint to me I haven’t yet crossed the red line where the number of harps are concerned. 
And @BnT when I read that you played with John Lee Hooker I felt a serious twinge of envy ! Must have been so much fun!
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I would gladly be able to get by with two or three harmonicas. I carry an A or G with me almost all the time, but playing with the bands necessitates a number of different keys. So, I have a box full at gigs, along with spares. How I wish I could play all if I just “pulled my harpoon out of my dirty, red bandana.” 
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It is handy to have a diatonic harmonica in every major key at least, and then some in the same keys in case you need a back up, and then some in minor keys, and some with custom tunings, and a couple chromatics and a handy carry all case to tote them to a gig.
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Having played on and off for lets say quite a few years, I started to take it more seriously about 2 years ago when I signed up for Luke’s B2B course. 2022 was an expensive year but I’ve now called a halt at 19 harmonicas! One set of 7 Fender Blues Deluxe plus 8 assorted Hohners and Lee Oskars. In addition I have 2 Chromatics, 1 Octave and 1 Tremolo. That must be it … for now.
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Hello @jeffw,
a question about the tremolo. I now know how to play diatonic harps and I also know chromatic harps. Is it hard to play a tremolo? The cockpits look very small and certainly are compared to the others. Unfortunately, I have never had one in my hand in the original. But I would be curious. Which model do you have and are you satisfied?
Thank you very much!
Regards from Astrid 
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Still mastering the Tremolo. I just love the sound of it and the Octave harmonicas. Seems to me more forgiving than the diatonic in that you can get away without being too precise and it will still sound OK. Hopefully I will soon get it to sound good! Mine is a Cascha Master Edition 24 hole C Tremolo. The Octave which gives almost an accordion sound is a Tombo 16. My Chromatic is also by Cascha - relatively inexpensive as I really wanted to try them out without spending too much.
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Hi @Ren_de,
As one of the gentlemen* here (Ouch! … I’ll put that down to a language problem rather than an attitude issue) I think you have a mild case of GAS.
Here’s where I am after less than three years.
Early 2021 - Going through my late cousin’s effects, I discover two harmonicas that had belonged to his long-dead younger brother - a Hohner Bluesband (C) and a Seydel Bandmaster Deluxe chromatic (C).
I cleaned up the Bluesband and tried it. I had no idea how to play, and It tasted foul and sounded horrible. I also tried the chromatic but quicky realised it was a different beast and put it to one side. But something kept drawing me back to the Bluesband and I started trying to figure it out. After trawling YouTube and so forth for a couple of months, I signed up for Beginner to Boss in July 2021 and started to drive my household insane. A friend gave me his dead sister’s harmonicas - a 14-hole Hohner Echo tremelo harp (G) and a Hohner Super Chromonica chromatic (G); that’s the third dead person supporting my harmonica journey.
Gear acquisition syndrome quickly set in. So, almost three years after first picking up a harp, this is what I have:
Hohner Bluesband (C)
Seydel Bandmaster Deluxe chromatic (C) - currently in the “too difficult” pile
Hohner Echo (G) - interesting for folksy stuff
Hohner Super Chromonica - in the “too difficult” pile
Lee Oskar (A) - broken reed
Lee Oskar (A)
Lee Oskar (C) - destroyed the middle of the comb practising
Lee Oskar (C) - gone out of tune
Lee Oskar (C)
Lee Oskar (F)
Lee Oskar (D)
Lee Oskar (Cm) - natural minor
Seydel Skydiver (G) - 24-hole tremelo harp (don’t ask!)
Seydel Blues Session (G) - hole five has given up and died
Seydel Blues Session (G) - holes 4-8 have retuned themselves to a minor key (didn’t learn from the first one breaking after a week - quite costly)
East Top (G) - not my favourite tone
Fender Midnight Blues (E) - seems strangely identical to the East Top …
Hohner Blues Harp MS (C)
Hohner Marine Band Deluxe (G)
Suzuki Humming Pipe Harmonica (C) - strangely appealing if a bit bonkers
And apart from the instruments, there’s the six-harp gig belt, the Shure Bullet mic plus adapters for playing hands-free, the Hohner Flexrack, the dedicated and pointless harp pick-up someone gave me and, and, and …
Just feed the addiction and all will be well!
(*NB - women play harp).
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Barry - You seem to have lots of harps especially in C and G. Have you found a couple of models that you really like for tone and playability in either or both keys?
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Hi @BnT … In C I like the Lee Oskar and the Hohner Blues MS - if I had to choose I’d pick the Hohner (but I’d regret not having the Lee Oskar). In G, for tone and look and feel, I adore the Seydel which is why I have two. Sadly, I broke both within a few weeks (and they aren’t cheap)… Bought an East Top in G, but don’t like the tone (although a couple of friends say it sounds great). So I bought the Marine Band Deluxe and it’s now the only G I use - really like it. Maybe I’m becoming a Hohner Harpist?
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@BnT, I have the Hohner Bluesharp (my first two at the beginning) and the Rocket Amp in both pitches.
The first are made of wood and the other two are made of plastic.
I like both models depending on what I’m playing.
Regards from Astrid
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Your okay, I have 4 chromatics and 20 diatonics 3 years Nov 17. I have slowed up , I think I finally have enough 
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@BnT
Wow! You have really lived the life! Your message is a litany of the blues, and harp-playing saints. I really appreciate you sharing your story. I suspected you might be a writer when I read your first post. And your music is solid blues. Thanks for those sounds. Great work!
My own road in music was more modest and with many sidetracks, and a long span of not performing anywhere. I played with several bands that nobody ever heard of: Jubals, Royal Jokers, Charley Carey and the Castaways, Joe Cool, Natural Gas, and a few western bands, played a few gigs as a sideman in the studios in Ft. Worth, The Castaways were signed to a short term contract with Capital Records but the single did not do well enough for them to pick up the option. About six years ago I joined the Gangsa Rhythm Band In Winnipeg. They are a group of guys from the northern Luzon in the Philippines (from the headhunting tribes in the mountains there). Mostly country music. But some pop, rock, and Latino. I was a drummer most of my career. Now the infirmities of age have begun so the harmonica will allow me to play (if I improve a lot), for a while longer. Music is still a large part of who I am.
Thanks again, BnT, for sharing.
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I have way too many to count. I mostly play the original Hohner Golden Melody: seven of them are in my gig bag (G, A, B, C, Db, Eb, and E) and one is out of commission because it doesn’t have cover plate screws. The reason why I love them: I love how comfortable it is to hold and the bright, raspy tone that comes out. I mainly play 90s country and southern gospel, but I can also wail on them for a blues song.
I also own 8 Hohner Special 20s (G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, D, and F#) but I mainly use the Ab, D, and F#, a Kongsheng Bluebird in Db, a Lee Oskar in High G, a Hohner Rocket in F, a DaBell Story in E, a Hohner Blues Harp in C, a Golden Bird Parrott Tuned Harmonica in Bb (this was a gift to me from my teacher and good friend, Todd Parrott), two Hohner Bluesbands (I’m ashamed that I own more than one Bluesband, but hey more harps for me to collect), and a offbrand harmonica in C. It is clear that I have an addiction to the instrument.
Also about the gentlemen thing, sometimes I get misgendered with he/him pronouns by mistake by other harmonica players. It’s so funny when it comes to being mistaken for a guy even though you look like a young woman and have a feminine first name (my name is Amy), so I just laugh to myself and kindly remind people that I go by she/they. No worries, my dude.
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Hello Milady,
I’ve had a golden melody in C on order for 5 weeks. Called the store yesterday to find out where it’s at and was told it will be another 2 months. Apparently, there are none in Western Australia. Seems like toogdog and I are the only people in the state that play harmonica. After reading your zealous post about GMs I’m even more forlorn in my anticipation.
Regards
Dude Curly
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I have been playing less than a year and I have 6. I don’t think it’s a big problem if you enjoy it. I have mostly oscars and if I don’t find a deal they are less than 50 a piece. That’s not nothing, but it’s really not that bad if you think of the hours you play them and think about the songs and keys. Compare it to people who go to professional sports games. In my town the NFL is a 300 a day event. A 50 dollar harmonica lasts a long time and gives me something to think about even when I’m not playing. It sounds like you even play in public, to me it’s worth it and I just play at home and for my kids.
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My first with green stamps like a rewards program in the 60’s, hence the name and had to talk my mom into it, as dad was a staunch Lawrence Welk Fan.
So one C Hohner marine band for years. Then when I got older and had money I usually had a C or Bd around. Then usually only two or three. But now I play more, I’m retired, good breathing exercise. So I have mostly hohners in most keys, blues special 20’s a couple of low rockets, that resin comb is smooth, F and E, the others, all A-G one flat but I have a hohner and and eaststop Bd and a C and an A, a G, hohners, wood comb, also a harmo which is like a eaststop, very smooth, pricey, in G.
12 hohner blues+ east 4 + harmo 1 + 2 hohner rockets, an old Eb that has nails, kind of gummed up, old Opera I got at an antique shop, making a new comb, someday for it, Interesting sloped cavities in the comb, smelled of tobacco and whiskey.
21 total, 20 playable.
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The woman player mention, yes, you tube has a bunch. This one gal was so good I saved it and watch and learn from time to time, excellent blue’s riff choices, you tube. and where I live there are two I know of and I live in a rural area of only a couple thousand people. One played first position neil young song at a birthday party we played a few months ago, it wasn’t long may you run.
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That ain’t GAS. You’re not even at the price of ONE good guitar yet!!!
I’m guessing I’ve bought AT LEAST 20 harps in the last 3 years? I wonder how many harps I have…should I count them? 
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