Hi I just wondered if anyone had come across JDR specials diatonic harps as I’ve seen a few and I wondered if their justified the price or not?
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Reviews on YouTube. Looks cute & some thought out touches. Sounds okay. A number of happy responders. Personally I don’t care for plastic harmonicas especially for $60 (Assassin) or supporting the Chinese economy.
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Has anyone got a hold of the new JDR Gentle Monster for about a hundred bucks ?
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I’m not a fan of wooden harps, and I’m not really interested in politics I just like to try different things
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I’ve not even seen that one
I’ve never tried anything from JDR, but they collaborate a lot with Bushman as a distributor when they don’t sell from Amazon. However, the hate for modern Chinese harmonicas drives me up the wall. I’m more on the left-leaning side of the political spectrum (though I don’t support the Chinese government) and I don’t get why people hate on Chinese harmonicas but they support other foreign countries like Germany and Japan other than the people hating on Chinese harmonicas are just racist towards the Chinese and classist to people who can’t afford at least a decent quality instrument.
I was told by somebody who I banned in my group who had nothing but bad experiences with Easttops that Chinese harmonicas aren’t “made for expression” and that I needed to save up money for a “real harmonica” like a Hohner, Seydel, or Suzuki, when I own so many different harps from different brands. If that wasn’t being racist, then I don’t know what that was. Even one person genuinely thought that the original Hohner Rocket is made in China, probably because he had a bad experience with it, and the Rocket Amp is made in Germany.
I absolutely hate it when people assume that a Chinese harmonica is going to be bad just because it’s made in China. I understand that some Chinese harmonicas are bad quality, but times have changed and they’re staring to catch up to what Germany and Japan, mostly Japan, are doing. The Sinophobia (the hate towards the Chinese) in the harmonica world needs to stop.
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I’ve no problem with anyone until they give me cause to have a problem. Yes I think the political BS can be annoying. And yes, there is pretty much hatred of anything these days that is not White European/ American. I suppose I’ve been lucky having travelled a few times around the world and met ordinary people in the countries I’ve visited and those people have always been warm and welcoming. Politics and politicians I tend to avoid. Politics is mainly a lie that says we have a right to choose who are our leaders, politicians propagate that lie for their own profit, promising a change that never comes because it’s in their vested interest to keep things as they are, in order to keep the wheel of lies spinning. So I agree. I’ve had bad Hohner harps, I know people who’ve told me they will never buy a Seydel again! I recently got turned on to East Tops by a friend who uses them as a back to his other harps ( which is now my intention) in my opinion the proof is in the pudding. If looks like a pudding, tastes like a pudding, smells like a pudding, then it very probably is a pudding, despite who made it.
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I was told for many years to not play my Hohner Golden Melodies because of the tuning on them not being like a Marine Band, but I always loved how they play for blues and how cool they look. I was also told by somebody on Facebook to not play a Seydel Session Steel when I did a Youtube review on them because of his bad experiences with them, but I recieved it as a birthday gift and plays very well. I was also told many times to not to buy a Suzuki Bluesmaster, but I ended up liking it. I was told bad things about Kongsheng being a bad manufacturer (many due to their Sinophobia) and how they supposedly have holes in the reeds, but it didn’t have any when I opened my Db Bluebird or my Low F Solist. In fact, I think Kongsheng can compete with the Big Four (Hohner, Seydel, Suzuki, and Tombo) due to their quality being top-notch from what I’ve experienced.
I don’t know why I always like the more controversial harmonicas, according to Facebook, but I think it’s because that I have a lot of good luck when it comes to OOTB harmonicas. It seems like every brand new harmonica I receive in the mail is gapped very well. Especially my carry-on harmonica, a chinese Hohner Blues Bender in C. But I think a lot of the players who tell me not to play a certain harmonica model or brand are very jealous that I’m more open-minded than them and more well-respected as a player at the age of 22 compared to when I was bullied all the time many years ago when I told people that I don’t want to imitate Charlie McCoy or Little Walter and would rather sound like Terry McMillan.
The only harmonica I will never buy is a Hohner Marine Band 1896 because I know that harp’s timbre and temperment does not fit with my style, I don’t like wooden combs as they swell a lot, and a lot of players make it sound terrible lip pursed imo. One of the few players I know who could make a Marine Band sound decent is Paul Butterfield. He had a very sweet tone both acoustic and amplified, especially since he had an original playing style that the general public liked. But then again, he was trained as a flute player before switching to the harmonica and could make anything sound good.
People rave so much about tonewood in the harmonica world that I often feel like an outcast for preferring other harmonica comb materials. Not due to their sound, as I don’t believe material alone can influence the timbre, but because they feel a lot more comfortable for me to play. But one guy tried to prove me wrong by saying that there’s scientific proof that wooden combs have a “better” tone than every other comb by pulling something random that was not tested with harmonica players in mind. However, I’d listen to somebody like my teacher, who has tried all of the different comb materials for harmonica than somebody who hates plastic combs and only likes wooden combs.
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I’m not a fan of wooden combs I started playing in the 80’s when they were really bad, and that was every harp you bought, the combs would swell and you’d have to trim them down with a very sharp craft knife or box cutter sand them down and put them back together they rip your lips to pieces. I went on to Lee Oskars when they first appeared. I loved the fact they had plastic combs and replacement reeds, but my only reservation was they sounded too bright. Then Hohner bought out the Special 20 in reply to the Lee Oskars. What people can’t seem to fathom is the fact that the big guns now have viable competition which means they will have to up their game in regards to quality and price. Because they are no longer the only game in town. Tbh I don’t care what the brand is as long as it plays and sounds good. To be fair there has been a big improvement in manufacturing the wooden combs and varnishing. But I actually like the tone I get from the plastic combs ( and most the tone you get is how far you can get the damn thing in your mouth and what you can do with it while it’s there.) Because I’m not playing a wooden comb like most blues players do, yes my tone is different BUT then I makes me sound more different. Paul Butterfield once said and I can’t quote him exactly but it was something along the lines of “I knew I couldn’t sound or play like those old guys, like Little Walter and Big Walter, So I just ended up playing how I play doing my own thing.” That’s exactly what I tend to do, I watch guys live struggling to imitate the big blues guys trying to get their solos exact?? I just play what I feel in the moment, people seem to love an original more than an impersonator. I do have my heros but I don’t copy them I’ll steal little bits and do my own thing with them. But it doesn’t matter what you play it on as long as it sounds good and the audience dig it.
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+1 to that @Andy2 . I realise it takes all sort and that for some reproducing the sound of others is the ultimate aim, but for me it’s the opposite. If I want to hear the sounds of the greats, I play the recordings. When I pick up my own instruments I’m more interested in exploring & seeinghearing what happens…
Good job I just play for the fun of it and not to entertain others. LOL!
Each to their own, and YMMV, as they say. 
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I do play to entertain others but primarily if I’m on stage having a good time, then the general rule is the audience does too. I’ve just learned the intro to Greasy Gravy by William Clarke and just some of the solo the rest I do my own thing to. I or anyone else for that matter couldn’t measure up to a William Clarke a Paul Delay or a Rick Estrin and as much as I love those guys at the end of the day I’m not those guys ( and they never copied anyone else’s solos either they played themselves.) I just take the bits that I really enjoy from them and add it to my style. On diatonic I’m going through Harpoon Man by Paul Delay atm and I’ve managed to pinch his siren while, I love that and some other signature licks he does, I’ll add those and mix em in a great big stew pot add a bit of Greg Fingers Taylor, some Bullmoose Jackson Sax and so on. It’s important to me to give credit to guys who’ve gone before but still be me at the same time
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Yeah, I know the Assassin, Assassin Pro, and Gentle Monster very well. I have a relationship with them and have a lot of hope for this brand.
As for their diatonics, I have a lot to say but I’ve been low-key about them. I’m scared a demand spike will create challenges for the company.
The short version - highest quality reedplates on the market, according to Brendon Power. Based on how they play for me, I don’t doubt it. Assassins are and Assassin Pros are designed for overblowers. I’ve played 16 of them, all of them overblow well OOTB, and about half of them do so very well.
I have not played a Ninja, but it is same reedplates as the Assassin, but no Turbotape on the overblow reeds. Their OB capabilities are high, but you might need to gap and/or apply turbotape or wax rivets.
Gentle Monster, Compromise tuning, so better for blues. The ones I have also overblow and overdraw well, though I suspect these are gapped a little wider for higher-breath-force blues playing.
For both harps the sound is overall a bit more round and clear. High end is not shrill, which is unusual for a harmonica. I’ve found that I get an even response across the whole range of the harp.
The Assassin and Nina can come with powder-coated coverplates. Note, these are not plastic as some have suggested, they are powder coated metal. I don’t like these, and strongly prefer the versions with a smooth metal coverplates.
They are also taller coverplates, which take some getting used to. Personally since I’m playing a lot of chromatic right now, it is easier to transition. When I play the Gentle Monsters (more Marine Band size), they feel small.
I’ve also heard that JDR has some economy line harps that are very cheap (like $10 per harp), and that these are more in the category with Hohner’s Bluesband, in terms of quality.
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What is the difference between Assassin and assassin Pro?
The pro has an aluminum comb. Personally I think it is slightly more responsive, but that’s subjective.
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I’ve purchased a Vanphy which I believe is made by JDR. As someone with a longer goatee I can appreciate the way this is built. It doesn’t pluck my lips at all. I love this thing and its carrying me through my lessons with ease. I don’t really care where anything is made, if my lips aren’t getting plucked then its all good for me.
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