These sexy babies are as fun to play as they are to look at. Responsive, bendable, great tone. I had him Parrott-tune them for me (-7 down a half-step) and I have taken to really love this tuning. I also had him customize it so I can get all the overblows and overdraws on them.
If there’s anything I can’t do on these harps, I know it’s cos of me and not cos of the harps.
These are customized Marine Bands with Rocket Coverplates. But I also just bought a customized Special20 I had him build for me tuned to C Natural Minor, and it also looks and sounds amazing.
@schulenburgd1 - Welcome to the forum my friend! I have never played the Hohner Meisterklass!
Wow, those are some beautiful harps. I’d like to get one, but I don’t need any more friggin’ harps. I told myself I would not allow myself to buy another until I finished Beginner to Boss, which I’m closing in on. I’m thinking maybe a Rocket Low F, since that would be lower than the G that I currently have, and I haven’t tried a Rocket yet. Thanks for sharing.
My favorite is the MB, then the Special 20, then the MB, then the 20, then the … . You get the idea. I go in spurts and love both equally well though they are different.
A Fender Blues deluxe in C.
I don’t like this harp much it’s like a toy compared to others. I do, however, keep it in my truck to play in traffic… jam my way through the jam lol
For practice and playing as well as going through the beginner to boss course I got a honer special 20 in C - I like this. It is superior to the blues deluxe
I also have a fender blues deville in A. This so far is my favorite harmonica. It has a different bevel where your lips go - so switching from the honer to the deville takes a few minutes to get the feel and visa versa.
@cloves-fibs0f welcome to the forum my friend! Glad to have ya here.
Yeah I agree with you about the Fender Blues Deluxe. The SP20 BLOWS IT OUT OF THE WATER!
Regarding Blues Deville, being in the key of A though, it’s not really and apples vs apples comparison. You might mostly be digging it because it’s a lower key which can be whole lot of fun, especially when playing alone.
I don’t really feel any difference between the Blues Deville’s and the East Top 008k’s which are like half the price.
I’d prefer a SP20 to any Fender. But that’s just me. This is all personal preference, so don’t be swayed from what you enjoy my friend! Rock on!
I just picked up a Rocket Amp that I’ve had on order for several weeks. Things move slow round here. As @toogdog alluded to in another thread, she lives in the worlds most isolated capital city; I’m 80 Km south of her. One music store in town.
It was worth the wait, I’m loving it. Much like the special 20 but more comfortable to hold in my hand and louder. Also, I think the special 20 is pretty boring to look at whereas the Amp has a bright green comb and a much more attractive (zip up) case. The key label on the Amp is more prominent, so easier to see at a glance. Really like it.
Oh ha, @bubby.graves, I just listened to Will Wilde’s solo.
This is seriously rocking . I hope you make it.
Are you just learning it for yourself or do you want to make it public? I’m asking about the background music.
I’m just challenging myself , still rockin at 70. Always wanted to learn some kind of instrument since I was a child, now I’m learning piano and chromatic and diatonic , living the dream.
@bubby.graves - I’ve got a session steel Will Wilde rock tuning key of A and just played it for the first time in forever. Such a great tuning. Opens up a lot of possibilities!
Here’s another harmonica that I like. This is the Suzuki Bluesmaster. I think this harmonica could compete with the Hohner Golden Melody. Nobody complained about me playing Terry McMillan style country licks on it before and nobody has since I bought my first one back in October last year.
I compared it to the first Golden Melody I ever bought (because everybody and their grandma has compared it to the Hohner Special 20), both of them in Eb. Both of them play very well, the only difference I could find is in their timbres. The Golden Melody has a sweeter timbre, but it can still be pretty bluesy. Meanwhile the Bluesmaster has a richer and fuller timbre and sounds very raw, especially on those hand-wahs.
Please note that I compared it to an OOTB Golden Melody instead of my Blue Moon custom in Eb, because I thought it would be unfair to compare it to a custom that can do overblows and overbends meanwhile my Suzuki can’t.
I’ll probably get drummed out for this, my favorite is either an EastTop 10/40 NV chromatic or the identical Kmise model. Why? When I travel overseas, as is often necessary, one small 10 hole 2.5 octave chromatic enable me to amuse myself, jam in almost any key if given the opportunity, it’s light, easy to carry & pack taking up less room than even 4 diatonic, it holds its tone and is not too difficult or expensive to replace if some low-life pinches it or customs official fancies confiscating it (probably to keep it for themselves). I have 18 chromatics but daft as it may seem these have become my favorites. Jay1
I just picked up a Horner marine band crossover after mulling it over for awhile. I chose this one mostly because it was recommended by an old friend named Dennis Gruenling who happens to be a professional player and is pictured on the box. It plays comfortably and is easy to hit all the notes. as a new player that is important.
I’ve been a guitar player for over fifty years which has caused me to suffer from G.A.S. for almost as long so even though ive only been taking the harmonica seriously for six months (like most people i’ve had a special 20 in my sock drawer for nearly twenty years) it was inevitable that i was going to quickly acquire many harps. I’ve got most of the keys now covered by a spread of different manufacturers. Off the top of my head i’ve got a Lee Oskar, a Hohner Special 20, 2 Hohner Rockets, a Hohner Crossover, 2 Arkia signatures, 2 Seydel 1847s (the classic and the silver), 2 Seydell session steels (Summer 24 edition) and a Suzuki Manji Sky. When im working through Luke or JPs lessons or just practising bends I always use an Arkia Signature. It’s not my favourite harp to play but I know that its more finely tuned for bends than any of my other harps so if I can’t get a bend i’m pretty sure its me, not the harp. My favourite harp is probably the Seydel 1847 Silver. It just has the great feel of a quality instrument and I find the slightly larger holes easy to play. My least favourite is probably the Lee Oskar for no other reason than it feels cheaper than the others, more like a toy than a serious instrument. Having said all of that I think for the perfect blend of looks, playabilty, sound and value for money i’d probably rank the Rocket as the best of the bunch. Unfortunately I had to spend a ton of money on many harps to find that out. Mind you, although i’ve decided not to buy any more harps for a while i am on the waiting list with Joe Spiers for one of his marine bands and that could well upset the apple cart
?
. I hope you make it.
