Hi y’all:
I have a set of Lee Oskars which are great. I purchased a Horner Rocket and now own three. My question is - why are they so easy to play bends, etc and have others experienced this?
Be kind to yourselves and others.
Robert
The Great White North
I really don’t know, but perhaps it is the many more years of experience that the Hohner company has?
Not only have I had similar experience comparing Lee Oskar and various Hohner models (for example, Special 20 and Marine Band Deluxe), but I also find the tone of the Lee Oskar models to be “tinny” compared to the sound of the Hohners.
Best regards,
– Slim
Many thanks for your comment Slim which BTW, I agree with. I find the Rocket requires a lot less effort which allows me to not only bend notes more easily but do vibrato, etc. Nice to know I’m not alone.
No doubt the Rockets are a total beast of a harp. I didn’t actually notice that they were easier to bend than the Lee Oskars - I’ll have to go back and check that out.
But I do know that Hohner is very proud of the Rocket line, so it’s great to hear them being appreciated by others!
Rock on Robert!
Aloha,
Luke
Is a Hohner Rocket a good Harmonica for beginners?
I think it would be fine. My tip to buying a first harmonica is don’t go budget if you can avoid it because you’ll be wondering if it is you or the harmonica when you have problems. Some Seydel harps look pretty but are too thick for me.
Yes, I think it would be a good choice. I only have Hohners so I don’t have much to compare with. My usual recommendation for a beginner is the special 20 as its a bit cheaper but still an excellent harmonica. I like the rocket and rocket amp better, but they cost a little more. I also reiterate to not get a cheap harmonica; you’re only cheating yourself.
I play a specail 20. Super satisfied with them. That being said, i bought a blues bender. Junk! Looks cool and is louder but hard to play bends. It is also stamped made in china?? I was expecting German quality. Has anyone else felt like it was a bait and switch?
@zoomdoll Yes it’s great! Rock on! 
Bendability in a harmonica comes from a few factors:
Things you can control:
Things the maker controls:
The things you can control influence bendability in a strong way. Without writing a long post, here’s what you can do to improve bendability on harps you have, especially those with the type of comb found on a Special 20, Rocket, or Lee Oscar:
I typically don’t do all that, but in the past I have spent considerable time adjusting reeds and reed slots. Time well-spent. Andrew has great materials on that as well, as does Richard Sleigh.
Just created my acount here now. But really appreciate your expertise in your equipment. So my friend, I tend to be a fast rock jammer my harps are gone at after live mic anything. So I just use one key make it work. My question what harps or harp is indestructible if any, please, thanks. Have a 10 gallon pail of destoyed harps.
The harmonica is a rather delicate musical instrument built with precision. There is no indestructable harmonica.
Perhaps the best for you would be a Seydel with stainless steel reeds. But their better models cost more than most other harmonicas with brass reeds. The cheapest with stainless steel reeds is the Session Steel model.
Maybe you should start learning how to make better use of an amplifier?
Failing that, try switching from harmonicas to steel drums … 
Yeah agreed definitely worth trying out a Seydel. The withstand abuse the best I think.
And since you love fast rock, you might wanna check out the Wilde tuned harps. They help you go 0-60 in seconds flat. 
I have not tried a Rocket, but they are pretty similar to special 20’s and I’ve played those a lot. And they did bend a little easier than my Lee Oscar.
Easy bending comes from a variety of factors, most are related to the air tightness of the harp and red setup.
Once a harp is properly set up, there are still some differences. Softer reed harps take a little less effort to bend.
But for most playing…you get used to it over time either way. Most folks settle in on a particular brand they like.
For me, Hohners and JDR fit the bill, I prioritize overblow ease and light response.
Lee Oscar, I’ve not spent much time with. But they seem a perfectly fine harp to use.
I have an F Hohner Rocket as my main F harp. It has a very powerful and raspy tone. There’s a version with closed off side vents called the Rocket Amp, which is basically a Special 20 on steroids. They also have low tuned Rockets as well. I mainly play Golden Melodies, but I also love my Special 20s and therefore the Rocket.
Me too, but Low F. I really love the Rocket Low series, I wouldn’t have thought I would love the tone as much as I do what with it being a plastic comb but after trying one the first time I was instantly in love.
The comb material has nothing to do with the tonal quality that the audience hears. Differences that the musician playing the harmonica hears are perhaps present, but experiments have shown this to be possibly just preconceptions (i.e. “mental bias”) by the player.
Yeah #1 tonal considerations are the reed material, the reed setup, and the player’s mouth.
When I bought my first Joe Spiers harp, I couldn’t believe how different a MBD sounded compared to a stock. Setup can make a HUGE difference in sound.
Regarding Rockets, I prefer the the Rocket Amps to the Rockets. For some reason they just play easier and sound better to me. I have a couple Rocket Lows. They ain’t bad. Much warmer/darker than the Thunderbirds. But to me, bright on the Low tuned is good, because it helps them to cut.
I agree with @Luke and @Carlos1. I’ve been scrutinized by people who believe in tone wood in the harmonica world and honestly, the tone mainly comes from the player’s mouth. I own many harmonicas with different combs for this reason.
I’ve not been keeping up, the Rocket, does it use the same reedplates as the special 20 still?
Or is the steroid part the bigger air holes and vented coverplates?