Just joined as I am on a mission. Got more harps than talent, but now at 65 decided to get serious. Was a bass horn player in school band and such as well, so wanted to get one of these the first time I laid eyes on it, but the $1200-$1400 price at the time was kinda outta my reach. Anyway got one for $300 off ebay from a fellow in Japan. Is like new and sounds fantastic. If you’re not familiar with it, Paul Oscher plays one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtFJtpM5pE8 .
The harp is about 2 and 1/2 pounds with brass reeds and stainless wrapped around a rosewood comb. It is chromatically tuned with 25 blow only holes and brass accordion reeds arranged like a 25-key keyboard. Range is claimed C-C1, but it is two octave and others says, C2 - C4. My sister is the master sight reader in the family, so I’m not all that sure. I figure from two ledger lines below to one ledger line above a standard staff. I know, Staff? Right, tabs aren’t going to cut it here. It is a bass-line instrument, but I have had a blast sounding out “Amazing Grace.” Even got some over-blows, but minimal change in tone.
Here’s the rub. I am trying to find some, as my sister would say, etudes and methods for this instrument. Exercises basically to get used to the feel and location of things. Going from XB-40 to Blues Harp was easy compared to this. Am just wondering if anyone here might understand enough to suggest such notation for another instrument in the same range to help find the notes on the instrument and try to develop that “muscle memory?”
Hey. I play the bass harmonica, though I haven’t played this Tombo model yet. I have a very similar one which goes a 4th lower than this one and it was made by Hohner unitil maybe the 1970’s. It’s the 264 G bass single reed. Otherwise I mainly play the double reed Hohner basses like the 268 or Bass 78 which actually go even lower than the Tombo or old Hohner G bass.
I also teach bass harmonica if interested. https://www.boazkimmusic.com/new-page-1
For a double reed bass harmonica, which are tuned in octaves and typically are the lowest bass harmonicas ever made, look for a used Hohner 265 or 268 bass harmonica on the second hand market. Sometimes you’ll see the old Hohner single reed basses too which would also be good, which is like the Tombo bass but even lower. Double and single reed basses respond pretty differently, with the single reed basses sounding closer to what we’d thing a bass would sound like. With microphone techniques and playing techniques, the double reed basses actually can sound very similar with a much faster response in the lowest range.
If money is no issue, go for a new Hohner or Suzuki bass harmonica.
Do believe I would agree with @Boaz_Kim_Music, if you’re wanting to go bass-line harp. The Hohner 265 and 268 harps are on eBay quite often. Those, and most double-reed bass harps, are chord tuned (correct me if I’m wrong Boaz). The Tombo 1140R is tuned two octaves below middle C chromatically. It’s also large enough to attach four 10-hole harps, Figure maybe a Low-C (top-L), C (top-R), Low-A/G (bttm-L), and A/G (bttm-R). Trying to make all this work helps me forget about being the “winner” of the tontine.
The Hohner 265 and 268 (now called the 58 and 78) are not “chord tuned.” I’m not totally sure what you mean by that. They are called “double reed basses” because they automatically play in octaves per each hole. There are a subcategory of harmonicas like the older Hohner Auto Valve Harp which are octave tuned as well. The effect is like playing a tongue blocked octave split on a diatonic harmonica. With the bass harmonicas there are more unique reasons to build in octaves.
The Hohner basses go down, 2/3’s of an octave lower than the Tombo single reed bass.
I guess I could also recommend the Tombo dragonfly bass and maybe the Easttop basses just to give more options. I will say I have had a student buy an Easttop single reed bass and they had problems and I know of some others that had issues as well with their basses. You might want to be in contact with a repair tech who specializes with bass harmonicas, just in case.