Advice on Buying Harmonicas
I know that I'm potentially opening up a whole can of worms here, but...
I was speaking to another relative beginner to blues harp, and the conversation turned to what brand harmonica to buy. I almost exclusively play SP20's. I like the way they look, feel, and sound. He told me that he's been playing on a customized SP20 and advised me to get one, also. He pointed out that, unless I had a customized harp, I would never know if any difficulties in playing were due to my poor technique or a low quality harmonica.
I was always happy with the SP20, but now I'm wondering. Maybe a higher quality harmonica will make playing easier or sound better. Should I spring for a customized harmonica or should I just get a more expensive OOTB harmonica? I have heard that the Crossover is one of the best OOTB. Is that right?
Hello Marc, Thank you for your question.
My personal set of "go to" instruments are the Hohner Special 20 harmonicas that I had customized. I have found the overall quality and playability of the current out-of-the-box Hohner diatonic harmonicas superior to those of the past. The main reason is in the close tolerances of the reed to reed slot ratios. Greater compression means less wasted breath from you and more control over the instrument (think Ferrari vs Yugo).
The Crossover you had mention has exactly the same reeds as the Special 20. The voicing of the Crossover is different due to the vented cover plates and Equal Temperment Tuning. The "feel" of the mouthpiece is also different because of the "sandwich" type construction, which exposes the leading edges of the reed plates. Compare this to the Special 20 "nested" reed plates, which are perfectly fitted into the comfortable injection molded ABS comb.
My recommendation is for you to purchase one Crossover harmonica in your favorite key, then compare the "comfort" and "sound" against your Special 20.
Next, review past Harp Tech studies regarding reed gapping and experiment with calibtrating your Special 20 harmonicas to your personnel preferences. This will amaze you.
An finally, swap the Crossover cover plates over to your Special 20 ... play and record yourself and marvel at the sonic variances.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya