Hohner 364 tuning
Hello, I was thinking about getting a hohner 364. I thought It was CEG CEG CEG CEG DGB DGB DFA BDF but It looks like a low harmonica + 2 hole very weird ( 11 and 12) https://www.hohner.de/fileadmin/documents/instruments/harmonicas/hohner-harmonicas-tuning-chart.pdf Considering that the PDF ha something wrong, infact you can se that according to It a hohner 364 in D and in C shares the same tuning..... Is It a typo or it's just like it's written?
Thank you
So I should look for a sbs or a lucky 13
Thank you
m.marco:
It sounds as if your objective is to go with the Steve Baker Special tuning, i.e., holes 1-3 duplicating 4-6, only an octave lower. This gives you some nice low-end "chugging" but can be a bit confusing if what you're really looking for is simply a Low-C diatonic.
I have both the now-discontinued C SBS and a Low-C 364/24, which is more like a regular Low-C, but with extra notes on the high end.
Be aware that any harp with more than 10 holes can be more leaky, due to the longer comb and reed plates. Neither my SBS nor my 364/24 is particularly airtight.
Also, the SBS uses a pearwood comb (as does the 364/24). If that's your preference, look for an SBS. The Lucky 13 uses a plastic comb, which might be more comfortable if that's what you're used to.
Finally, yes, holes 11 and 12 on the 364/24 and hole 14 on the SBS can seem a little bit "weird," unless you've also had some experience with various tremolo harmonicas, which all seem to have tuning systems quite different from diatonics.
Update this thread to let us know which harp you end up with, and how you like it!
The standard 364 is tuned exactly like a regular diatonic but an octave lower for the C and D keys, and regular pitch for the G. And yes, Holes 11 and 12 get seriously out of alignment with the blow notes because, starting in Hole 3, you have 4 draw notes per octave (B D F A) coupled with only three blow notes (C E G) .
What you're thinking of is the SBS (Steve Baker Special) tuning that was offered as an alternative tuning for the 14-hole #365, starting in the early 1990s and ended with the 365 in 2013. That tuning is now available with Brendan Power's Lucky 13 model, with the first three holes duplicating Holes 1-3 an octave lower, then continuing with the standard tuning of Holes 1-10.