What actually makes a harp cheap or expensive?
I mean from a playability POV. What exactly is the difference between, say, a special 20, a rocket amp and a bluesband? Obviously they all play differently, but why? Does Hohner not bother to hand-tune and check the bluesbands? Are the machining tools for the rocket just better-maintained than the ones for the special 20? Do they have separate lines for them and don't use the rocket lines for the bluesband because the wear and tear on the machines isn't worth it? Does the rocket use better, more expensive reed metals than the bluesband?
What is it, exactly, that separates these harps? I picked these three because of the construction similarities like ABS combs with recessed plates, etc. I figured that would be easier to answer, since you wouldn't have to go into vastly different materials like if I'd picked a Marine Band.
What about when you compare a special 20 with a rocket amp? What are the differences there that make the rocket so much more expensive?
The Progressive series Special 20, Rocket, Rocket Low, and Rocket Amp all use the same reedplates and materials, and the combs are very similar, except that the Rocket models have bigger holes and are different colors.
The covers differ. The cover bolts are moved forward on the Rockets, gicing more airtightness along the ffornt edge of the reedplates. The Rockets have opened backs, and the Rocket has vented cover sides like the Marine Band, while the SP20 and Rocket Amp have closed covers, which darkens the sound.
Is any of this more expensive to manufacture than the basic Special 20? No. But the perceived advantages in design, and the relative newness of the Rocket models are selling points that Hohner counts on to command a higher price.
Interesting! Thanks for responding :)
So when reviewers go on and on about how much better the Rocket Amp is than the Special 20, you think it's mostly just in their heads? It certainly wouldn't be the first example of that kind of thing.
If I can chime in here, I started with SP20s and then moved to the Rocket a bit later. For me, the big thing is that the Rocket is much more comfortable to hold and play because it has no sharp edges or pointed corners. Everything about it feels like a more polished SP20. In fact, after playing the Rocket the SP20s just seem more like prototypes than a finished design.
As for the sound, well, the Rocket is louder, raspier, and brighter than the SP20s, but not necessarily better. Each sound has its purposes. If anything, the SP20s tend to sound darker and jazzier while the Rockets sound more like Marine Bands, bright and crisp. As with everything in music, YMMV.
I agree totally about the feel of it in your hands and mouth. It's miles better than the Sp20 there. It's the playability differences (as stated by some reviewers) I'm curious about.
Winslow always knows his stuff, so if he says they use the exact same materials, he's probably right. It wouldn't be the first time reviewers had been influenced by each other into either ranting (the Blues Harp) or raving (the Manji) about a harp model that turned out to be pretty much just an average harp.
Well, I guess if it's more comfortable then it's also more playable. Moreover, given that the Rocket's holes are a bit larger they do let air pass easier thus enhancing playability as well. This would be likened to the different fret action between a Strat and a knockoff or the handling of a well tuned sports car compared to a muscle car that can only go in one diretion well.
That's definitely true. Comfort matters in playability. That's why my Special 20s get sanded to within an inch of thier lives, both the comb corners/edges and the folds in the cover plates. I also widen out the holes in the mouthpiece just a little. It's all really quick to do, but it just improves how they feel immensely.
The main thing I'll always like about Special 20s is how tough they are (reeds aside). Drop em in the water you can just dry them out. Step on em, scratch em, you can pound or buff it out. It doesn't really matter. Can't crush them unless you're Hercules. They feel like beater harps and perform well enough for everything. I like that I don't feel like I have to be careful with them. They remind me of a plastic Makala travel ukulele. Good quality, good playability, but it can fall out of your canoe and you don't care. Just fish it out and play it.
I just wish they were still $30. At $47 I kinda start to care, which hurts the thing I liked about them most (behind playability).
Im pretty sure the reeds on the Rocket and SP20s are identical. FWIW, I’ve rinsed both the SP20s and Rockets under water, shoook, stood on end on a paper towel and let dry. No problems w either.
As to the added cost, well, Im guessing Hohner views the Rocket’s market as being people who would sand and modify SP20s. Therefore, adding $15 or $20 to the cost of a SP20s might simply represents added value. That’s the rationale I used. I had planned on modding my SP20s when I thought Of trying a Rocket instead.
Even when materials and build are nearly identical, small differences in setup can make a world of diffrence.Some years ago I reviewed the Suzuki SCX-56 and Sirius S-56 chromatics side by side. The components, aside from the added weights in the Sirius comb and differences in the mouthpiece holes, appeared identical. Yet the Sirius played worlds better. I could only conclude that either the mouthpiece holes made a huge difference (the can make a difference, but not *that* much) or there was something in the reed setup that made a big difference.
I just bought my first diatonic crossover and the one I got just seemed wrong. It was so hard to play and even felt scratchy on my mouth. Some notes wouldn't sound and some sounded out of tune. I figured it could have been damaged in shipping but also wondered if it wasn't just the way that individual instrument turned out. I got it from Amazon so I was really lucky and they let me exchange it and the second one is easy, sounds in tune and feels great. I know that it's "supposed" to ME that makes those hard notes so hard as a beginner, but I found them very different on one "identical" harp to another.
I'm wondering if on a top of the line harmonica like the crossover if each and every harmonica itself is different because live human hands are involved?
Would that affect the reviewing of the different kinds of harps? I mean, if I got the first Crossover I received my review would be awful because I couldn't even play it, but if I reviewed the second harp I might say that the Crossover is generally awesome. The sound is fantastic and I find it very easy and comfortable to play.
How much does the individual harp affect this discussion?
Yes, every harp is just slightly different. You can get one from the same model series that plays so fantastically you fall in love. Or it can be average. Or it can be a total, defective dud. Good music stores usually weed out that last category and send them back to the factory.
When you buy from Amazon, that middle-man is missing so you're just getting them straight from the factory. And that means duds sometimes.
Bluesbands are not made by Hohner.
The bargain-basement models in Hohner's product line are made in China by third party companies that manufacture to hit a price target, which involves poor quality materials and lack of quality control.
Fairly often beginner students show up with Bluesbands, and out of the box they tend to be badly out of tune (especially on te blow reeds for some reason), leaky, gapped inconsistently, and with poor volume.
Every now and then I hear of someone getting a good one, but that seems to be an exceptional occurrence and a matter of luck.
My own experience with Bluesbands goes back some years when I bought a few to use in potentially desttructive experiments. I noticed that the reedplates were bolted on with far more screws than the Special 20. When I got the harp apart I understood why- the comb was so badly warped that I could barely fit the reedplates back on the comb. Eveidently the manufacturer had pulled the combs out of the mould before they had cooled fully, in order to speed up output.
Another thing I've experienced with cheap harps is weak reed material. I remember trying to tune one with a file that works fine on regular harps, and the reed started to disintegrate.