Blues harp suggestions

[bmac]

I am concentrating on blues mandolin and would like to explore the blues harp. I know a little about playing (bending, etc) but would like advice on making my first serious purchase.

Steve James mentions in his video that G is a good key for traditional mandolin blues as it offers two full octaves of usable notes in the first position. My thoughts then is that a G harp might be a good choice as a starter for blues.

I would also be interested in recommendations of brands keeping in mind I am an amature who is experimenting. I don't want a toy.

It has been quite a few years since I've had a blues harp in my hand and am open to any suggestions as to a reasonable quality instrument at a reasonable price.

What I am asking for is I guess a primer on blues harps. What features should the harp have? and how much should I expect to pay? Any help appreciated.

[ira]

go hohner and lee oskar as i think the 2 best brands. for hohners, the 2 best imho are blues harp and special 20. i'm a blues harp guy, as i just love the sound and so easy to bend notes. the downside is the blowout factor as they don't last too long if you are a hard player. the special 20s last longer and are pretty loud, but i don't think the tone is quite what the blues harp offers. price is in the 20-30 dollar range dep. upon where you buy em.

i personally would buy a harp in c to start as you can cross with a tune in g and there are no sharps/flats to screw you up as you are just starting out.

[John Flynn]

I agree with ira. I have both Special 20s in all my keys and a Blues Harp in C. The Special 20 is probably the best to learn on, because the plastic comb is smoother and easier on untrained lips. I am intrigued by the Lee Oscars though, even though I have never tried one. They have removable reeds that can be more easily tuned and repaired, which is a nice feature I wish the Hohners had.

[handpicked]

Seems like replacing the reed plate on a Lee Oskar used to be about as much $$ as the whole harp..kinda defeats the purpose. Myabe that's changed.

[ira]

same with hohner. the 3-5 bucks saved vs. time and effort just aint worth it.

[Rich Michaud]

Buy an A harp. I suggest a Lee Oskar or a Marine Band. Buy thru email the harp sellers online will sell cheaper than retail stores. Then buy Jerry Portney's 3 CD Masterclass teaching set. It is by far and away the best out there. I have been playing blues harp for 2o years and have tried all the harps and many of the teaching tapes. Have fun and listen to Little Walter. Rich Michaud

[ira]

http://www.harmonicalessons.com/
this is a neat site with some reaaaaaaaaaaaally basic technique stuff.

[Burbs]

I am a fan of the Hohner Special 20. I played a gig last night and I used my Blues Harp instead of my Special 20. I really missed the volume I get from my Special 20... it can be hard to be heard over the banjo and those Special 20's you can just whale on.... but it may be that my Blues harp is a bit older... I think the Blues Harp and Marine Band are wood reed... so you get a bit mellower. sound... but the plastic reed on the Special 20's are just plane loud...
I gave up on Lee Oskars. I only used the replacement reeds once when I need to do a session in Ab, and nobody in Phoenix had an Ab harmonica! But one place had the replacement reeds. They were a hastle... and you can get new stuff from www.harpdepot.com or other sites for cheap these days.
I also recommend the www.harmonicalessons.com. IUt is a great place to figure out what this cross harp secret is, and you can hear the samples to help you along.

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

I second (or third or fourth?) the SP20. I have 7 (different keys) and love them. If you want you could maybe think about trying an XB-40. Also maybe look at bushman harps - soul's voice has had pretty good reviews as has the delta frost. Basically try a few and see what suits you - just like with mandos. Note that HAS is way cheaper than MAS! However the SP20 with it's smooth plastic comb is pretty hard to beat. As far as buying Elderly (surprisingly) has some pretty good prices especially on the XB-40 then probably harpdepot. For learning I also agree with the Jerry Portnoy program however if your a real beginner I'd suggest something by Jon Gindick to start with (Rock an Blues harmonica is good)- then Portnoy. As for websites - yes harmonicalessons dot com but also Mike Will's site and for everything you ever wanted to know about harp tuning Pat Missin's site. Also harptalk at yahoo and the harp-l discussion list are invalueable. There is a wealth of harp related info out there - no matter what you want to play. Enjoy!

Take Care! -Ed-

[mandroid]

Lee oscars do allow you to tear them down and clean out your 'product'.
metaphor attempt, drag racing;and #motor overhauls, you get pretty good at it by the time it begins to really matter.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[mandobsessed]

I am kinda neurotic about harps. I use mostly Hohners but just got my first Lee Oskar. The tones are very different from brand to brand and in typical piscean fasion I can't decide shich one is better.

Do any of you use harp racks with your mandos? I haven't been able to make that work.

[ira]

i use a neck harp rack on occassion ala dylan or n.young. the only prob i have is the periodic bump into the mic or micstand when singing.