Product Reviews of Harmonicas

I favor Suzuki harps, and all-metal construction rather than wood or plastic. Many people would, obviously, disagree. Wood (as in Marine Band and Blues Harp) gives a kind of mellow tone: ideal for acoustic blues especially. But they cut up my lips a little bit (swelling when wet). And the rest of the Marine Band harp is OK, but not something I love. Plastic construction (a la Golden Melody, Special 20, Lee Oskar, Soul's Voice), gives a very bright, almost shimmering sound, but maybe a bit too bright. Maybe it's in my head but it sounds kinda...plastic. The all-metal harps (Promaster, Meisterklasse, Bushmaster) feel great and heavy in the hand, give more volume with a better range of tone than the plastic, it seems to me. Course, they're also the most expensive.

Hohner:

Marine Band

Wood comb. Of course the standard blues instrument from time immemorial. Very nice tone at a reasonable price, though many are slightly out of tune, and they flat out fairly quickly if played hard. Test whatever you buy. Still, you're not making a mistake, or if you are, twenty more bucks will rectify it. Many blues players would seriously play nothing else. There are also larger diatonic models, including some things in new tunings etc, that are very playable.

Blues Harp

Wood comb. As far as I can see, virtually identical in every way to the Marine Band, with perhaps a slightly thinner profile that might make a slight difference in playability. I played them for many years.

Golden Melody

Plastic comb. I also played these for many years, because of superior volume and brighter tone than the Marine Band. Maybe a bit more airtight as well. They seem a little more consistent in quality and a little more durable than the MB and BH to me too.

Special 20

Plastic comb. I like the overall shape and profile, more similar to the MB than to the squarish Golden Melody. The tone is a little smokier and hence maybe preferable to the GM, but without the volume advantages.

Meisterklasse
This is the top-of-the-line Hohner diatonic, going for damn near 60 bucks. It's similar in construction to the Suzuki Promaster - heavy in the hand with an aluminum comb. I've been playing one in A for a couple of weeks now, and I do like it. It has a lighter, more sparkly timbre than the Suzuki. On the other hand it does not seem to me any better, overall, and it costs substantially more.

Lee Oskar:

Plastic comb. The Lee Oskar harp started the fashion for replacing reedplates. It has good volume, and similar shape to the Special Twenty, with a somewhat brighter tone. More consistently well-tuned and perhaps more durable through bending than the Hohner models. Still, I guess I would say not overall insanely wonderful, but good value for money and a solid harp.

Suzuki:

Promaster

A beautiful, heavy, all-metal instrument, which is my standard harp these days. Lovely in the hand, with good tone. Somehow the all-metal construction vibrates beautifully; I don't know, I just dig it. I've never bought one with any serious tuning issues or bad reeds. Extremely durable: they can last years even under pretty heavy use. Pricey, though they've maybe come down a bit.

Overdrive

An interesting harp: all-metal with holes for each reed across the top and the bottom and a sealed back. A great sound, less bright and even louder than the Promaster. Supposedly the holes allow various bend and overblow effects otherwise unavailable. Actually, I've gone off them as cool as they are because my fingers keep getting over the holes and making me screw up.

Bushman:

Seems like a brand-new entry into the market, and they can do some things right. Maybe still not there, though.

Soul's Voice

Plastic. Similar in most ways to the Lee Oskar. I like the tone and feel and airtightness quite a lot. But my A flatted out on me very quickly.

Bushmaster

A wonderful-looking all-metal harp. But it's expensive, and I was disappointed with the one I got. Not nearly the volume or resonance of the Promaster, and one of the reeds actually rattled, while a couple of others seemed slightly mis-set. I could love this harp if it were right. The one I had wasn't.