[Harp-L] Three Simple Things Hohner Could do to improve their harps

["Billy James" <billyjames@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Your suggestions to Hohner Points 1 and 2 are excellent Bill. But Point 3 is a bit much and will never happen. To many people who begin playing, have trouble pulling notes from hole 2 in my experience they often end out returning the diatonic to the music shop [who generally hasn't a clue about harmonicas] and thus they end out with a 'bucket full' of rejects or as you say if they were particulary shonky...put them back for sale possibly? I actually have scan through those 'returns' and 'snapped up' a few from time to time. Although this discussion about 'gapping' Deluxes etc to suit your playing style may discuss 'response' the consistency issue is usually pretty good in my opinion.I don't really have issues with Special 20's or Lee Oskars. As was posted earlier by harpl members, basically you get what you pay for. It's a shame these days you pay alot more than the Little Walters, Butterfields and Sonny boys ever had to. In fact we'd have no 'Blues Harmonica heritage at these prices ha ha?
Indeed it's a shame theres some really poor quality playing brands out there, that don't live up to the mark at all. 
Maybe a little more 'healthy compitition' would improve the standard and possibly the pricing options. Handmade calibration costs more and thats that, I'm supposing. As Steve Baker has said The MBDeluxe is basically set for 'overblowing' and needs a gapping 'tweak' for 'overplaying'?... I suppose.
I didn't know that when I got 13 of them that that would be an issue.
My style is not 'over the top' in fact it's 'less notes' means more in 'feel'. i'm not a busy player nor a full on tech-head which I've mentioned before.
As for Seydel. originally [it's my understanding] they made the Australian Boomerang harmonicas? They are far too pricey and not distrubuted here it seems. I'm yet to see one let alone play them, so thats a niche market in this country [I'd dig to try one one day obviously]. Hey and God help the Third World countries because in my recent trip to Thailand Hohner was the the same prices. Those people would need to save a darn long time to purchase a Hohner key. The Chinese 'cheapies' I saw local muso's using over there were deplorable. I bought some Chinese harps and ended out giving 'em to people I met along the way, unfortunately I couldn't see them staying in tune at all.