Harp Brands

[Steve Jennings <100010.1152@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The reason that Lee Oskar are louder, easier to bend etc, is not so
much to do with the reeds being "softer", as the fact that they are
wider and thinner than Hohner's. This means that they move more air for
the same amount of effort. As I may have mentioned before, some people
find this makes the tone "tinny" - which is overcomeable (good word -
doesn't exist <g>), what's not so easy with the LO setup, though it
*is* possible (for me, anyway) is to get the good, solid, clean *in
tune* overblows and overdraws that you need to play the blues harp
chromatically - but all harp-playing is a series of compromises, I
guess, and I'm a lot more impressed by LO's current output than I am by
Hohner's.

Plus, of course, LO replacement reedplates are actually *obtainable*,
and mean that you can get a new harp for about half price by changing
the plates. A nice touch is that they include the screws
(self-tappers) with the new plates. They also do replacement covers and
combs.

Has anyone out there tried their new "Melody Maker" tuning? It's
excellent for a whole range of things, especially jazz & standards. I'd
used it a bit before they brought it out (retuning my own harps) and
thought *I'd* invented the thing, but was only using it in very
specific circumstances. Now, I can't put the darn thing down!! Layout
goes thusly: (no attempt at grafix!) - they're marked in 2nd position
- so here's the C (based round Low F plates)

		F   A   D   F   A   C   F   A   C   F

		g   c   e   g   b   d   e   g   b   d

Chords of C, CM7, Dm, Dm7, Em, Em7, F, G, G6 - gosh I love it!!  Kinda
first position backwards, and soooooo useful!!!!


Steve Jennings