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- Subject: RE:1st Chro/Repairs/Strnad/G below C
- From: "JACK ELY"@mrgate.mec.ohio.gov
- Date: Mon, 11 Apr 1994 16:34:00 EDT
- A1-type: DOCUMENT
- Posting-date: Mon, 11 Apr 1994 00:00:00 EDT
Rather than reply to four posts I put them all together. To: John, For a first chromatic I would recommend... 10 hole - Hohner Silver Shadow 10 hole which is made in Germany and is identical to the Hohner #260 except it has different cover plates - quality is very good - Cost is about $40.00 12 hole - Hohner 270 $60.00 also available with bolted reed plates, deburred & moisture proofed from Farrell for $75.00, Hering (Brazil, I don't recall the model # $52.00), Huang Professional 48 $45.00 <- guess. 16 hole - Hohner Silver Shadow $41.70 (made in China) not the highest quality but can't beat the price, Hering $67.00 You didn't mention a price range so I stayed away from the more expensive models - If you have $100.00 to spend I recommend the Hohner CX12. All prices are based on mail order from F&R Farrell and may be a little out of date - I don't have his latest catalog. To: Norbert, Broken reed - chances are your reed was already cracked and ready to break. If you had gotten it in tune it probably would have broken soon or at best -- immediately gone flat again. To: Ted Allbritton, I don't own a Strnad mic but tried one out a few years ago. I really liked the sound I was getting and the feel of it is very comfortable, like having a pistol grip on your harp. I didn't buy one for these reasons (cost really wasn't a factor - until you consider you would have to buy one for your diatonic, one for your 12 hole chromatic and one for your 16 hole chromatic - those were the three flavors available then). I don't know how familiar you are with the Strnad but your harmonica is clamped in via a slide and clamp arrangement making the harp & mic virtually one piece and completly encased. That's good - It's comfortable and always positioned uniformly from the pick up. That's also bad if you want to switch harps, or if you want to do cupping and hand vibrato or get effects by changing proximity - there is a hole you can use for wah wah by wavering your fingers or hand over it. I think it's best suited for the player who does most of his effects internally (i.e. vibrato etc.). Ron Kalina, jazz harmonicist from LA, used one at BHF '94 and he sounded great -- but he would sound great through a tomato can. I noticed his Strnad was wireless but didn't get a chance to ask if it was available from Strnad or if it was an after market modification. I don't know what all this tells you except I like the Strnad - but you would need more than one mic if you play more than one type/key of harp. To: George Mayhew, Re: G below middle C - Hohner made 3 such harps that I know of... The Meister Klas 14 hole chromatic. Tuned in C but middle C starts on hole number 3. I wish all chromatics were tuned this way. Alas - the M. K. hit $400.00 or more retail and then Hohner discontinued them, I suppose because they weren't selling. Do they hire ex Commodore Marketing Specialists? <-- That joke only for Amiga lovers :-) They were beautiful and probably worth $300 - $350. Two others both Chromettas and pretty much junk - The Chrometta 10 hole and the Chrometta 14 hole are both tuned this way. You have to special order them. My other suggestion would be a tenor tuned chromatic. Hohner #270 and the Hering 12 hole are available. You have to special order them. These are tuned one octave lower than normal - I.e., like having a 16 holer with the top four holes cut off. P.S. I too love Winslow's answers - I can tell it's Winslow within a few words - without seeing the sig. (You can always tell my posts easily too - they're at least eight pages long). ;-) +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ + Jack N. Ely, Operations Mgr. Internet: SYS_ELY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx + + Ohio Department of Education ely.j@xxxxxxxxxxxxx + + Information Management Services BITNET: N/A + + 2151 Carmack Road UUCP: mecsys!ely + + Columbus, Ohio 43221 Voice: (614)466-7000 FAX: (614)466-0022 + + ________________ + +"Have harmonica, will travel." [|OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO|]=<] + + Wire Cat Daddy, Columbus /_________________/ + + Buckeye State Harmonica Club+ +"If Music is the international language, Columbus, Ohio + + then why not the harmonica to speak it?" + +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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