Hering harps

[Randy Lilleston <randyl@xxxxxxxxxx>]

 I have obtained one of the new Hering 64's and here's my impression 
after trying it out for a day.

 OVERALL CONSTRUCTION: Very nice. Reeds are held in place with nuts and 
bolts, not nails like on most Hohners. This means, of course, that you 
can remove them.
 Otherwise, this looks very similar to a Hohner 280/64, except the 
mouthpiece isn't as broad (tall). I *really* like this. I found that for 
me (a pucker player), this made the harp easier to play. You don't have 
to push the slide in as far to shift to the sharps 'n' flats as you do on 
a Hohner. The cover plates are blah; no fancy engraving, just "Hering's 
Chromatic Harmonica" printed on them in small letters. Holes are round, 
like a Hohner 64; unlike that harp, all the notes are on the top or 
bottom halves at once, depending on which way the slide is pushed in (the 
Hohner alternates by hole, which is weird but which never bothered me one 
way or the other).

 TONE: Well, this is what counts, isn't it? This harp has very nice tone, 
very rich (oops, forgot to mention it has a plastic body). Somewhat 
similar to the Hohner. I found it more responsive, though, particularly 
in the lowest octave.

 OTHER IMPRESSIONS: Comes wrapped in tissue paper in a soft plastic case, 
similar to the Hohner 365 and tremolo harps (no nice hard case like the 
Hohner chromatics). Price: Only $67 from Farrell's! This is about $30 
cheaper than a big Hohner chromatic and only slightly more than most 
12-hole chromatics. Good value, good tone, easier to repair than many 
chromatics.