Big River vs Silverstar

["Alexei" <lexas@xxxxxx>]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.


Hello all.

My favorite harps are Special 20 (MB too but wooden comb sucks), but =
last
times I think about moving to something cheaper.
The most likely candidates are Big River Harp and Silverstar.

I search i-net and found that Big Rivers are most preferred (even among
professionals).
However, Hohner Silverstar in A I have got seems to have better =
construction
over BR, since it has reedplates recessed in plastic and very nice&tight
screws. It is the almost the same design as SP20 (though it sounds much
thinner and bends harder). I suspect, SS are made in China.
Hohner Big River Harp on the other hand, is MB clone and seems to have
simplier design. That one in D I played was almost unbendable, =
unfortunately
I havent tested it for a long time and could not compare the sound. But
surprisingly, BR is more expensive than SS.(I suspect, BRs are =
German-made)

Here is the QUESTION. Why BR seems to be more preferable among harpers? =
Is
it for sound or for design or what? or, maybe, Silver Stars are not so
common in US?


Alexei