Leo Shi bass harmonica

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A while back, there was mention of some diatonic bass harmonicas that
had turned up on eBay:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/harp-l-archives/message/18533

I've been fortunate enough to obtain a sample for review and I have to
say that I am quite impressed. However, I will start with the bad news
(sort of) that it is not really a true bass, but more in the
baritone/tenor range. The blurb for these instruments in the eBay
auctions stated that the lowest note was EE - ie the same as the
lowest note of a standard Hohner bass. Actually, the lowest note is
one higher than that, the same as the lowest note of a standard
guitar, or the E below the lowest note of a low C chromatic or
diatonic. Despite that, it is still a useful instrument.

It is made in China by the by company that makes the Golden Cup
harmonicas, but it is of much higher construction quality than most of
the cheap Chinese harps familiar to most of you. It measures about 7
1/2" long and 1 1/2" front to back (about 19mm by 3.8mm). The comb is
black plastic (ABS, I think) and the covers seem to be chrome plated
brass. Overall, the harp feels quite substantial and no sharp edges or
corners. It has a single reedplate 1.19mm thick, secured to the comb
with 12 screws and the front of the comb overlaps the front edge of
reedplate, so there is no brass exposed to the player's mouth. It has
a strong rich tone, the reeds are very well adjusted and the tuning is
also pretty good - equal temperament at about A=442Hz.

It is strictly diatonic, covering two and a half octaves of the C
major scale from E to A. This sounds quite limited when compared with
the usual chromatic bass harmonicas, but it could be surprisingly
useful. Certain blues riffs lie well on the instrument, particularly
in 3rd, 4th and 5th positions, where you could thicken up a "Hoochie
Coochie Man" type riff much more than you could with a typical
diatonic harp. Of course, it is also useful for playing in C major, as
well as major pentatonic stuff in 2nd and 12th positions. As I said in
my earlier post, it is what is termed a "Single Harmonica", which is a
very popular type in Asia, often used for music education. The overall
layout wouldn't be too alien to anyone familiar with the typical
chromatic harmonica or the middle octave of the diatonic, although it
may take a while to adjust to the wider spacing of the holes and the
fact that each hole contains a single reed.

Perhaps it wouldn't be all that useful for a bass player in a
traditional harmonica trio, but I think it could be an excellent
addition to the arsenal of a diatonic harp player looking for some new
sounds.



As well as the Leo Shi bass, I also received a Golden Cup tremolo for
review. This one is in Em harmonic minor tuning and uses the typical
Asian pseudo-solo layout, giving three full octaves of the E harmonic
minor scale, with an additional low B and a high G.

It has a brown plastic comb and nice chrome plated brass covers,
unlike the cheap aluminium covers found on many Chinese tremolo harps.
The reedplates are attached with screws and the harp is nicely quite
airtight. There were some sharp corners on the reedplates (easily
fixed with a file) but the rest of the harp was very smoothly
finished.

The tuning and reed adjustment are both fairly good. Typical of an
Asian tremolo, it is in equal temperament around A=443 and uses a
quite dry tuning, ie the tremolo effect is less pronounced than you
would get on a Hohner or Hering instrument.

I believe these are retailing at US$18. If you are looking for a minor
tuned tremolo harp, this could be a bargain, as it is about a third of
the price of the Suzuki SU-21H and less than 1/4 price of the Tombo
1521. Not too many other tremolo models are readily available in minor
keys.

The usual disclaimers apply, but I'd like to thank Caintrader for
giving me a chance to try these out. You can buy these instruments on
eBay, or contact them directly via their website:

http://caintrader.com/

 -- Pat.