[Harp-L] Seydel Irish chrom

["Jayne and Alex Bradbury" <jayneandalex@xxxxxxx>]

Has anyone on this list played Seydel's Chromatic Deluxe Irish 51485? As far as I know, Seydel is the only company currently offering stock Irish chroms in the so-called Eddie Clarke tuning, now that Farrell is no longer in business. I'd be especially interested to know how they compare to the Hering 5148 and the Hohner 270, in terms of tone, volume, reed response, slide action, and ease of repair and maintenance. Also, I'm wondering if anyone has had problems with the wooden comb (swelling, etc.). Since the tuning probably doesn't matter much in terms of what I've listed above, I'd also appreciate any reviews of the standard solo-tuned Seydel 12-hole chrom. I currently play a Hering 5148 (Eddie Clarke tuning in G, purchased from Farrell) for weekly sessions and daily practice. I've also got, but rarely use, Hering 5148s in C, F, and D (I made these up by either reversing the slides on a lower-key harp, or by swapping bottom reedplates). For mic'd dances and gigs, I'll often break out a Brendan Power customized Hohner 270 (again, Eddie Clarke tuning in G). Finally, I've tuned a CX-12 in G to Clarke layout, using solder. I'm reasonably happy with all these, but I'm interested in the Seydel because I still feel I haven't quite landed on the perfect harp for Irish trad music. The Herings are airtight, have good reed response, good slide action, and are easy to take apart. But Hering won't sell individual replacement reeds, meaning that I have to cannibalize them from Hering plates, cutting, filing, and soldering. The Power customized 270 is wonderful, but Hohner reeds don't seem quite as responsive to me as the Herings (nor do I have the money to buy custom harps in the seldom-used keys of C,F, and D, or for a "daily practice" harp in G). I see that Seydel sells reeds, and their reedplates are attached with screws. So if they are responsive and sound good, this might be the chrom I've been waiting for.

Alec B