[Harp-L] What's the best "off the shelf harmonica" these days?

[captron100@xxxxxxx]

 Trip, the recent hot raves on Harp-L have been about the Seydel Blues Favorite. They were said to be setup well, good gaps, OB well right out of the box, and are tuned to Just Intonation for those sweet sounding chords. So i bought one from Rupert Oysler (harprepair.com) and while i was at it, a custom one set up for overblows.
 I've only had the opportunity to play my new harps during a drive yesterday from NJ to MA, a few hours time. The custom harp is one of the best harps i've played, but that is due to Rupert's setup and not the point of this thread. 
 The stock Seydel Blues Fav. harp played well. It OB's well right out of the box, tho in comparison to Ruperts custom harp, was not as responsive. If i remember correctly, it cost $58. For that money, i would suggest a beginner player might prefer to get a stock Lee Oskar if he likes the Equal Temperment tuning and if he can deal with the squealing sounds when OB'ing (the nail polish fix.) I think a LO costs about $27 or so, iirc. As a beginner, he very well may not OB anyway. Tho the longevity of the Seydels have yet to be proven, it's still accepted that the LO's seem to be the longest lasting harp out there, and many play great right out of the box.
 Then there is always the Hohner Special 20, which i usu. play. Having gotten away from wood combs many years ago when they tended to be leaky and put together with nails, i've never gone back. Tho i'm limited in experience with varied manufacturers, I think that if I could have a LO in JT, I might just play them exclusively (especially if i can get them tweaked by Rupert, Tim Moyer or somesuch). To me it makes no sense to play a harp which is not optimally responsive, just because it is cheaper (assuming one can tell the difference). That said, i also bought a wood combed Seydel Soloist, a cheaper harp at $38 or so. I don't know what i was thinking. It's playability is inferior to the Blues Fav., imo, but it IS cheaper. And for what? Now i have to take it apart to try to make it play better.....grrrr.
 I'll write back on Harp-L with a better review of my 3 new Seydel Harps when i get a chance to play them more. I also bought Rupert's new version of his Harp Repair and Maintenence DVD and will report on that when i get a chance. The new version also covers chromatics. I've seen his old diatonic harp repair CD-ROM and it's loaded with great info on how to repair and optimize harps. I'm anxious to get back home to a DVD player.
 Lastly, the word on Harp-L re the vintage Marine Band or whatever they call the supposedly advanced costlier version of the Marine Band, it was said to be a disappointment (iirc, the combs not entirely sealed, not gapped well, that kind of stuff) and the cost was about $50 to $60, again if i mbr. correctly
 ron
 PS: hope to catch u 'round town before i go back to FL.
  
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