Re: Re: [Harp-L] Seydel 1847 stainless steel reed harmonica

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'll be honest, I don't own other Seydel harps.  I've tried them, 
and while they seem better out of the box that some other brands, 
they haven't been enough better to be "performance ready" for me.  
Add to that the accessibility issues -- I can't walk into Guitar 
Center and buy one, for instance -- and the fact that I haven't been 
buying a lot of new harps lately, and, well, I haven't had a lot of 
experience with them.  

But I have been watching what Seydel is doing.  I have seen their 
low tunings, their special tunings commonly available (paddy, 
circular, custom), their commitment to service.  And the idea of a 
commercially available harp with steel reeds is genuinely new.  So I 
tried one.  I like it.  It's very close to "performance ready" right 
out of the box for me.  I still did a few things to mine -- tuned up 
the 3 blow, tempered the intonation to equal, polished the front 
edges of the reed plates, adjusted a couple of gaps -- but far less 
than I'd do to any other stock harp I've tried.  Plus, there's the 
promise of longevity of the reeds, and the hope that Seydel is just 
getting started in this area, and will eventually introduce 
something with steel reeds that's closer to my needs (plastic comb, 
full-length covers, equal tempered tuning, if not Paddy Richter out 
of the box).  I want this product to succeed so Seydel will broaden 
their offering.  I think it's a great thing.  

-tim


Jeff Roulier wrote:
> Seydel hasn't proved much to me.  The two harps I bought (Blues 
> session standard and the soloist Pro) were both leaky as hell 
> especially on the 3 draw.  Before I fork over a hundred bucks for 
> an 1847, I can get a Suzuki Pure harp, Firebreath, Marine band 
> deluxe, a regular Marine band performs better, and hell for only 
> few $ more I can get a custom harp.  I really don't understand the 
> fuss over Seydel harps.  IMHO they are sub par harps being way 
> over rated.