Re: [Harp-L] Seydel for blues

["Matt Smart" <matthewsmart@xxxxxxxxx>]

I just got myself two blues soloists.  I am still playing with them but they
are very nice.  My other new favorite harp is the marine band deluxe.

Here are some comments on how they compare.

Seydel's are very smooth and warm sounding.  Not quite as raspy as the
Marine Band.  The wood comb is sealed, finished and the edges of the harp
are rounded for comfort.  The marine band screws irritate my lip and the
corners are very sharp.  Seydel's are about $35 a piece, marine band $50.
Marine bands are more open in the back than the Seydel's.  The tuning on the
Seydel is a compromise I'm told, but I don't know for sure because Rupert
Oysler retuned mine to just.

Out of the box, Seydel's play very nice, with a warm tone.  I had to do some
customization, reshaping/gapping reeds and a little embossing.  This took
about 20-30 minutes and I had a beautiful harp.  One weird thing is that the
cover plates are totally smooth, no numbers engraved.  I am still playing
with them, but they are very nice harps for the money.

Marine bands are nice too, but are more expensive, had beating octaves and
needed much more customization.

I hope that helps.


On 2/16/07, Jay Thompson <jay.jmt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I'm interested in reviews or experiences with the Seydel Blues Session,
> Soloist or Soloist Pro. I've been wanting to try these harps and I need to
> just order a few to find out for myself but...I'd still appreciate hearing
> from others. I'm interested in how they compare to other harps in tuning,
> longevity, comfort, etc.
> Thanks in advance,
> Jay
> --
> Where words fail -- music speaks.
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