[Harp-L] Re: Low priced Chomatics

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Alberto - 

Windsavers cost next to nothing in materials and factory assembly time.I regard with skepticism any claim that this makes a significant difference in the cost of the instrument.

You don't say which Hohner model you're talking about. If it's the Koch 980, it's not a standard chromatic - it's 10 holes (instead of the standard 12) and tuned just like a diatonic (or a pair of diatonics tuned a semitone apart),  therefore has missing notes from the basic scale that the slide will not help you get. That model comes without windsavers, and most players find it to be leaky for that reason.

If you're talking about the Educator 10, it's cheap because it comes off the same Chinese factory assembly line as low-priced Chinese models. I'm not sure whether this model is solo tuned like a standard chromatic or like a diatonic. I know that Michael Peloquin was given one at SPAH 2007; he seemed to think it was decent, though not in the same league as his CX-12.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Wed, 12/3/08, Alberto Robles <grillslinger@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Alberto Robles <grillslinger@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Low priced Chomatics
To: winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 12:40 PM

I've never played chromatic before...I can't afford one, as they are pretty expensive. I found a begginer one made by Hohner. They say they can sell it for less because it doesn't have windsavers. I figure it would be fine to start on. 

Would it be a good idea to install windsavers on it?
Thanks.
A.


On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 1:45 PM, Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

You get what you pay for. Your new Swan may play just fine. But if, after playing it for a few

months, you then tried a Suzuki or Seydel or Hohner, I bet you'd notice

a positive difference.