RE: [Harp-L] lee oskar vs hohner

["steve@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <swebb@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have tried a lot of different harps and settled on Sp20s. I still have 
some Lee Oskar's from way back and they are good harps yet. I also have 
several Bushman Delta Frost harps that are similar to Sp20s and, I am 
told, have same reedplates at Suzuki Bluesmaster. (Do I have this 
right?)  My only issue with the Bushman harps was that it took some 
specific tweaking to get them to play like I want and it seemed they 
needed to be broken in before they played like I wanted.  But, there is 
the added incentive of being able to buy reedplates for them, just like 
the Oskars, and I have done that to have some less expensive backup 
harps.  Also, I have an A Bushman that I have just played the heck out 
of it for 3 years and it's still fine. I mean, I played it every weekend 
at gigs, mixed in with other keys and it's one of my favorite harps. 
FYI, it's slightly larger than the SP20.
So, I guess we all have to figure out what works.  I retuned a couple of 
my lee Oskars into country tuning and got use out of them that way.
Steve Webb in Minnesota, where the snow just never quits.

On Tue, Dec 21, 2010 at 8:24 AM, Scott Hicks wrote:

> As a relative newbie, I find these discussions very helpful.  When I 
> first started playing, I didn't have much money, so my harps came one 
> at a time.  I bought a few different ones -- Marine Band, Special 20, 
> and Lee Oskar.  I learned quickly that I was NOT a fan of the Marine 
> Band (just isn't comfortable to me).  I ended up with a few SP20s in 
> the keys I used most often, so I've become accustomed to them.  It 
> wasn't until sometime later that I pulled my Lee Oskar back out and 
> was shocked at how the different overall harp size and the hole sizes 
> made it uncomfortable for me.  Tonally speaking, I do enjoy it but 
> it's just not as comfortable for me to play.
>
> Someone mentioned the Suzuki Bluesmaster...  can anyone offer a size 
> comparison with the Special 20?  Also, any further discussion about 
> the tuning differences would be greatly appreciated.
>
>
> Scott "No Nickname" Hicks