Re: [Harp-L] hohner crossover

[burket@xxxxxxx]

 About a year ago I replaced my A- Lee Oskar in with an A Crossover as well.  I had been slowly working on and modifying the Lee Oskar over time to get it sounding tighter and more responsive (replaced the comb, opened up the back, and other enhancements), retuning it more toward a compromise to smooth out the chords, and it has been a good workhorse harp for many years.  The 4,5,6 overblows are there, but pretty hard to get.  The 6 OB is useable.  

Once I got the Crossover, right out of the box, (for me), it blew away the Lee Oskar and has become my "go to" gigging harp.  Great tone, very responsive, bright, & the bluesy draw bends are all there as are the high note blow bends.  The 6 overblow is much easier to get than on the Lee Oskar.  Out of the box, the Crossover was gapped a bit high for hitting the 4, and 5 overblow, but the tradeoff is that these notes are gapped to sound good as is, so I haven't modified this harp yet.  

Regarding Mike's observation about other current Hohner models, I recently played a new Marine Band Deluxe (in B) which was setup really nice out of the box.  A new Golden Melody in G however was a bit of a surprise as it was gapped very open and high, and was pretty breathy sounding.  This would probably work for hard playing right away, (reminded me a bit of a Big River the way it responded, big, wide, and open when played hard).

I would agree that among the current round of harps OOTB from Hohner and other manufacturers that I have had the opportunity to play and work on, the Crossover is top notch.  

But as Rainbow Jimmy mentioned, like guitars, there are times you may want to play a Gibson instead of a Fender, or a Martin instead of a Taylor, and I still like to play on the Lee Oskar from time to time for a different flavor.  

Taken all with a grain of salt as individual harp selection and what works for one player (the never ending search for "What IS the best OOTB harmonica")  is always a matter of taste and personal player preference.

 

 Burke T.


-----Original Message-----


Message: 6
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:04:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Fugazzi <mikefugazzi@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] hohner crossover
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
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	<21920622.28.1335445498475.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@ynma1>
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Crossovers are my favorite OOTB harmonica, but all the handmade Hohners 
have been coming from the factory with better gapping, IMO.  I've gotten 
some SP20's and GM's lately that play really well on the traditional 
bends.  I can usually get a useable 6ob too.

On Wednesday, April 25, 2012 5:06:18 PM UTC-5, rainbow jimmy wrote:
>
> Hey all. 
>
> I bought a hohner crossover in the key of A and thought you'd like to know 
> about it. I haven't played it for long. Short review: it's a nice review. 
> Here's some things that stand out: 
>
> A: it sounds different than the Lee Oskar. The Lee Oskar sounds like a 
> gibson jazz guitar and the hohner sounds more like a fender. 
> B: I can get an overblow on the 6 hole easily. I never have done 
> that before and don't know what to do with it, but there you have it. 
> C: the back of the harp looks cool. It's open real wide. 
> D: I have a harder time getting an octave on the hohner and it sounds 
> different than the lee oskar. 
> E: it's easier to bend notes on the hohner, and easier to get a vibrato. 
>
> The crossover costs $30.00 more than a lee oskar. I don't what the 
> longevity will be. The lee oskars last forever. I might get two more, one 
> in C and one in D. 
>
> -- 
> Rainbow Jimmy