Re: [Harp-L] Seydel Saxony Chromatic

[Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

I have one standard Saxony and two Saxony Hands-Free-Chromatics.   Two are the conventional C (hole-1 blow is C4) and an "orchestra" C (hole-1 blow is G3)  The "orchestra" tuning is like that of a 16-hole C chromatic missing holes 1', 2', 15, & 16.

The Saxony's main advantage is stainless-steel reeds which can be expected to be more robust and have a longer fatigue life than copper-alloy reeds. If this feature isn't worth the $375 price to you, I would recommend the Seydel Deluxe, a good value at $150. There is little or no difference in tone.  A Deluxe plus two sets of replacement reedplates @ $120 each should last you quite a long time for $390 total, especially if you are adept at replacing reeds.

The Saxony also has a precisely-machined mouthpiece-slide assembly that makes it very leak-free and a sturdy metal comb.  In my opinion, (others may differ) you could not buy a better 12-hole harmonica at any price.  The "orchestra" tuning covers the the lower three octaves of a violin's range.  Having these low notes is a tremendous advantage if you play fake-book popular songs and music arranged for violin.  

I have had to replace some valves in my older Saxony but that is to be expected in any chromatic.  When a valve gives trouble, I wax the reedplate where it touches and replace it with a waterproofed compressed Ultrasuede single-part valve from Danny G    http://newharmonica.com/contact.htm.

In my experience, Seydels come very well tuned out-of-the-box.  

Vern
On Dec 20, 2012, at 3:59 PM, Music Cal wrote:

> Do you play a Seydel Saxony chromatic? How do you like it? Strengths?
> Weaknesses?
> 
> MusiCal