[Harp-L] Re: Lee Oskars WAS The Future of Blues Harmonica?



mik jagger wrote:
<Martin, paraphrasing the Julius Caesar, "you too, Lee Oskar?!" Evidently, there are no absolutes, <not even Lee Oskar can offer one... I play older specimens myself, still hanging in there, after <about a dozen years or so...  It all depends on a player, but I personally would wear out a hohner <in about 6 months if it was a good one, more like 3 months on average...  By comparison, LO's seem <indestructable, or i've been lucky to come across a good batch of them.

When I began playing Lee Oskars in 1986, they were by far the best-made diatonic harps on the market: remarkably even response, high durability, long life.  At that point in time, the only real alternatives were offered by Hohner, and the quality of Hohner diatonics then (in my opinion) was simply execrable; if I bought three Hohner harps, it was practically guaranteed that at least one of them would have a flaw that made it unplayable, and it wasn't unusual for me to blow out a brand new Marine Band the first night I brought it onstage.  

Since then, harmonica manufacturers in general have improved their quality significantly.  I have a couple of Seydel 1847s and a relatively new Session Steel, and they play extremely well and seem to last a VERY long time without repairs.  My Suzuki Manjis and Hohner MB Deluxes are less durable than an Oskar or an 1847, but they offer increased playability beyond the Oskars in a couple of dimensions (which they should, given the 40% or so difference in price). Even Special 20s seem to work (and sound) much better than they used to; I have a half-dozen in my case, and I don't hesitate to use them on gigs where quality counts.  

I still have a lot of Lee Oskars in my harp case, and I enjoy playing them, especially the Natural Minors and Melody Makers.  They encourage a precise style of playing that works very well for me. But they are no longer the only high-quality diatonic instruments on the market.  And that's just fine, isn't it?

Regards, Richard Hunter    

author, "Jazz Harp" 
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