Re: [Harp-L] A good harp to replace a marine band after 45 years??

[Kathy Sherman <shermfam@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Also, one has the opportunity to play several guitars before committing to buy. The same model from the same builder can feel quite different from its brother or sister.

I would say that about 20% of the harmonicas I've bought have been lacking. At this point I'm only buying customized harps.

Kathy Sherman
(Guitar, banjo and harmonica -- among other things)


> On Jun 29, 2015, at 05:49, Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Richard Hunter wrote:
> 
>> Bob Cohen wrote:
>> <...the cost [of harmonicas] is cheap compared to most instruments, even with trial and error.
>> 
>> I dunno.  That used to be true.  Now?  On a recent trip, I left my road case--the Seydel case with 18 harps in it--in a bar.  I retrieved it the next day with all contents intact, but that gave me the opportunity to reflect that there was something in the neighborhood of $900 worth of harmonicas in that case.  If I was gigging regularly with it, I might have to replace half or more of the contents of that case every year.
>> 
>> Guitarists pay hundreds of dollars upfront for an instrument, but they don't have to replace the thing every year. Amps and FX cost the same for a harmonica player as for a guitarist.
>> 
>> So is harmonica cheaper?  At a unit level, yes--a harmonica costs less than a guitar.  For anyone who plays frequently and in public, over the course of a year or a lifetime, maybe not.
> 
> One BIG difference between fine harmonicas and guitars -- a fine guitar will sound better and be worth more over time. Over the course of a lifetime a well-cared for Martin guitar could become a handsome nest egg for your retirement.
> 
> Michelle
>