[Harp-L] Seydel Harmonica Model: SYMPHONY 48

[a ash]

"My take is that he didn’t like the brand."

I play all brands of harmonica and I don't favor any brand, not even Hohner
or Suzuki.  I have three Seydel Saxony's that I bought some 15 years ago
and have no issues with them.  I have one or two shorts on my youtube
channel in which I played both Seydel Symphony 48 and Seydel Saxony for
comparison.  You will see Symphony 48 lacks volume because of air leak, but
Lars Seifert kept saying the lack of volume was most likely due to my
embouchure, putting me on the defensive.

I tend to buy Chinese brands now not because they sound better, but because
they are really value for money (no customs duty on Chinese goods in where
I live).

"Strictly speaking, once a harmonica has been played, US regulations
state that a harmonica cannot be returned."

I also emailed to Greg Jones, Seydel's serviceman in USA, on the day I
received my Symphony 48 about its severe air leak. He replied on May 20,
2025, "I understand completely and I am sorry to hear this.  Did you
purchase it from me?  If so, please make arrangements to return it and I
will kindly refund your money no questions asked. "  I told him that I
bought the unit from Seydel Germany online shop.

So had I bought the unit from Greg Jones, I would get a refund.  How come I
can't get a refund or even a product exchange from Lars Seifert?  I think
Lars is stingy.

"I personally am glad that Seydel seems to be oriented toward customer
service and I bet Lars really was trying to give you satisfaction."

Did you read my entire post (rather long) carefully?  Lars has tried to
deny responsibility from the beginning.  I think I know why he uses the
term alteration for disassembly/assembly.  If one has done
alteration, which I have not, Seydel won't be responsible for anything!
Tricky of him.

One thing I don't understand: why did he ask me to make a video ("BEFORE
you send it back, I kindly ask you to record and send me a short video in
which you play the SYMPHONY 48 , so we can see and evaluate your playing
style and embouchure. This will help us a lot. ").  I wonder how a video
would help him see if I play Symphony 48 correctly.  Can you tell what he
was up to?

Sincerely,
Rudy Hung



On Sun, Oct 26, 2025 at 3:33 AM Gary Lehmann <gnarlyheman at xxxxx> wrote:

> Makes sense.
> He must have a guy to make it right—and Seydel surely does.
> My take is that he didn’t like the brand.
> People get used to certain brands.
> Hey, try a Suzuki, I AM affiliated with them!
> Gary
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Oct 25, 2025, at 2:25 PM, JOSEPH LEONE <3n037 at xxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > I was confused when I read it. Mr. Hung is an exceptional player. And I
> would have thought that 'if' he had had problems with a harmonica, it would
> have been the harmonica.
> > bewildered in the swamps. :)
> > smojo
> >
> >> On 10/24/2025 11:50 PM EDT Gary Lehmann <gnarlyheman at xxxxx> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> " My purchase could easily be dealt with at the beginning. In USA, just
> >> refund or replace the product, no question asked. Unfortunately, Lars
> >> Seifert chose to alienate customers."
> >> Strictly speaking, once a harmonica has been played, US regulations
> state
> >> that a harmonica cannot be returned.
> >> Amazon will refund your money, but many of our favorite vendors (and I
> am
> >> not a vendor and do not represent one, although I do repairs as a third
> >> party tech) try not to.
> >> I personally am sorry you are not happy with your Seydel. Some folks
> like
> >> certain brands, and you might not want to give them any more of your
> money.
> >> I personally am glad that Seydel seems to be oriented toward customer
> >> service and I bet Lars really was trying to give you satisfaction.
> >> Better luck next time.
> >> Keep playing what works for you.
> >> Gary in Oklahoma
>