Hey Greg I have not had the opportunity to try a LO but everyone I have talked to says they are really good harps. A friend of mine on another forum who has been playing and teaching the harp for over 30 years said about the same thing as you just did, except he had never tried a Bushman before. His harp of choice was the LO until he tried the Bushman Delta Frost. Now he says as he replaces his harps it will be with the Delta Frosts. He also tried the Souls Voice and said they where junk.
Now about the Bushman Souls Voice, I have talked to John Hall (the owner of the Bushman works) and it was him that told me to stay away from the Souls Voice, he went on to tell me all the bad stuff about them and said the only reason he still makes and sells them is because there are quite a few people who use them and asked him not to quite making them.
Paul, I will add my 2 cents as well. The first harp I bought was a Lee Oskar. Was and still is my all time favorite. I have a couple sp/20 as they are highly regarded on this sight but I really didn't care as much for them as the L.O.
The latest harp purchase was the Bushman Delta Frost and I like it a lot. It would be a toss up between it and the L.O.
I have tried the Bushman Soul Voice and didn't care much for it but it was useful to practice retuning. I think it is now tuned to Hohners country tuning. Also tried the Big River and after about a week I gave it to a friend and have felt bad about it ever since.
Hello there Treozen ya got the bear here my friend. I never mentioned the Marine Band or Blues Harp in my answer to pmlabrier's post because he stated he wanted to stay with harps with a plastic comb. Anyway your advice about the different harps are right on my friend. But let let point out a couple of things. One, the Marine Band and the Special 20's are the same harp with the exception the Special 20 has the plastic comb. If you'll look at your Special 20 cover plates it reads Marine Band Special 20. The reason for the differance in size is the special 20 has the reed plate recessed down into the comb, where as the standard Marine Band's reed plates sandwich the wooden comb. But they both use the same reeds and reed plates.
And yes there are those who will say a wooden comb sounds better or has a more bluesy sound. You'll find out that those who say this are old time harpists who are used to playing harps with wooden combs. But the fact is if one is playing on stage for a group of people no one can tell the differance between a wooden comb or plastic comb. As a mater of fact I do not believe anyone can tell the differance between one harp brand or another.
About the Hohner Golden Melody, a beautiful harp, but I have to agree with the fact that the reed plate sticking out in front sucks. I believe if Hohner recessed the reed plate all the way they would have one awesome harp there.
Now since you really like the sound of your new Blues Harp, may I suggest trying one of Hohners Big River harps. IMOP its the same sound and again they do use the same reed plates as both are in the MS searies of Hohner harps.
Hi Paul, Now Im a whole lot better at collecting Harps than I am playing them, but I do have 6...here are my thoughts:
Horner Special 20 - Fantastic harmonica and the first one I was able to get a good bend out of. I had a few before this one (including the one that comes with the book I got) and found it hard to get good notes and bends - until the Special 20. This harp makes you sound good, even if your not. The downside is that I did manage to wear it out. I tend to be quite "aggressive" when playing and I somehow managed to weaken a reed to the point that when I opened up the harp to see what was wrong, the reed was hanging by a thread. But it is a great harp and not that costly. It makes that "train" song sound real good.
The Golden Melody - This one has a nice sound too, seems "brighter" than the Special 20 - which may or may not be a good thing depending on what you like. I did find this one a bit harder to use in terms of using your hands and the first time I played it I ended up with cuts on both sides of my mouth from the brass reed plate - Im sure thats just poor technique, but either way, its the only harp I own that hurts..lol. This is more expensive than the Special 20
Horner Blues Harp (D) It might just be the pitch difference, I think all my other harps are C, but this is my most recent aquisition (bought it this weekend) and so far Im loving it! It sounds more "Bluesy" - which I guess goes with its name. It also has a wooden comb - which some say is better than plastic - cant say Ive noticed much of a difference - its smooth and easy to play. The sound is just so much different - The "train" song doesn't come off as well, but if i just make stuff up, throw in a few bends and a head shake here and there - its really nice. The price on this one is about the same as the Special 20.
Horner Marine Band. - Sounds similar to the Special 20, but not as good in my opinion. It may just need longer to "break in" - cant say Ive played this one much. Its also a little smaller both in length and width. Its sounds good, I just like the Special 20 better. Has a wooden comb and I dont think it bends as well - remember though that I'm not a "good" player so It might do wonders in the hands of a pro, or pro-to-be. Many people sware by a Marine Band, so Im guessing its a great harp - if your a bit better at playing than me.
For my money, ease of play and ability to sound good even if technique is a little rusty - The Special 20 is the way to go. Also, I started with one Horner Echo Harp and now I have about 7 - trust me, you'll own more than one!
Jawbone I can give you my take on the Bushman harps. To start with they have plastic combs and stainless steel covers which slide in your mouth better then plated covers. They do have a different sound the say a Hohner or other harps because the Bushman uses Phosphors Bronze instead of brass for the reeds. Bushman claims that the Phosphors Bronze reeds will last longer then a brass reed. I have talked to a couple of professional harp players that has tried the Bushman and they all confirm this as true. One guy said he would blow out a Special 20 at least every two weeks or so but he was still playing his 6 month old Bushman. They all say they will last twice as long, some say longer.
About price the Bushman costs more to buy from the store (I think they run about $26.50 USD) the say a Special 20 (which costs around $20.00 USD). But if they last just twice as long as a Special 20 that would make them cheaper in the long run.
As to where can you get them. The Bushman company is still young and not in all the stores yet but you can order them online. Try http://www.elderly.com , they are in Michigan USA but will ship to Canada.
Before you go running out to buy one you need to know a few things though. Bushman makes two different models. They have the Delta Frost and a Souls Voice. Not everybody likes the Souls voice but the few that do love them. Most everybody that has tried a Delta Frost says they are fantastic harps. I have the Delta Frosts myself and would recommend them.
OK Now I am intrigued. How much are the bushman's and where can I get one in Canada. Are they plastic combs and about the same profile as the sp 20's? - jawbone
Buy one Bushman harp. You'll never go back. It's got the quality/longevity of a Lee Oskar and a smoother sound than the Special 20. They are great harps!
Hi Paul I also have the LO, golden melody, spc.20,all in G,A,C,D,well they are all in boxes now the only harps i purchase now, are Suzuki Bluesmasters and Bushman,these 2 are all i need,in future i will get a chromatic by Suzuki.But,it all boils down to what You like. Take care:biggrin::biggrin:
Hey Paul - Glad to hear you're gonna take another run at it. I wish I had thought of it way before I turned 51. But I tell ya, nothin' is more fun than watching my 16 month old grandaughter pick up one of my harps, rock from foot to foot as she plays, then stops, closes her eyes, and shakes her head to some groove that she has gonin' on. She cracks me up. Any way, her and I both prefer Special 20's. nice plastic comb, slim profile. reasonable price. I hear that the golden melodies have a nice sound but I don't like the protruding reed plate, and that has stopped me from trying one. I'm sure you will get a lot of feedback about this topic. Bottom line - it's your mouth your putting that thing into. Just kidding - jawbone
I am wanting to pick a new harp or two and would like some guidance from someone with more experiance than myself.
I am beginner. I have played around with the harmonica since my G'pa gave me a Marine Band when I was a kid. I mainly messed around trying to teach myslef straight harp and got frustrated with it because I never go anything to soun like what I liked listening to. Then the movie Crossroads (yea I know it was cheesey but the music was good) exposed me to Sonny Terry and the Blues Harp. I picked up a couple harps and Jon's first edtion of Rock-n-blues harmonica. I learned a bunch but never but only scrached the surface. After three kids and a couple years away from it I picked my harps back up and started playing again. I have been re-bitten by the bug and would like to more seriously study the harp. I have lost several of my harps and kids trashed a couple and I need to start replacing them.
Money is an issue. I do not need the "best" but I want something that will be reliable and easy to learn some of the advanced techniques on. Harps with wood combs are out, they are too uncomfortabe and high maintainence for me.
I have played Huang Silvertones and Star perfomers, Lee Oskars and Honers Marine band and Blues harp. Of all of them I like the sound of the Huangs the best, but have found them to be inconsistant. Nothing is more disappointing than getting a new harp and finding a reed or two that is dead. The Lee Osker that I own plays flawlesly but I do not like the sound as well as the Huangs. Plus they cost about 3x as much.
I really lilke the feel of the Huang Star Performer. I am considering purchaseing these at a local music store where I can try them out with a honer harmonica tester or I am considering getting a Golden Melody or a special 20 and put a turbolid on it.
Between the Star Performer, Special 20 and Goldem Melody, which do you think would be my best bet. I have read that the Special 20 is better than the Golden Melody for chugging because of its tuning. Is this something to consider? which of these three is the best for learning overblowing and other more advanced techniques?
