The harmonica alliance

Zox wrote on Apr 28th, 2009 at 9:49pm : Not that this group is terrible active, but I thought i'd let you in on my latest purchase. It's a Shure 707A with a controlled reluctance 99h86 (Black-label) element from 1953. This thing is the best microphone i've ever played, a real monster. It wasn't cheap, but well worth it.

that mm guys gotta come here more often

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Greeting..let me welcome you toour Harmonica Fire! it wamrsup our soulsand hearts.. seat nearby it!

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greetings my harmonica brothers! i have been playing harmonica just under a year...love the blues and love rocking with my harmonica!

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Not that this group is terrible active, but I thought i'd let you in on my latest purchase.
It's a Shure 707A with a controlled reluctance 99h86 (Black-label) element from 1953. This thing is the best microphone i've ever played, a real monster. It wasn't cheap, but well worth it.

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Finally began upgrading my harps. I got a Marine Band in D, a Hohner Blues Harp in C and a Special 20 in G. I decided to try out a few. So far, I like the tone of the Marine Band the most, but the playability of the Blues Harp the most. The Special 20 is cool, but I think I like a more trebly harp tone.

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salmon philippe wrote on Feb 1st, 2009 at 5:54pm : I just joined the group today because i am a harp player too... I play dylan and Neil young songs with the guitar but i try to play blues like The rolling stones or creedence too. Recently i composed a irish song for guitar and harp: http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/salmon+philippe / I like it very much though it makes me often out of breath....

It wasn't bad at all . I wish I could play Irish style music.

I made my first attempt at blues harp (I'm a folkie) it is called Depression Blues on my profile.

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I just joined the group today because i am a harp player too...
I play dylan and Neil young songs with the guitar but i try to play blues like The rolling stones or creedence too.
Recently i composed a irish song for guitar and harp:

http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/salmon+philippe /

I like it very much though it makes me often out of breath....

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cont.
and i guess that this has to do with the Phosfor bronze reeds.
If i had to mention one negative thing about the harp it would be its volume.
It's not bad in any way, and pretty much the same as a Hohner Golden Melody. It's not as loud as a Seydel Soloist Pro, but on the other hand it's a lot louder than a Lee Oscar. In other words, not bad volume, just not incredible.
Finally, it rattles around a bit in its case. A bit of foam will fix that

I'm very happy with the harp, and i'm definetly going to get a few more of them in different keys. This blows my Hohners straight out of the water, and rests happily on the top of my list with the Seydel Soloist pro.
If you don't own one, try one out and you'll live it!

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Ok, so i've got my new Bushman harmonica in A, and here's a short review.
It's awesome.
But seriously, it is really, really good. The tone is pretty different from my Hohner Golden Melodys. The volume is comparable, but the tone is so much darker, and has so much "growl"! It's a lot more "Earthy" and pure, and i guess that the phosphor bronze reeds are the reason for this. The setup from the factory was superb! Didn't need to gap or emboss anything. It is a little harder to do overblows on than on my Golden Melody in A, but keep in mind that i have adjusted that thing to hell and back. I'm sure that if i spend 30 minutes adjusting this harp it will be superior in every way. I'm no great overblower though, so it might just be that i have to adjust to a new harp.
The harmonica is super airtight (unlike marine bands) and the reeds are probably on par with suzukis as the most responsive ones i have ever played. It also seems a lot easier to accurately hit different bends, and i guess that this has to do with the

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hendrixfanatic wrote on Jan 23rd, 2009 at 1:07pm : due 07 wrote on Jan 23rd, 2009 at 6:09pm : I play mainly Dylan-ish music w/ a harp rack. I like playing songs my band made up on harmonica, so I can fit it into a recording I started using marine bands, I love them. I have one in the key of C, should I get G, A or D next? Well, that depends on what you want to play with them. What key do you play a lot? My second harp was one in A, so I could play cross harp in E. That's something Dylan also: Don't think twice, Just like a woman, ...

Dylan did play in E alot. I could play Heart of Gold w/o a capo, though. I probably will go with A. Capos are soooo handy when it comes to playing with a rack

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due 07 wrote on Jan 23rd, 2009 at 6:09pm : I play mainly Dylan-ish music w/ a harp rack. I like playing songs my band made up on harmonica, so I can fit it into a recording I started using marine bands, I love them. I have one in the key of C, should I get G, A or D next?

Well, that depends on what you want to play with them. What key do you play a lot? My second harp was one in A, so I could play cross harp in E. That's something Dylan also: Don't think twice, Just like a woman, ...

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hendrixfanatic wrote on Jan 22nd, 2009 at 5:53pm : I'm pretty curious about that phosphor bronze reed! I've just bought a Hohner Pro Harp in the key of D. I like it a lot better than my Lee Oskar (in A), which gives a totally different feel (the holes are larger than the Hohner's). I've also got a Hohner Blues Harp in C.

I would definitely like to hear back on this one.

I play mainly Dylan-ish music w/ a harp rack. I like playing songs my band made up on harmonica, so I can fit it into a recording

I started using marine bands, I love them. I have one in the key of C, should I get G, A or D next?

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I'm pretty curious about that phosphor bronze reed! I've just bought a Hohner Pro Harp in the key of D. I like it a lot better than my Lee Oskar (in A), which gives a totally different feel (the holes are larger than the Hohner's). I've also got a Hohner Blues Harp in C.

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I know that this group is pretty dead, but lets do our best to revive it guys!
I just ordered a Bushman Delta Frost in A. I've heard nothing but praise from the people who have played it so i hope it will live up to its reputation.
It's got Phosphor Bronze reed rather than brass, and it's supposed to make a big difference. I will report back when i get it. Maybe post some soundclips.

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Telecaster7 wrote on Jan 8th, 2009 at 6:30am : please help me, i need a new harmonica, doesn't have to be good, but i'd lke to be able to use it as my main one from now on, so that means Dylan, and other random stuff. but right now my primary focus is to be able to use it to play the solo for "What I like about You" by the romantics for an upcoming gig. sorry if my post is very newbie-ish, i really don't know much about harmonicas

Since The Romantic's song is in the key of E, and the solo is played in crossharp style, you need a harmonica in the key of A.
I'd go with a Hohner, because I like them better than Lee Oskar's, but whatever you do, pick a model from those two brand, because they are well-known for their quality, and not hugely expensive.

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please help me, i need a new harmonica, doesn't have to be good, but i'd lke to be able to use it as my main one from now on, so that means Dylan, and other random stuff.

but right now my primary focus is to be able to use it to play the solo for "What I like about You" by the romantics for an upcoming gig.

sorry if my post is very newbie-ish, i really don't know much about harmonicas

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you know it's kinda weird that there is a harmonica group is there harmonica tabs too?...im just curious i dont want to sound ..umm.bratty/bitchy if you will like i thought this was just a guitar website.

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My dad found two harmonicas in our garage and I have been trying to learn it for the past two days!

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sorry about that, thats a post that failed some how\\//. I had an awesome post saying how to bend and why plastic combs are superior, but i cbf retyping it

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[quote u='hendrixfanatic' d='Sep 26th, 2008 8:46am']

demonofthenight wrote on Sep 22nd, 2008 at 10:40am :

hendrixfanatic wrote on Aug 26th, 2008 at 12:47am :


Thefallofman wrote on Aug 25th, 2008 at 12:12pm :

I just may grab up the Dylan Hohners... it's time for a harp upgrade I think. I dunno though, I might look for some that are better for bending.

I'd just get a regular Hohner, or a Lee Oskar or something. A Hohner/Bob Dylan harp is going to cost you $ 100, according to Hohner's website. I think you can get a decent harmonica for less money...
I'd suggest a special 20. Lee oskars are great for absolute beginners, but they cant do alot of cool tricks guys like me wanna do. They overblow like shit Also, they seem to have a slightly different sound to hohners.

I own both a Lee Oskar and a Hohner Blues Harp model, and I must say I prefer the Hohner. The holes of the Lee Oskar are a lot bigger, and I prefer the wooden comb of the Hohner to the plastic of the Lee Oskar (but that's just me, cause I believ

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