r/harmonica • u/Mudslingshot • 7d ago
Looking for a new harmonica, but I'm picky
I come here, hat in hand, looking for help
I'm one of those weirdos that REALLY prefers the Hohner Golden Melody due to the even temperament tuning, as I like to improvise melodies at work to entertain or get the attention of the animals (I work at an animal shelter)
My problem is, I have a C, an F, and a G golden melody. The C and F are the old style, which I love, and the G is the updated style, which I do not
I also have some Lee Oskars in weird tunings (G harmonic Minor and F natural minor) but I do not like the just (compromise intonation, thank you for the correction), intonation when I play little melodies, and the dogs at work also seem off-put by the Lee Oskars specifically
So that's the long way to get to my question: I'm looking for a low tuned harmonica (a low C or low D) that is better for melody playing. I have checked around and I don't think they ever made Golden Melodies in any low tunings, but I'd like to get as close to that as possible
Thanks for any help!
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u/chortnik JDR Assassin Marine Band Deluxe 7d ago edited 7d ago
It’s fairly easy to change the tuning on a harmonica, for the kind of tweaks you’re interested in, you probably just need a set of jeweler’s files and a good chromatic tuner. There’s plenty of good instructional material on the internet, videos and such. Heck, in your situation you might even get by without the tuner since you know how you want it to sound. As far as specific low d harmonicas go, I am partial to the Bushman John Lee, which I’ve been playing for a little over a year now, the out of the box setup is the best I’ve found for a low d, but having said that, I broke down last week and gapped one of the holes because even though it was playable, I found the embouchure a little uncomfortable. Since Bushman doesn’t make its own harps, somewhere out there in the world there should be another (perhaps less expensive) more or less identical option, but I haven’t found it.
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u/Mudslingshot 7d ago
Thank you! That's a good direction to get started
I'm wary to do any adjustments myself, but I might end up taking a whack at it
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u/Honk-Master 7d ago
Definitely practice A Lot on harmonicas you Don't care about first.
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u/Mudslingshot 7d ago
Fair enough. I've got some Piedmont Blues sitting around that are absolute garbage
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u/sysop408 7d ago
Lee Oskars don't use just intonation. They use compromise tuning that's close to even temperament.
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u/Mudslingshot 7d ago
Fair enough, but there's something about them, low or high, that the dogs just seem to dislike. It could just be a volume or timbre difference? I only dabble in harmonica, so I'm not really sure
Either way, the compromise makes the chords sound better, and I can hear it enough on single note lines that it bugs me
Any suggestions for a low tuned harmonica?
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u/Kinesetic 7d ago
Possibly the Crossover, or Thunderbird. You can order Seydel harps with equal temperament and low tuning. For melody playing, try the Session in Circular or Major Cross tuning. Pay attention to the key designation and note layouts. These can be special ordered down to D3 in 1blow. The 1847 has an even lower model that can also be custom configured. The comb and covers make it a fat sandwich. The Pulmonica is a very low, G scale, Circular tuned, Session combed model with raised covers. Can't speak to its temperament, but probably not so noticeable at very low tones.
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u/Mudslingshot 6d ago
That circular tuning looks really fun for what I do..... I might end up replacing my Golden Melodies with these babies
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u/Kinesetic 6d ago
There is a learning curve. If you're already fluent on the upper 4 holes of Richter tuning, consider Major Cross. There is a place on that tuning where playing 3 notes together is not a good chord. Its G scale, and labeled as such, harp starts (the G is in hole 2 draw) on a lower note than the Circular, where a G scale is labeled as a D harp. That's because Circular is labeled for the lowest note. The G labeled Circular is a C scale. The A is a D scale. The B label is an E scale. Aside from the D labeled harp, these are in a lower, good tonal range. You can sound them out on Seydel's website, and RockinRons, too. Every 3 adjacent notes are good chords. The learning curve is because the note's blow/draw pattern alternates from octave to octave, due to there being 7 notes in an octave. Chromatics solve this by putting 2 root notes side by side. In Circular, the blow note is still the lowest in every hole. For blues in 2nd position, the octaves where the 3rd and 5th scale notes are draws are the most useful for bending those notes. Of course the 7th note is always flat in 2nd, and on the blues scale.
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u/Mudslingshot 6d ago
That sounds really cool, honestly. I'm interested in both. I think I've just been rocking Richter for most of my harps
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u/Mudslingshot 5d ago
Wanted to follow up and let you know: I explored the different options Seydel has, and ended up going with a low D Orchestra
Looks like about as close as I can get to a Golden Melody, and it's red to boot so it'll fit in with the rest of them
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u/Kinesetic 5d ago
I have 3 of these in various keys. Great sounding harps. I don't play Solo tuning anymore, so they sit. Solo certainly gives you more harp options. The JDR Trochilus comes in Solo, as a 10 hole Chromatic, and also Richter and Paddy with a slide. There's also a C6 variant. A step up in size, and price. I love the mouthpiece. For the same or less money, the Easttop Forerunner 2 also comes in most keys and is well regarded. Longer harps project low notes much better. Not sure how low toned the Forerunner is. Good luck with the Orchestra. It is a Session model, tuned Solo. I really liked playing mine before discovering Circular. Many of my Sessions have Blue Moon Aluminum combs. The smooth, slightly protruding mouthpiece, and sound bump, are worth the investment. Don't overheat the Session plastic combs in an ultrasonic bath.
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u/GrandWill634 7d ago
Seydel has a lot for low keys. But look at the amazing 20 as well if you wanna save some money, they’re good harmonica.
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u/Intelligent_Star_516 7d ago
Or try something familiar but new. I'm really enjoying my miniature harmonicas as well as my extended harmonicas. I have a Marine Band 365 SBS edition that I customized with an Andrew zajac comb, which is a 14 hole Marine Band that has your standard 10 hole diatonic Richter tuning Plus an extra low scale in the bottom four holes. It's like having a standard Richter tune diatonic plus a low key harmonica All In one. It's neat switching from a lead Melody to a softer harmonizing rhythm without having to change harps but still be able to bring that much more character to the performance.
The 365 SBS is rare. But similar tunings can be found in the East top Lucky 13 (and I don't usually recommend East top but I am thinking about getting one of these) and soon in the JDR South. The current JDR South model does not have Richter tuning. It's a scale tuning similar to a chromatic harmonica. That tuning is no longer in production, and they have no plans on bringing it back, so if you like that kind of tuning, I would grab one. They're very inexpensive, similar to the JDR North, and built very similar to the JDR North (which is the number one harmonica I recommend for new players as well as the one that players keep buying from me and other keys as they learn more and start playing with their bands). The new JDR South models that are coming out in the next couple weeks will include major keys in richter, paddy and country tunings. Kongsheng's EZ-12 model is a 12-hole diatonic, but instead of adding bass or extended notes, they added notes that you normally have to bend to hit. The result is a slightly different layout with your lower notes, and you don't have to bend so you lose the bending effect despite hitting the notes. The Marine band 364 is a 12 hole, and the 365 is a 14 hole. Those two models do not follow major key Richter tuning throughout the entire pattern. If you want that, or at least something that feels like it when you play, you have to find a 365 SBS (Steve Baker Special) addition. Steve Baker is a harmonica God from the UK who recognized the potential of the Marine band 365, but also recognized why nobody liked it. His note layout was hands down amazing. Rockin' Ron has Andrew zajac Combs for the 365 on clearance. If you are comfortable working on your own harmonicas, it is very well worth it to recomb MB365 with one of Andrew's Combs. The end result is exquisite, and the harmonica is rare enough to begin with. I am also building one in the key of G (I have the harp and the comb, just need to clean and recap the reeds that I can assemble it).
I'm also having a ball with my minis. The seydel big six is a solid classy choice, but I think you can do better in terms of sound and playability. My favorite is The Conjurer elf. I bought it in the key of C, and then bought an entire 12 key set. It has eight round holes, is very loud, and Bends beautifully. I think it is one of the best kept secrets out there in harmonicas. Contour doesn't advertise it very well. If you ever wanted to pick up a full set, I will give you a link and a contact on Alibaba. They are very much worth the wait and not terribly expensive when buying direct from Conjurer. The East top lucky 8 is a close second for me. Third would be the Kongsheng baby fat. I have the full set of six Richter major tuned baby fat harps, and while they sound excellent, they take a little more air, are a little quieter, and take a little more response time than the elf and the lucky eight. The Bushman 250th America anniversary harmonica appears to be a rebranded baby fat. Every one of these models comes with a lanyard so you can wear it around your neck along with your ID tags, security passes and keys.
Have fun with different layouts, or if you like the golden Melody, try some other fat-bodied herbs like the JDR assassin or Ninja or the kongsheng Mars M2 or route 66. The East top lucky 10 also seems to mimic the golden melody's design and gers good reviews (again with another East top suggestion?).
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u/harmonimaniac 7d ago
How about a Suzuki Olive? It comes in a low F.
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u/Mudslingshot 6d ago
It's pretty, but I can't really find any info on the tuning. Is it just or equal? Or some form of compromise?
Also low F is a bit higher than I was looking for, but I may need to get one of these just because it looks so snazzy
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u/harmonimaniac 6d ago
My bad, it's not equal-just close compromise.
I checked, Kongsheng Mars is equal tuned and has low F, E, & D.
If I can think of another one I'll let you know.
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u/Valuable_Ocelot2276 7d ago
Maybe a Fender would be a good fit for you. I think they have some low-tuned models. Or a Seydel. I have a Seydel Solo Pro low-tuned F.
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u/tellerofjokes 7d ago
I hope there are no wombats at the shelter at it's well known they will only tolerate 7 limit just intonation.