[Harp-L] Seydel Session Standard vs. Suzuki Bluesmaster?

[Alyx Hanson]

Hi, all,

I'm just getting into this whole harping thing, and looking for some
advice. I picked up "Harmonica for Dummies" and a Seydel Session Standard
in C (say that five times fast!), and have done a bit of tentative noodling
around. I've pretty quickly come to the conclusion that professional help
is in order (I've got lots of experience with piano and fretted
instruments...this is an entirely different beast). I'm planning to start
group classes in a month or so and try not to teach myself too many bad
habits in the meantime. ;)

Here's what I'm wondering, though: the class I'm taking calls for harps in
the keys of G and D. I like the Seydel fine, and can see the merit of being
consistent in brand/model to start with (from the perspective of not
introducing too many new variables at once). But I've also heard a lot of
good things about the Suzuki Bluesmasters, and I'm wondering if it would be
worth trying them out. They're essentially the same price, so that's not a
factor. They're roughly the same shape and they both have the option of
reed plate replacement if I do something stupid (or just wear them out).
The biggest difference I can see is the phosphor bronze vs. brass reeds.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts, particularly those of you who have
owned both. Should I stick with where I've started, or is it worth trying
something that might be slightly different?

[daledut]

I am going to dive right in. 
First choosing a harmonica is a very individual thing.  That is why most of us have tried several different brands and models.
With that said, both harps you mentioned are fine harps and have many fans. 
I have owned both of these harmonicas and for me I prefer the Suzuki Bluesmaster over the Seydel.
In my opinion the Bluesmaster is one of the easiest playing harps out of the box.  It is air tight and responsive.  Also the covers fit my mouth better. I think it is worth comparing. 
Now many will disagree with me and you can't really go wrong with the seydel. 
Also keep in mind that your tastes may change as you progress.
In conclusion they are both decent instruments but my vote would go to the Suzuki. 
Dale

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

[Alyx Hanson]

Thanks to everyone who's replied, both on- and off-list.

As a tangential question from my initial query, how does the Suzuki
Harpmaster compare?

Alyx

[Winslow Yerxa]

The Harpmaster and Bluesmaster appear to be the same harp with different covers. I have some of each and they seem to play about the same.

However, I want to re-visit the Seydel part of the questions.

Beginning players tend to be sensitive to small differences that more experienced players may not even notice. One thing that sets Seydel apart from all others is their hole spacing.

I'm not talking about the size of the holes. I mean that the reeds are spaced farther apart on Seydels. (This is true of their chromatics, too.) The rest of the world seems to have followed Hohner's lead in spacing their reeds. By making the dividers thinner or thicker, they can make the holes bigger or smaller, but they're still the same distance apart.

So, do you stick with all Seydels for a consistent experience among your harps in different keys? Or do you mix things up so that you get used to a wider variety of hole spacings? It's your call, I'm just giving you a piece of information to consider.

Winslow
 
Winslow Yerxa
President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica
Producer, the Spring 2014 Harmonica Collective
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance

________________________________
From: Alyx Hanson <restles...@gmail.com>
To: harp-l <har...@harp-l.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 1:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Seydel Session Standard vs. Suzuki Bluesmaster?

[daledut]

I would agree with Winslow. The Bluesmaster and Harpmaster are the same harp with different covers. Even the dealer price on both is the same.

[Dennis Michael Montgomery]

I have loved the Suzuki Bluesmasters so much I have ended up buying all 12 keys.  I won't go so far as saying they're better than the Seydel Standard Session, because I don't have any of them, but they are easy on the mouth, they sound good (some people describe them as sweet), responsive, and are easy to bend.

I really don't think buying just one in the key of C or D will hurt you as a beginner.  In fact, I'm sure that most followers of this forum will suggest trying other brands.  However, I would suggest staying away from harps costing less than $30.00.

Dennis Montgomery 

[Frank Evers]

Hi

On Wednesday 19 March 2014 15:09:33 Winslow Yerxa wrote:
> The Harpmaster and Bluesmaster appear to be the same harp with
> different covers. I have some of each and they seem to play about
> the same.

I think i remember the Bluesmaster has phosphor-bronze reeds, while
the Harpmaster has brass reeds. I havn't tried the bluesmaster in a
while, but i remember they used to have differend rees slot designs,
too. It's the same for both today though.

--
Gruß,Frank

[Steve]

I've always found Bluesmasters to be reliable, low-maintenance and very long-lasting. I think I slightly prefer the extra heft of the Promasters, which are just as good. As far as I know, Harpmasters, Bluesmasters and Promasters share compatible reedplates. Whether that means identical reedplates I don't know. Years ago I came to prefer these Suzukis to Lee Oskars, though my collection of the latter is very slow to wear out!

[Winslow Yerxa]

Suzuki claims phosphor bronze for both models:

Suzuki World Class Harmonicas

Suzuki World Class Harmonicas
  Starter Harp Airwave Harmonica Hobbyist EZR-20 Easy Rider
View on www.suzukimusic.com Preview by Yahoo

Suzuki World Class Harmonicas

Suzuki World Class Harmonicas
  Starter Harp Airwave Harmonica Hobbyist EZR-20 Easy Rider
View on www.suzukimusic.com Preview by Yahoo

 
 
Winslow Yerxa
President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica
Producer, the Spring 2014 Harmonica Collective
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance

________________________________
From: Frank Evers <fr...@pimpi.org>
To: harp-l <har...@harp-l.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 2:24 AM

Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Seydel Session Standard vs. Suzuki Bluesmaster?

[Frank Evers]

Hi

On Thursday 20 March 2014 03:01:23 Winslow Yerxa wrote:
> Suzuki claims phosphor bronze for both models:

Then they have changed that. It's a pity indeed, since they "felt"
very different even though they had the same reed measurements.

--
Gruß,Frank

[Johnnie Harp]

Hi Winslow / Frank

Suzuki has claimed phosphor bronze on the Harpmaster for quite awhile but I've only found brass reeds on mine. Bluesmasters have been phosphor bronze over the last 4+ years.

I prefer Harpmasters because the shape of the cross section better matches my embouchure both when tongue blocking and lip pursing. If you look at the end view of both you'll see the difference. The Harpmaster has a more gradual curve and is wider top to bottom. Check this out for yourself.

I find full length covered Seydel Session Steel and Hohner Golden Melody to be too flattish in terms of embouchure profile, as well.

Also, the uncupped Harpmaster is brighter therefore hand muting allows for a wider range of expressiveness to my ear.

Though I prefer full length covers, I add a couple of pea sized bits of poster putty to the left upper and lower ends of the Harpmaster and mold these to fill in the cover plate right angles creating a full length profile on the left side. I also use a sharp blade at 45 degrees to refine any sharpish right angles on the comb, for comfort.

Here in Vancouver, Harpmasters cost less than Bluesmasters and are the cheapest of the good quality harmonicas.

Also a good way to trial the sound of different combs, covers, reeds, etc is record oneself using different combos in the same session. Listen to this at the time then a few days later and see if you hear much difference. Likely there will be less perceptible difference when listening than when playing.

Johnnie