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42 of 43 found the following review helpful:
 Inconsistent manufacturing, just buy a real Honer from Germany. Mar 31, 2011
By Benjamin Herbst
"Benny Blonko from the Bronx aka buba"
OK, I've been playing harmonica for about 10 years, and have a bunch of harps, but thought I'd give a couple old standbys a try. I'd say most pro harp players have played them, so this review is just for beginners. First, if you really want to learn how to play harmonica, just buy a decent harmonica in the $25 to $35 range. Just one, probably in the key of C. I'd suggest a Honer special 20, Lee Oscar, Herring Blues, or Suzuki blues. The cheapest harmonica from Honer I'd recommend is a Big River. They used to be $12 but I think they are a bit higher now.
Of the two "Old Standby's" I received (C and A), the A harp was out of tune out of the box on the draw (on the first blow) and also "rattled" on the 4 draw. The C harp was in tune, bent notes easily, didn't leak too much air, and generally is easy to play, and actually is a good beginner harmonica, though not as smooth and nice as a decent Suzuki or Honer. As a beginner, you probably won't be able to tell if it is the harmonica or your technic that is the problem. Both harmonicas bent easily. I opened them both up, and also opened a Honer Bluesband (the cheapest harmonica $5) and the old standby reed plates are exactly the same as the Bluesband. As a mater of fact, the old standby looks in every way the same as a Bluesband except the name on the coverplates. So, you could save a couple bucks and just buy a Bluesband (which is the standard beginner harmonica), but they only come in the key of C (though when I started I had one in the key of A, and it actually played real good). If you are the kind of person that just likes to mess around and try different things and quickly quit (harmonica is actually a difficulty instrument to play well), or if you like to drink a lot of whiskey and blow the harmonica real hard, I'd recommend a bluesband, or one of these old stand by's as a 1st harp, as they are so cheap you can just loose it or throw it away, or blow it out by blowing too hard and then throw it in the trash without loosing much sleep. If you are serious, and dedicated, and feel like you really want to put a couple years, or the rest of your life into learning how to play harmonica, I'd say just spend the money on a decent harp (probably special 20 to start in the key of C) and you can figure it out on your own from there.
One last thing ... looking at the reed plates, they have all been hand tuned (probably with a Dremel/Foredom type tool with a grinding wheel), including the A harmonica that was out of tune on the draw. I guess the made in China ones don't have the same quality control, or ear training as the German made ones. Also note that all of them can be tuned (though very delicate) if you know what you are doing, and made to play just fine. Lastly, I'll add that one nice thing about the cheaper harps (old standby/bluesband) is that your lips touch plastic, which is soft. On some of the pro harps, your lips touch brass, and you actually need to take the harp apart, and using very fine sand paper (1000 grit) dull the sharp metal edges or you will waste your lips pretty quick. Good luck, and have fun with the harmonica ... they are quite addictiveHohner Special Twenty Harmonica, Key of CHohner Old Standby Harmonica, Key of CHohner Blues Band Harmonica 1501, CSuzuki BLUESMASTER HARMONICA C!
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 Great starter harmonica Jan 07, 2010
By Michael S. Gaither
I bought this for my fiancée as a starter harmonica and she loves it. It looks nice, plays fine, and seems sturdy. I bought an instruction DVD for beginning harmonica to accompany it and it has been a useful addition. I have no complaints about this harmonica (though I have no particular expertise with harmonicas). It is serving its purpose as a beginner harmonica.
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Wonderful Aug 13, 2010
By Kestutis Satkauskas
Wonderful harmonica. Solid build, hard plastic body with metal plating. Please note, this harmonica is made in China, I guess that is why price is lower. Still I would definitely recommend
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
good value Dec 15, 2009
By Brinda Myers
This harmonica, although cheap, does the job and sounds great! A good value that has given me lots of fun. I have many harmonicas and this is one of my two favorites.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Sounds nice Jun 11, 2010
By Kira Jovian
We bought this for my son's second birthday. It is so lovely that we hesitated to give it to him, luckily he received another from a friend so my husband has decided to try to learn to play this one. It sounds very lovely. I like that the case for it is hard plastic and waterproof. Nice to taking camping.
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