I used to prefer the pro harp,,
until i tried the special 20 20, and i found the little smooth holes matched bettter my lips then the marine band.
I used to buy the blues harp, until i read in glen wieser book that junior wells didn't like the blues harp.
I did try the golden melody but it was so long ago that i don't recall how good it was.
the other reason for prefering the special 20 is the wood doesn't hurt my lips as the blues harp wooden harmonica would.
I always recommend the Special 20 to new players, especially to those who are learning from my teaching materials where I tend to demonstrate everything on one harp in the key of "A.". The teeth on a plastic comb harmonica like the Special 20 do not absorb moisture as a wooden comb harmonica might do. Therefore they won't swell up and expand over the edge of the mouthpiece which makes playing uncomfortable. Later on, when you play more than one harp all the time and, perhaps, you play with a drier mouth, you might try a wooden comb harmonica like the Marine Band models.
On the harp with the wooden comb would say they sound better.Ive been play with a Lee Osker
Been playing the Special 20, and I won't switch to Marineband. I'm a tongue blocker and those brass reed plates really bother my lips and tongue. I've tried the Lee Oskars, but they don't have the endurance of the Hohner Special 20s. I had some Huang Silvertones in the beginning, and they were all right, but I'm pretty sure they're not available anymore.
I'm also a Hohner Marine Band player, mainly playing the Marine Band Crossover nowadays, but only Marine Band style harps for me. I believe the newer "stock" Marine Bands even have sealed combs, so they won't swell...or at east early as much as they used to. I tried a few and loved them!
I have to admit, I don't clean my harmonicas as much as I should...but after the first few years of playing, they didn't get gunked up much either. Regular cleaning is good for any harmonica. Take it apart, clean the comb and reedplates, then re-assemble. Wooden comb harps just need more TLC since the combs have the potential to get damaged easier, whereas plastic or metal combs can be washed and cleaned with less care.
Do they make a marine band with a plastic combs. and do you think they are better then A Lee Oskar. been thinking about the marine band
They don't make a Marine Band with a plastic comb. One of the key signatures of the Hohner Marine Band model is the wooden comb. I believe the Special 20 used to say "Marine Band" somewhere on the coverplates, but I'm not sure why they did that, or what made it a "spin-off". For all of it's great attributes and things that make it attractive for generations of players, the wooden comb did turn a lot fo people off since it could swell if it got too wet, but the new Marine Bands are sealed and much better, so those days are thankfully gone.
Ultimately, each player has to choose what feels right for them, which is usually a combination of how it physically feels to your mouth, how it feels when it responds to your breath, and the overall sound of the harp.
It's true that many of the top blues players (for generations) play Marine Bands. I think because nothing feels or sounds quite like them, but it is all a matter of personal preference. I much prefer the wooden comb harmonicas over anything else, and the Marine Band model reeds and reedplates have a certain sound that many players feel has a certain "edge" to them. Just my thoughts on the subject :)
