Re: Slide or Chromatic ?
Posted by:
WaltP
(---.pghk.east.verizon.net)
Date: November 09, 2008 04:11AM
Mr. Gatman,
My hands down choice for a chromatic for the ages would be a Hohner 270
The following is a review by AJ Fedor, I believe he is the moderator of Slidemeister, a great newsgroup site for chrom players:
(This is the undisputed Grand Daddy of Chromatic harmonicas. The 270 sound is legendary. For the record, THIS is the one everyone copies. The reedplates from this model are the basic building block for virtually all the high-end custom-built Chromatics. Even the "Renaissance" from ILUS (weighing in at just under four thousand dollars) starts with the reedplates from this old timer.
Weak points: wood comb that can crack and leak, attached with nails that can loosen, a slide assembly that's not very air tight, and the edges on the square holed mouthpiece are famous for their ability to grade parmesan cheese to perfection. It may also have a less than desirable sharp edge on upper and/or lower reedplates that can irritate the webbing between the thumb and index finger.
Strong points? Just two: It’s available in all keys, and the sound! The key thing is cool, but the SOUND is even cooler. Through the years, literally thousands of pros (myself included) have either done the few simple tricks themselves, or had them “tweaked” by harmonica techs. Hey, when ya got it, ya got it! With all its faults, the 270 is still my baby, and continues to rule!)
The 270 is available for about $133 from Coast to Coast Music, and probably cheaper elsewhere. There is also a stepped up version I believe it's called the 270 Deluxe, for more bux, pardon the yux. It has round holes and the plates are screwed on. Maybe the reeds are bigger, I'm tempted myself. Like I said I played the Hard Bopper for some years, a harp Hohner made for Toots Thielemans. It has longer reeds and so more volume, but is pricey. I like to blow the snot out of my chroms, at least I used to, and it held up better.
As for leaking, all chroms leak to varying degrees. I have a Super 64X that leaks so much I ended up putting scotch tape on both sides of the mouthpiece. The leaking is due to the slide assembly. A lot of tweaking is about making it more airtight. If I like the tone I'll put up with a certain amount of leaking, when it sounds like wind whistling through the trees however! I find the 270 to be relatively airtight.
A second choice would be a Hering Special 48. It's easy to play, responsive across the board, but the tone is not as rich as the 270. It's about $20 less than the 270, the body is clear plastic. Herings are hard to find and the company is difficult to deal with. Hohner will probably always be there for you.
I hope this is helpful for you, do check out Slidemeister, a bunch of guys almost as nice as we are. And lots of pros, Blackie Shackner was there, as was Cham-ber Huang, even though I can't in all honesty recomend his chrom, the man is a legend, on a par with Larry Adler. After all he did create the CBH 2016.
Walt