I just got my Session Low D.

My dislikes are minor:
*It comes with a soft vinyl case; not a hard case.
The gapping is lousy. The gaps were too wide and were not gapped consistantly. One was too wide, the next was way too wide, the next was a little too wide...Easy fix, though.
*The covers are nowhere near as shiny as they appear in the pictures.
*Tastes of plastic or something. Not terribly strong, but it does linger.


My likes:
I like the shape of the covers. Feels REALLY GREAT in the hand.
It has good tone and it's loud.



My I dunnos:
*It's hard to get most of the bends. This probably has more to do with the harp being such a low key than it has to do with the model. Maybe practice will help.
*Takes a lot of breath to play. Again, probably more to do with the low key.



Overall:
I like it for specific songs (Well, A specific song, right now), but I wish I could bend it more easily. Myself, I won't buy any more low key harps unless I need them for a specific application.

This harp does not give me a fair idea of what a normal tuned Sessions would be like, except I certainly would not trust the out-of the-box gapping on them. I'm still sold on my Suzuki Promasters.



Post Edited (2011-02-15 19:51:13)

I suspect a lot of those things are due to the low tuning, especially the wide gaps and difficulty bending. I have a Session in D, and find it bends OK, and plays pretty well, didn't notice any inconsistency in gapping.

It wasn't my favorite for other reasons though. I actually didn't care as much for the covers. It feels nice enough in the hand, but I didn't like the feel in the mouth. I have a somewhat small mouth though, and thus prefer smaller/thinner models. I really like both the Marine Band and the Suzuki Bluesmaster, for example.

The Session is somewhat thick and flat on the mouth end, which makes it not as comfortable for me to use a deep embouchure. It works really well for pucker style single note playing though. The playing area is also wider end to end, the holes are wider and farther apart than most harmonicas. I find this makes it less suitable for playing a chordal style. With my upper lip resting on the upper hump though, it's pretty comfortable to slide up and down the instrument, and not too difficult to push it into my mouth a bit to grab a three note chord.

I also don't seem to get quite as nice a tone (for me) on this as I do with my Hohner, Suzuki, or Lee Oskars. It also seems a bit on the quiet side. It's not a big difference, and the sound isn't that far off a Suzuki Bluesmaster, which also has full cover plates, but I think I get better sound and more volume with less air on the Suzuki.

And I also noticed a bit of a funny taste at first on this one, so that's not just you. Overall, while it seems a decent enough instrument, between that, and not personally caring for the ergonomics, and not finding anything especially unique or appealing about the sound, I really don't play this one often, and was a bit disappointed. I can see where someone who prefers the ergonomics though might make this a favorite. For me though, I liked this not much more than the Hohner MS models (Big River, Blues Harp, and Pro Harp), which are also bigger than I prefer.



Post Edited (2011-02-18 00:11:09)

I know this is an old thread, but I'm reviving it. I was thinking about buying the new Seydel Blues Session with stainless steel reeds. You know, the one with the orange comb. If anybody has tried one, give me a review. Thanks.

I reviewed one of those in another thread somewhere. I also wrote it up for amazon, here:

[www.amazon.com]

Oh, and Gene is right about the funny taste, I experience that too with the BSS.

AHA!!!!! Ryan!!! YOUR NAME IS RYAN!!!!

HEY, EVERYBODY----HIS NAME IS RYAN!!!

(Now, if I can just remember that.)

I liked your "reason they designed it that way":
"Their families were killed by a man with a moustache."

Thanks for the review and the laugh, ... RYAN.

heh, I wondered if anyone who cared would happen to notice that. Well, cat's out of the bag then.

I can’t comment on the Seydel Blues Session exactly, as I only buy the Seydel 1847 series and they use the same reed plate. I understand that everyone is different so I’m not about to tell you that they are the best out there but in general the stainless steel range from Seydel are a quality instrument. And yes, they all have a metallic taste for the first few goes. A bit of a soak in warm soppy water will remove the metallic taste (yes they can be soaked for days without problems if you feel that way inclined). Still I prefer the metal task to the soppy taste and it does go away.

It will last longer than non stainless ones and I have had the odd harp with a poor gap but a poor gap for me may well be a good gap for others.

I can also confirm Gene’s earlier comments about the low D, I also have a low C and it is nothing like the others in the range. Hard to bend, more air and everything else that Gene mentioned. Not a harp to judge the rest of the range by.

Hope this helps.

CD

No, the taste we're talking about isn't metallic at all, it's definitely plastic. I haven't tried soaking mine or anything, but after all this time it's still there.

Well I went ahead and got one about a month ago. Key of G. I like this harmonica, but my 3 draw sucks. Gonna have to gap it I think. Other than that and the price (I could have bought 1 1/2 promasters for the amount I payed.), I'm very happy with it.
I think I may have found the source of your taste issues. When I first got it, I didn't notice any strange taste so I just decided that you guys are crazy. Then after storing it in its leather holder, it tasted/smelled weird. Maybe that was it. It has not tried to rip out my moustache yet, but my big six has.
OUCH!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2012 03:48AM by gatman.

Ya know - I had forgotten all about that taste. I've been keeping mine in a hard plastic case.

Gene says:
Overall:
I like it for specific songs (Well, A specific song, right now)

What song? I want to be able to play this special "song". What is it ?!?

G, D and Low D harps:

[www.youtube.com]

Tab

I made a backing track using Audacity (er sumthin') and looped the first few bars over & over.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2012 03:00AM by gene.

Thanks Gene. Funny, when I try the tabs you provided for this version of HOTRS, it just doesn't sound the same. But you've given me something to aspire to.

Hmmm...Any certain part(s)?

I bought the Seydel Blues Session in Low D awhile back and really like it. I use it to play Em in 3rd position. Hoping to buy the low F next. Depending on how long the reeds last, when the reeds finally go I may try the steel reed replacement.

Are their Harmonic Minors laid out like the Lee Oskars where they are labeled in 2nd position? I'm considering some of those too.

Well the draw 6 crapped out right in the middle of a gig. Thought somebody was playing in the wrong key. Checked twice to see if I had the right harp. Turns out draw 6 went from a B to an Ab. Tried to retune it later, but it just wasn't happening, the reed was shot. Not impressed with the durability of the brass reeds. So I ordered steel reed replacement. Should be here in a few days. Hopefully they hold up better.
I bought the harp in May of this year. I'll admit I used it a lot for playing in Em, but it only lasted 8 months. Not good in my book. If the steel reeds don't do any better I'll go somewhere else for my low keys. Any suggestions? I know Hohner Special 20's have low keys because I'm using a low D now till I get my new reeds, but they are hard to find. I don't care for the Big Rivers. I have a low F I hope to replace. My Lee Oskar minor harps hold up good, but I think their low harps are tuned like their regular harps, like Golden Melodys, for single note playing. And I don't want to have to retune it.
Anybody use low key harps that they are happy with?

railjumper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Anybody use low key harps that they are happy
> with?


[www.rockinronsmusic4less.com]

If you don't mind something pricey.

That is pricy. Cool lookin harps though. Do you have any? If so, how are they holding up?

I have one in low F, but I can't really speak for its durability since I've only had it a few months or so, sorry.

I have a Promaster low F. Other than the natural and expected problem of the lower holes being hard to bend, I like it.