Well, it’s new harp time, because… well… because. As valid a reason as any, I suppose. I already had a Special 20 in “C” and a Promaster in “A”, so to try something different I went with a Fender Midnight Special in “G”. From most of what I’ve read previously about Fenders they sounded like a cheap starter harp, but the Midnight Special is made by Seydel for them—basically an 1847 with different coverplates. There are a lot of things on this one new to me—wood comb, key of “G”, stainless steel reeds, Seydel as a manufacturer—so I may not be the best guy for a real review, but here are my initial impressions…

I like a fairly heavy harp, and this one feels good— I think the wood comb adds a little heft to it compared to the plastic one on my special 20. It’s not quite as heavy as the aluminum-combed promaster, but it has a nice solid feel. Part of the weight is from the size of the harp: it is noticeably longer than the sp20 or the promaster, with larger holes and wider spacing. The 9 hole of the Midnight Special pretty much lines up with the 10 hole on my other harps. That took a little getting used to when playing, but it’s not a difficult adjustment once you’ve played around awhile. I have fairly small hands, but the extra length hasn’t presented any trouble cupping it (I don’t play amplified, so I don’t know how much difference the added length would make when cupping a mic).

It’s got a warm tone, a really nice-sounding harp. (Not about to open the wood-vs-plastic-vs-metal debate though—I haven’t played a G harp with the other materials or enough harps period to opine on that one). I haven’t really opened up with it yet (we’re still getting to know each other and there are still some things you just don’t do on a first date), but would say that it’s got a grittier tone than my promaster and probably will get as down-and-dirty as the sp20 once you unwind a bit. It pulls mustaches at a about the same rate as a special 20— seldom enough that you’re surprised, but often enough that you’re not shocked. Gapping and responsiveness seem very good and it bends easily across the board. It takes a lot less wind than the sp20, closer to the promaster, and will hold a note at lower volume than either. Your guess is as good as mine how much of this is from the stainless reeds and how much is from the lower key…

By the way, the Midnight Special looks nothing at all like the photos I’ve found online, and that’s a good thing. The cover finish is listed as “black chrome”, but the pictures all just look like regular chrome to me. The color is very dark and absorbs light, but it has a highly reflective finish, so I’m guessing that it confuses photo editing software and digital cameras which default it to chrome. (I tried to take my own picture to post and that also looks pretty close to chrome) It’s a very dark harp with a deep chestnut finish on the comb. “Gunmetal” is the best description I can come up with for the color of the coverplates. All in all, it’s a pretty sweet looking and sounding, very playable harp.