Hi All,

Been using Harptabs for a couple of months now and didn't even realise it had a forum! Hoping for some buying advice from the good folk reading this...

I'm still in the cliched beginner's phase of buying different brand harmonicas to find the right one for me.

In my case, I love low tuned keys and already have a Seydel Favorite LLF which is cool to play around with but even without covers on, it does seem to buzz quite a lot. The response lag in hole 1 is also quite noticeable. I'm not sure if this is something to do with the design/materials or just the nature of the low tuning...

I also have a Session Steel LC which is fun for melodies but the higher holes are still a little too highly pitched for my taste.

So I'm considering going for a Low A - which would make my choice either the Seydel Favorite again, or the Thunderbird. The price of the Thunderbird put me off initially, but there have been some recent price drops, and I'd be willing to invest in one if I could be convinced it was worth it.

Does anyone here have any experience of the Thunderbird, ideally with comparison to the Favorite?

Thanks in advance

I prefer the normal range harmonicas, but having lower tunings would be fine to have in addition to the higher keys (Having an F and a low F, for example). I do have a low D. I bought that for a specific song.

By using low tuned harps, you may have one heck of a time learning to bend, and bending is essential.

As to your question: I have no idea. The only lows I have are Suzuki Promaster low F and Seydel Blues Session low D.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2014 11:08PM by gene.

Well, I have a thunderbird but I don't have anything to compare it to, so I probably can't tell you anything you don't know. It's a low tuned crossover (which I'm a huge, huge fan of). I haven't had any problems with buzzing or rattling, but it's only a low F, nothing as low as an A.

And what Gene said about bending is correct-- I normally don't have that hard of a time with bending, but my attempts to bend the low F are comical at best. But you already have a LLF, so I'm guessing you know about that.

Thank you both for your replies.

After buying the Seydel Favorite, I did consider taking my learning seriously and bought a Special 20 as per many online recommendations - I had heard that it was easier to bend than other models. Unfortunately, some of the holes squealed so bad, neighbourhood dogs came round to complain. I'll probably come back to it at some point, but for now bending can wait. I'm quite happy to keep a harp in my pocket wherever I go (the Seydel pouches are great for that) and pull it out for a quick 'n' simple fun tune to lift my spirits. The people at the bus stop don't seem to mind either!

Interestingly, when I did attempt to learn to bend on the LLF, you get a pretty neat didgeridoo-like sound. More like tonal changes than a true bend, but a cool sound nonetheless.

Today I re-watched the Thunderbird promotional videos again. I'm sometimes sceptical of these as they're not necessarily impartial, but there was a point brought up that I missed the first time round: The reeds are made of a thicker material, as opposed to having extra metal soldered on. The Favorite does indeed have extra metal on the end of the lowest reeds. It then occurred to me that there must be some impact on playability due to the physics of inertia and momentum on reeds which are heavier on one end...

The upshot of this is that I became convinced enough to order a Thunderbird.

Over the past few months I've been spending way too much money on different harps, but at least I've taken care to choose models and keys that ensure my existing ones don't become obsolete.

I'll post some thoughts on the TBird when I receive it!

"Thunderbirds Are Go!"

Well, I was happy to finally receive my T-bird. There was some delay as the supplier was out of Low A, so I asked them for the closest key - which turned out to be a Low Bb.

I love the cool zip case which is both hardwearing and convenient to carry in the pocket.

At first glance, it was clear this was a quality instrument. The finish to the comb and in particular the reedplates was second to none - not a sharp edge in sight.

It has great tone, but is also extremely responsive. No appreciable time delay even on the lowest reed, which I'm really happy about. In fact, the response is so good that with the right articulation, hole 1 can make a rather unique 'ping' sound, like a jaws harp. Awesome!

I'm off to incorporate it into a rendition of 'For A Few Dollars More'...

Thanks for reading.