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[Ipod8989]

I just bought a lee Oskar major diatonic and I would like some more experienced opinions on it's quality and sound. Any opinions would be great, thanks. 

[paulbunyn]

 Careful.... You know what they say about opinions!!!! LOL
 I've never owned or played one myself.
 Everything I have heard about LO harps is good. You didn't specify which model tho. I don't know if they have a low end (quality) harp like Hohners Piedmont harps.

[Ipod8989]

It's the 1910-c model and thanks for the input.
So far I have loved it because it is so smooth and rich.

[billy_shines]

i had one when they first came out. it was hyped alot so i tried it. i blew it out right away. then i got the reedplates and blew those out. it was ok for single notes but didnt chord well. i mean i blow out marine bands and special 20s but not as fast as i blew out the lee oskar i will never get another one. around the time i got this i also picked up the pro harp i liked it alot. then they changed the body and style it was no longer a special 20 with aluminum covers. the new model is an overpriced peice of junk. when i blow my G out i will just get a big river G and put the proharp plates on it. i know its blasphemy but lee oskar and proharp was my first excursion out of marine band and special 20. and if i hated change i wouldnt have liked the proharp and i never would have liked special 20. despite i hate the bigger new size of the proharp i would play the hohners i hate rather than lee oskars. one think i havent tried is the new blues harp anyone play these? in the 70s and 80s i really hated the blues harp, i could blow them out in one day. so there you have it paul the first diss on lee oskars youve heard.

[Thievin' Heathen]

I have about 25 of 'em.  My experience has been good.  I'm a happy customer.  Try one in a stairwell then go down town on a dark night and bounce sound waves off the architecture. 

But, don't put all your eggs in one basket.  Try Suzuki, Seydel and, yes, even Hohner.

[Ipod8989]

Thank u for the advice
 And do you know how to fix a rattling reed?(specifically a g golden melody)

[Thievin' Heathen]

Up until last week, when I finally found my way to the SPAH convention, I would have said, "buy a new harmonica". 

It is entirely possible that is still the best advice, but I am now aware of a plethora of options.  The most interesting one was to press out the revit on the rattling reed, ream & tap the hole on the plate, ream the hole on the reed, and put it all back together with a 1.5mm x 4mm bolt and accompanying lock nut.  Oh, you may need to canibilize a reed from an old harp and then retune everything.  Toolkit with rivet tool, and a couple hundred screws $299.

http://www.hohnerusa.com/index.php?1625

Another option may be as simple as pulling the cover off and plucking the reed free from the plate.

If rattling is an accurate description you may have a cracked reed.  Without the toolkit, or the hobby machinst's equivalent, buying a new harp may be the most expedient and economical route to take.  But, hang on to that old Golden Melody for tuning & repair practice and future canibilization.

I have a couple of harps with sticking reeds and one that is rattling so perhaps I will update this answer in the near future.  I am about to start attemptig to use everything I learned last week.

[Catmman]

I started out with a SP20, blew it out in 6 weeks.

I've bought four new harps since, 2 LOs and 2 Hohner Blues Harp.

I really enjoy the LOs.  They play easier or as easy as my SP20 did.  Bending is easier with them than with the HBHs, but that could just be me. 

I don't play professionally or anything, only been playing since the end of January and my experience with the LOs has been great.

That being said I just ordered my first Suzuki, a Promaster.  So we'll see how that one works.

As with many things, it really is a personal preference.  I've been trying to buy different models in putting together my first harp battery.  Many people do this until they have some real time and experience under their belts and find that 'sweet spot' harp.

[Ipod8989]

Thank you I'll keep that in mind:)

[Thievin' Heathen]

I my quest of the over blow, I recently read that Lee Oskars, as set up from the factory, are some of the most difficult for over blowing/drawing.  With that in mind, I am tearing up the house looking for that box of old harmonicas where I tossed all those blues harps, special 20's & Golden Melodies.  It should be a gold mine of harmonica tuning/setup practice, just as soon as I find it.

Just in case I don't find that box, I ordered a Hohner Steve Baker Special today.  Probably not the quick & easy fast track to over-blow Nirvana, but I'll have a cool new harp just the same.

Y'all don't miss the Labor Day sales out there on the web.