JP's Super 3 Harmonica Sampler Pack Special

List Price:  $244
Your Sale Price: $195.20
You Save:  $48.80

Ships Worldwide!

Includes the following 3 Amazing Harps

1 x Hohner Special 20 Harmonica (key of c)

1 x Suzuki Manji Harmonica (key of c)

1 x Hohner Crossover Harmonica (key of c)

JP Allen's Personal Recommendation

How to find your personal favorite harmonica?

First off, if saving money is your main objective, then go with the Special 20. The Manji and the Crossover are in another league, and they're also a bit more expensive.

With that said, I think it's very important to find your favorite make and model of harmonica, so that you can get acclimated to the feel and responsiveness of that particular instrument. Different types of harmonicas have different technologies and craftsmanship, so their performance can be radically different. Which one is best is a matter of personal preference (in the same way that one person may prefer the performance of a Corvette over a Lamborghini).

So what do I recommend?

To find your own personal favorite harmonica, you really need to compare apples to apples ... meaning you need to keep the key the same when sampling different makes and models.

For example, comparing a Manji in the key of A with a Special 20 in C would be an unfair test. Most beginners find it much easier to bend a C harmonica than an A harmonica, so they may automatically conclude that they prefer Special 20s to Manjis ( ... but their judgment would be baised).

Students fall into this trap all the time, and the result is a major setback. Bending is challenging enough as it is, and if a beginner is trying to learn to bend on an unresponsive harmonica, they make get stuck and quite frustrated.

Because the Hohner Special 20, the Hohner Crossover, and the Suzuki Manji are all incredibly responsive instruments, I want to give you the opportunity to compare them at a respectable discount. I know you'll be totally blown away to finally put a high-performance instrument in your mouth and let those bends come wailing through!

I'm super curious which one you'll pick as your top favorite harmonica. Please let me know!

Info about the Hohner Special 20

Video Review of the Hohner Special 20 by JP Allen

From JP Allen:

Great for Professionals and Beginners! Great Tone! Great for learning to Bend! Bang for the buck, this is my personal favorite instrument by a long shot. It's the harmonica I use and it's the instrument that makes it easiest for beginners to learn to bend. You'll need to spend 3 to 10 times the money on other brands of harmonicas to match it's performance.

From the Manufacturer:

Awesome response, superior bendability and the sweetest tone ever. The Special 20 harp is the first choice for those learning to play. Its special airtight design makes it the most recommended go-to harp for harmonica players of any style, including blues, country, folk or rock. The plastic comb doesn’t absorb moisture making it longer lasting. Harp of choice of harmonica virtuoso John Popper (of Blues Traveler) and played by Bob Dylan on his 2007/08 tour. Chances are your favorite player has several of these harps in his case. 12 major keys plus lower and higher octave tunings.

Hohnor's Diatonic

Hohner's diatonic harmonicas set the industry standard through their high quality construction, excellent response and unsurpassed tone. Often called "Blues Harps", they have been a fixture as melody and accompaniment instruments in blues, rock, country, and folk bands, as well as many other styles of music and musical ensembles. Richter tuning and undivided air channels allow for bending and overblowing the reeds, creating the signature wailing sound typical of the harmonica.

Classic Line: Traditional values. Modern innovation.

This is the essence of the Classic line -- traditional values and cutting edge technology. Extremely precise tools minimize air loss and ensure a quicker response and bigger volume. As always, each Classic harmonica is exclusively handmade.

Special 20: Great tone and comfort

Durable plastic comb with recessed reed plates for playing comfort. The stable, airtight construction and full sound make the Special 20 one of the most popular diatonic models.

Technical Info

Reeds: 20
Reedplates: Brass; 0.9 mm
Comb: Plastic
Length in cm: approx. 10.0

Info about the Suzuki Manji

Great Video Reviews of the Suzuki Manji M-20 Harmonica
Ronnie Shellist Review

Brendan Power Review

From JP Allen:

Why am I recommending the Suzuki Manji to you today (...after 20 years of almost exclusively endorsing Hohner Harmonicas)? It's kind of like driving a Ferrari. It's a high end precision instrument and out of the box it just kicks butt.

The tone and power of this instrument is huge. In the past, to create an instrument that had this much power (while enabling the bent notes to still flow like butter), I would have had to spend an hour custom tuning my harmonica.

Big tone and volume usually results in a loss of sensitivity, making it difficult to bend the reeds with ease. With its cutting edge technology, the Suzuki Mangi is the first high end instrument I've played out of the box, thats achieved the perfect balance between power and responsiveness.

I'm pretty sure you'll be delighted with how easy this instrument makes it to bend notes (including over-blowing) while maintaining a rich and silky tone.

At the end of the day there is no "best harmonica". It really comes down to personal preference and the Suzuki Manji is well worth considering. Do you think the feeling of playing an elite and beautifully designed instrument will encourage you to practice more often? Maybe it's worth a shot.

From the Manufacturer:

Advanced Technology and Classic Style

Advanced technology and functional beauty are combined in this stunning 10 hole diatonic harmonica, the all-new Suzuki MANJI Harmonica. This revolutionary new diatonic harmonica is named after Mr. Manji Suzuki, the company's founder - now in his mid 80s, but still very much in charge. He started with a single hand-built model 70 years ago, and has built Suzuki up into one of the world's premier harmonica manufacturers. Harmonicas are Mr. Suzuki's passion and his life's work. The fact he is putting his own name on the MANJI Harmonica is because those 70 years of dedication to perfection are condensed in this one impressive instrument. He is convinced that it will come to be regarded as one of the best harmonicas of the 21st century.

Technical Info

KEY OF C
10 Holes
20 Notes
Diatonic Harmonica in C

Info about the Honher Crossover

Great Video Review of the Hohner Crossover Harmonica
By Harmonica Legend Steve Baker

 

Advanced Technology and Classic Style

From the Manufacturer: With the Crossover we have expanded the Marine Band series to introduce a new, top-of-the-line professional quality instrument for the discerning player in modern blues, rock, jazz, soul or funk. The revolutionary laminated bamboo comb (patent pending) is completely sealed, making it water repellent and exceptionally stable. In combination with the screw together assembly the Crossover is extremely airtight, with fast, even response and a raspy, powerful sound which is exceptionally well suited to amplified playing as well as acoustic styles. The modern compromise tuning is ideal for single note playing in different positions in contemporary blues, rock, jazz, soul, funk, while still ensuring a full chord sound, making the Crossover an optimal addition to the great Marine Band range.

Technical Info

KEY OF C
10 Holes
20 Notes
Diatonic Harmonica in C
Reedplates: brass 0.9 mm
Comb: sealed bamboo
Made in Germany

JP's Super 3 Harmonica Sampler Pack Special

Here's What You Get:

1 x Hohner Special 20 Harmonica (key of c)

1 x Suzuki Manji Harmonica (key of c)

1 x Hohner Crossover Harmonica (key of c)

List Price:  $244
Your Sale Price: $195.20
You Save:  $48.80

Ships Worldwide!

 

Returns Note: Due to U.S.A. Health Code Regulations I am not permitted to accept returns on harmonicas. If your harmonica is faulty, I will give you a direct contact to the manufacturer and make sure they take care of you. (As a player, I have not received a single faulty harmonica in 20 years... so it's extremely unlikely you will either!)

 

 

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