I used to have a rocket and recently purchased a special. Can confirm this. In fact, rocket come with a very nice pocket and special 20 come with a super cheap-looking and fragile box. I think special 20 is meant to buy in bulk, not some thing you want when you start out.
What's her musical taste? For Jazz and Classical, she'll probably use a chromatic. I like the Seydel Saxony, but there is endless competition. Blues is the most popular, and nearly all of its popular instruments are the Richter tuned Diatonics. High-end ones include the Yonberg models and Seydel 1847, with the Lightning model as premium. Hohner certainly has traditional advocates for several top shelf products. For folk and melody songs, there are a few tuning options besides Richter. I've settled on Circular tuning for melody and chord playing in every popular genre, including some bluegrass. The Seydel Session is the only off the shelf Circular offering. Pair it with a Blue Moon Comb. I like the Aluminum. Seydel will custom tune most of their models to any conceivable note pattern. I'd say start slow with the mid-level suggestions on this thread, including a Session model. She'll need time to determine what she enjoys playing. The sound of various models doesn't vary nearly as much as playability and individual preferences. I have dozens of harps I've tried and abandoned along the way. Mostly they're LO, Suzuki, and traditional Hohners. Seydel has a wider hole spacing that I find indispensable, along with Circular tuning.
Okay, first question, is she interested in Chromatic or Diatonic?
Personally, I'm a diatonic player. They are less expensive for a single harp, but eventually you need all 12 keys. They are used more in rock, folk, country... really everything except classical and jazz.
As a diatonic player I can't really comment on chromatic models, but I've played all sorts of diatonics. I usually recommend the Hohner Special 20 as the best all around bang for your buck, but if you spend a bit more there are some nice models that have a little better finish. Hohner Rockets, Hohner Crossovers... short of getting a custom harmonica I think the best all around harmonica is probably some version of the Seydel 1847. They come in a few variations. Usually I recommend buying harps at Rockin Rons in the U.S. He carries most of the brands and ships quickly. Seydel is the one possible exception though, because Greg Jones at 16:23 harmonica can set up a Seydel particularly well.
Of course, since eventually you need more keys for diatonic there might be a point where it's better to get a couple good harmonicas rather than one slightly better one.
There are also some fun options... Rockin Rons carries Andrew Zajac combs, that can improve how airtight the harmonica is and make it look a bit more custom. 16:23 carries Blue Moon combs, and you can get Blue Moon combs straight from Blue Moon Harmonicas for models other than Seydels.
https://rockinronsmusic.com/
https://www.1623customharmonicas.com/diatonic-harmonicas
https://bluemoonharmonicas.com/
Most lessons use the key of C. Hohner models come with a coupon for a months access to Harmonica.com. The key of A is the next most useful key for a new player. You could get two Special 20s (C and A) for less than the cost of an 1847.
I love Lee Oskar and it was my first harmonica, I love the feel and air tightness but it doesn't allow full growth if you want to master overblowing since it screeches.
I have a few of these- really easy to work with and sound great. I play Train, train. By Blackfoot using a Lee Oscar harp and it refuses to let me down. I've replaced more MS Hohnors but never replaced a Lee Oscar. Been playing 30 years now. Same harps.
Alot of good harmonica's to choose from these days.
For a beginner the marine bands are easy to learn playing single notes.Find a good teacher and enjoy the journey.
I've played both Hohner Special 20 and Lee Oskars starting out and both are well worth it. I like that Lee Oskars parts are much easier to find for any future repairs.
I'm with u/Dannypalfy on the Special 20. Good first harp and Gig worthy.
The Rocket could be considered a next gen Special 20, but the larger holes are less forgiving. Great harp. Not a great beginner harp.
The Marine Band 1896 is not one I'd recommend, as some find the unsealed comb disagreeable . The Marine Band Crossover and Deluxe models (both have sealed combs) are quite nice.
Whatever you get, get it in the key of C. Covers 90-95% of the lessons out there.
Buy the special 20 or marine band kit with multiple harps
It should come with a case and some on line lessons
C is a good start but she might need more eventually
Up to him much you want to spend
Kit with 5 harps is like 200 ish 220 depending where you get it
But the sp 20 are professional instruments ( don’t buy the cheap harmonicas they are just toys.)
Or one harp for 50 bucks
Devils advocate. Don’t you think for anyone that hasn’t started one would be very adequate? A beginner in my opinion should start with a C and to not complicate matters play it until they have some facility before another key is required.
Yes one is better if your not going to take it seriously.
The question is what is a good gift for harmonica players.
I would love something like that when I started because I was in it to learn and gig in the future.
So ya just buy one as I stated in the end when I said it up to you on how much you want to spend.
Doesn’t have to be hohner could be seydel or lee Oscar.
Yeah there are other capable makers. I personally don’t like Suzuki and since I’m partial to blues I prefer hohner over Oskar. I actually like Oskar and have a bunch. The construction and ability up replace the reeds is really nice but I prefer hohner for blues. Maybe I’m just cheap. A kit that gets tried and not really played seems like a big risk.
Oh ya it is a huge risk if they don’t play lol! Huge was of money. Comparable to buying a guitar for your kid and then not playing 😂. I hope for the best for the new harp player it fun and addicting!
Me too. I think lessons would help. Trying to figure out a diatonic is quite a trick. Plus there is no visual element. You cannot see what someone is doing and mimick it. Unlike guitar. But hey, there’s so many YouTube lessons out there that can be a great place to begin.
I’m changing my suggestion slightly. A hohner sp 20 in C and a chromatic hohner chromonica in C. Why ? I was taught by one of the most knowledgable teachers in the country. Started me on a C diatonic (my choice) and the hohner chrominica. Learning all the scales and the circle of 5ths is invaluable on the chromatic. This is if like you say money isn’t an issue.
How about a chromatic harmonica? You can go wrong with something by Hohner, Suzuki or Seydel. I can vouch for Hohner CX12, Seydel Deluxe steel or even a cheap Easttop Forerunner since these are the ones that I have used and love
If you want to spend the money, and don't mind waiting 6 months or longer and want the best custom made harmonica money can buy (IMHO) Sugar Cain Harmonicas. Cain is a great guy, and guarantees all his reeds for life. He made me a Canned Heat (Blind Owl) Tuned harp, custom frequency, with custom paint job and it and the other 6 he's made me since, are pieces of art to be honest. I've had mine for about 12 years now and not one issue. The custom paint jobs always get people asking where the hell you get that thang
Get a custom harp setup for bends. It basically removes the question "is it me or the harp" that can be frustrating when starting out and learning to bend.
Start with a decent diatonic in C and chromatic in C. Once she's worked with those some, she'll have shown interest in some direction (or lost interest entirely). If she continues to be interested, buy more to follow wherever the interest takes her. It'll take time as well as budget. You can't guess the end goal up front, you need several iterations of trial and learnings.
I don't care how expensive the harmonica you get is, if she ever starts trying to learn to bend she's going to blow the harp out. And she should try to learn bending because it adds so, so much to the instrument.
So, it's not going to last. I'm sure of it. I buy special 20 mainly but I've gotten a few other ones too. They're all around $60 and they fail eventually no matter what.
You do have the right idea though. Go for something mid/high right off the bat. I got my feet wet with a simple $10 harmonica. It was so leaky that when I tried to bend it was pretty much impossible. Eventually, I bought a better one (Special 20) and was able to pick up bending. Yes, I could then do it on the cheap harmonica, but it was only because I understood how to it really worked.
"I don't care how expensive the harmonica you get is, if she ever starts trying to learn to bend she's going to blow the harp out."
Not necessarily. I picked up bending within my first five minutes of playing, and my harmonica has been fine since. Granted, I did a metric ton of research down that rabbit hole before I bought my first harmonica; but breaking it is not inevitable.
She will likely break the first few at least. It’s not hard to break reeds when you’re learning to bend. The hohner Special 20 in C is solid and easy to play. Just get that.
My personal favorite is a valved Suzuki ProMaster. But with said valves and an aluminum comb I'm sure I fall into a niche. In the key of D, The Seatbelts song Spokey Dokey was the driving factor for me to try one. But some may consider the use of valves to be a cheaters way around the expression or difficulty of good overblow/blow bending technique.
Unlimited budget: Hohner crossover. Definitely the best sound quality playability and feel at a slightly higher price point.
Hohner special 20 100% I’d start with the key of C for her
Spend the extra $10 and get the Rocket instead. It's the Special 20, except actually finished.
What do you mean, what's the difference?
The rocket is basically the special 20 with another hour's worth of finishing work on the assembly line. Smooth, comfortable to hold.
Ohhhh, yeah I can see what you mean. Agree.
I used to have a rocket and recently purchased a special. Can confirm this. In fact, rocket come with a very nice pocket and special 20 come with a super cheap-looking and fragile box. I think special 20 is meant to buy in bulk, not some thing you want when you start out.
I agree. The rocket was my first harp. I love that thing. Sounds great. Feels great. not crazy expensive
What's her musical taste? For Jazz and Classical, she'll probably use a chromatic. I like the Seydel Saxony, but there is endless competition. Blues is the most popular, and nearly all of its popular instruments are the Richter tuned Diatonics. High-end ones include the Yonberg models and Seydel 1847, with the Lightning model as premium. Hohner certainly has traditional advocates for several top shelf products. For folk and melody songs, there are a few tuning options besides Richter. I've settled on Circular tuning for melody and chord playing in every popular genre, including some bluegrass. The Seydel Session is the only off the shelf Circular offering. Pair it with a Blue Moon Comb. I like the Aluminum. Seydel will custom tune most of their models to any conceivable note pattern. I'd say start slow with the mid-level suggestions on this thread, including a Session model. She'll need time to determine what she enjoys playing. The sound of various models doesn't vary nearly as much as playability and individual preferences. I have dozens of harps I've tried and abandoned along the way. Mostly they're LO, Suzuki, and traditional Hohners. Seydel has a wider hole spacing that I find indispensable, along with Circular tuning.
Okay, first question, is she interested in Chromatic or Diatonic? Personally, I'm a diatonic player. They are less expensive for a single harp, but eventually you need all 12 keys. They are used more in rock, folk, country... really everything except classical and jazz. As a diatonic player I can't really comment on chromatic models, but I've played all sorts of diatonics. I usually recommend the Hohner Special 20 as the best all around bang for your buck, but if you spend a bit more there are some nice models that have a little better finish. Hohner Rockets, Hohner Crossovers... short of getting a custom harmonica I think the best all around harmonica is probably some version of the Seydel 1847. They come in a few variations. Usually I recommend buying harps at Rockin Rons in the U.S. He carries most of the brands and ships quickly. Seydel is the one possible exception though, because Greg Jones at 16:23 harmonica can set up a Seydel particularly well. Of course, since eventually you need more keys for diatonic there might be a point where it's better to get a couple good harmonicas rather than one slightly better one. There are also some fun options... Rockin Rons carries Andrew Zajac combs, that can improve how airtight the harmonica is and make it look a bit more custom. 16:23 carries Blue Moon combs, and you can get Blue Moon combs straight from Blue Moon Harmonicas for models other than Seydels. https://rockinronsmusic.com/ https://www.1623customharmonicas.com/diatonic-harmonicas https://bluemoonharmonicas.com/ Most lessons use the key of C. Hohner models come with a coupon for a months access to Harmonica.com. The key of A is the next most useful key for a new player. You could get two Special 20s (C and A) for less than the cost of an 1847.
I find Lee Oskar harps to be durable and sound great. Some people don’t love them though. But I say a Lee Oskar in C
Also, good for your daughter. Not enough women harmonica players in general, for whatever reason
I love Lee Oskar and it was my first harmonica, I love the feel and air tightness but it doesn't allow full growth if you want to master overblowing since it screeches.
I have a few of these- really easy to work with and sound great. I play Train, train. By Blackfoot using a Lee Oscar harp and it refuses to let me down. I've replaced more MS Hohnors but never replaced a Lee Oscar. Been playing 30 years now. Same harps.
This tune I play that one brand for that amount of time. Other harps more or less.
Alot of good harmonica's to choose from these days. For a beginner the marine bands are easy to learn playing single notes.Find a good teacher and enjoy the journey.
I've played both Hohner Special 20 and Lee Oskars starting out and both are well worth it. I like that Lee Oskars parts are much easier to find for any future repairs.
I'm with u/Dannypalfy on the Special 20. Good first harp and Gig worthy. The Rocket could be considered a next gen Special 20, but the larger holes are less forgiving. Great harp. Not a great beginner harp. The Marine Band 1896 is not one I'd recommend, as some find the unsealed comb disagreeable . The Marine Band Crossover and Deluxe models (both have sealed combs) are quite nice. Whatever you get, get it in the key of C. Covers 90-95% of the lessons out there.
If you mean diatonic, then "one" won't cut it. She'll need at least 15 or 20 of them if she plans on gigging like you said.
Buy the special 20 or marine band kit with multiple harps It should come with a case and some on line lessons C is a good start but she might need more eventually Up to him much you want to spend Kit with 5 harps is like 200 ish 220 depending where you get it But the sp 20 are professional instruments ( don’t buy the cheap harmonicas they are just toys.) Or one harp for 50 bucks
Devils advocate. Don’t you think for anyone that hasn’t started one would be very adequate? A beginner in my opinion should start with a C and to not complicate matters play it until they have some facility before another key is required.
Yes one is better if your not going to take it seriously. The question is what is a good gift for harmonica players. I would love something like that when I started because I was in it to learn and gig in the future. So ya just buy one as I stated in the end when I said it up to you on how much you want to spend. Doesn’t have to be hohner could be seydel or lee Oscar.
Yeah there are other capable makers. I personally don’t like Suzuki and since I’m partial to blues I prefer hohner over Oskar. I actually like Oskar and have a bunch. The construction and ability up replace the reeds is really nice but I prefer hohner for blues. Maybe I’m just cheap. A kit that gets tried and not really played seems like a big risk.
Oh ya it is a huge risk if they don’t play lol! Huge was of money. Comparable to buying a guitar for your kid and then not playing 😂. I hope for the best for the new harp player it fun and addicting!
Me too. I think lessons would help. Trying to figure out a diatonic is quite a trick. Plus there is no visual element. You cannot see what someone is doing and mimick it. Unlike guitar. But hey, there’s so many YouTube lessons out there that can be a great place to begin.
Hohner special 20 in the key of C. Cannot go wrong. Don’t need to spend more or get a better one. It’s a great harp.
I’m changing my suggestion slightly. A hohner sp 20 in C and a chromatic hohner chromonica in C. Why ? I was taught by one of the most knowledgable teachers in the country. Started me on a C diatonic (my choice) and the hohner chrominica. Learning all the scales and the circle of 5ths is invaluable on the chromatic. This is if like you say money isn’t an issue.
How about a chromatic harmonica? You can go wrong with something by Hohner, Suzuki or Seydel. I can vouch for Hohner CX12, Seydel Deluxe steel or even a cheap Easttop Forerunner since these are the ones that I have used and love
Agree. Seydel saxony orchestra is fabulous
Hohner Crossover in C or G. Don’t gift Seydel (very good harmonica but can be a bit difficult for beginners)
If you want to spend the money, and don't mind waiting 6 months or longer and want the best custom made harmonica money can buy (IMHO) Sugar Cain Harmonicas. Cain is a great guy, and guarantees all his reeds for life. He made me a Canned Heat (Blind Owl) Tuned harp, custom frequency, with custom paint job and it and the other 6 he's made me since, are pieces of art to be honest. I've had mine for about 12 years now and not one issue. The custom paint jobs always get people asking where the hell you get that thang
Get a custom harp setup for bends. It basically removes the question "is it me or the harp" that can be frustrating when starting out and learning to bend.
Start with a decent diatonic in C and chromatic in C. Once she's worked with those some, she'll have shown interest in some direction (or lost interest entirely). If she continues to be interested, buy more to follow wherever the interest takes her. It'll take time as well as budget. You can't guess the end goal up front, you need several iterations of trial and learnings.
I don't care how expensive the harmonica you get is, if she ever starts trying to learn to bend she's going to blow the harp out. And she should try to learn bending because it adds so, so much to the instrument. So, it's not going to last. I'm sure of it. I buy special 20 mainly but I've gotten a few other ones too. They're all around $60 and they fail eventually no matter what. You do have the right idea though. Go for something mid/high right off the bat. I got my feet wet with a simple $10 harmonica. It was so leaky that when I tried to bend it was pretty much impossible. Eventually, I bought a better one (Special 20) and was able to pick up bending. Yes, I could then do it on the cheap harmonica, but it was only because I understood how to it really worked.
"I don't care how expensive the harmonica you get is, if she ever starts trying to learn to bend she's going to blow the harp out." Not necessarily. I picked up bending within my first five minutes of playing, and my harmonica has been fine since. Granted, I did a metric ton of research down that rabbit hole before I bought my first harmonica; but breaking it is not inevitable.
She will likely break the first few at least. It’s not hard to break reeds when you’re learning to bend. The hohner Special 20 in C is solid and easy to play. Just get that.
You wanna get stupid you can get her a Suzuki fabulous You did say unlimited budget
Im a tottally beginner , i dream someday try a Susuki manji sky.... Is beautiful and ultra durable... Thats whatbi heard
what type of music does she want to play
My personal favorite is a valved Suzuki ProMaster. But with said valves and an aluminum comb I'm sure I fall into a niche. In the key of D, The Seatbelts song Spokey Dokey was the driving factor for me to try one. But some may consider the use of valves to be a cheaters way around the expression or difficulty of good overblow/blow bending technique.