270 48 Super Chromonica Chromatic Harmonica (Key of F)

by Hohner

Product Features

• Features a warm pearwood body with a smooth chrome-plated mouthpiece
• Solo tuned 48-reed model has a full three octave chromatic range

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0002D0140
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,660 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

The top choice of many discriminating harmonica artists, Hohner's Super Chromonica features a warm pearwood body with a smooth chrome-plated mouthpiece. This solo tuned 48-reed model has a full three octave chromatic range. Complete 12-note octaves with all the sharps and flats can be played on a Chromatic Harmonica. Each single hole contains four reeds; a blow reed and a draw reed for two natural notes as well as a blow reed and a draw reed for two chromatic notes. A side sliding button is pushed to activate the chromatic notes, which closes off the airflow from one set of reeds and enables the other set to vibrate. All Hohner chromatics except the Koch and Slide Harp are solo tuned, meaning each group of four holes covers a complete octave.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sounds Good, but maybe not often, September 10, 2007

By 

N. J. Simicich "Gadget Geek" (Labelle, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 270 48 Super Chromonica Chromatic Harmonica (Key of F)

Within a couple weeks after I bought this harmonica, two of the reeds were stuck - not sounding at all. I love this harmonica - I am more or less a beginner, and loved being able to play things - like Greensleeves - which always missed a note because of the single sharp...or "If I were a rich man" which is loaded with accidentals, at least to my ear.

This harp allowed me to play anything - three full octaves, and a simple system - push the side button and everything goes up a semitone. All the notes were there. Reeds were within a couple hertz of their tuning.

Also, I have a mustache and beard, and the shell was fitted to the body so well that it never grabbed a hair. This matters to me. Occasionally I would get a hair grabbed when I hit the button - nothing can be done about that. But I bought some cheap harmonicas and could not play them at all.

But I would clean it like they said, tapping it on a towel, and it still would stick.

Hohner offered to clean it for me - all I had to do was mail it to them. Since it started sticking within a couple weeks of first ownership, I could not imagine mailing it to them every couple weeks.

What I have learned was that I could use distilled water. Distilled water and canned dusting air. Squirt it right in through the hole that led to the stuck reed, let it soak a little and then blow it out. Repeat. Sooner or later it would break loose. It would not play well that day but the next day it played fine after it dried out and got its tone back.

Well, the bottom couple notes still don't work right, but the mid range and the high range...I'd be happy to play The Star Spangled Banner on this harp. It sounds good - good enough that I've been practicing at Starbucks and gotten requests - and not "Far Far Away."

As long as their request isn't for a tune that has a reed that is stuck that day. And I have my bottle of distilled water and a syringe to squirt it into the right hole.

And if I was playing this harp professionally, I'd probably have to buy two or three to be sure I had one that worked.