Customer Reviews

Suzuki BLUESMASTER HARMONICA C

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Pros:
1. Easy to excite the reeds. You'll notice this right off the bat.
2. The cover plate and comb are the same width. This allows all holes to be blown and drawn easily. This contrasts with most Hohner harmonicas where the cover plates are not as wide as the comb. The Hohner cover plates stop abruptly to the left of hole 1 and to the right of hole 10. The Hohner design makes it more difficult to create a leakless seal between your lips and the 1 and 10 holes.
3. Great customer service. I had trouble with the number 3 draw reed, but customer service resolved the problem very quickly.

Cons:
1. The reed material they're using to make the Bluesmaster easy to play may not be durable. I had played this harmonica off and on for only two months when the third hole draw reed broke. However, I have a replacement harmonica as of 1/15/10. I'll post an update when I have a feel for how well it is performing.

Here's my update: It's now 03/22/10 and the number 4 draw read of my replacement harmonica is history (it no longer produces the correct note). I have a Hohner Big River Harp, which I purchased in January that has lasted really well. And I'm about to buy a Hohner Blues Harp. Sorry, but I just cannot recommend this Suzuki harmonica, though I've tried to love it.

Comparisons:
1. Hohner Blues Harp: Slightly more expensive than the Suzuki Bluesmaster, but much more durable. It's also more difficult to the play. The Blues Harp has a beautiful wooden comb that tastes nice. But the comb is a bit grabby compared with the Bluesmaster plastic comb. Also, the Blues Harp reed plates protrude into your mouth, whereas the Bluesmaster reed plates are flush with the cover plate. In my opinion, the protruding reed plates are also a bit grabby and make it difficult to seal my lips over the holes in the comb. And I don't like the feeling of my lips sliding along the metal plates. The last thing that makes the Blues Harp more difficult to play is that the holes are more narrow, necessarily so because of the wooden comb, than the holes in the Suzuki Bluesmaster plastic comb. Even with all of these difficulties, I would still recommend the Hohner Blues Harp over the Suzuki Bluesmaster because of its incredible durability and fantastic sound.

2. Hohner Big River Harp: Cheaper than the Suzuki Bluesmaster, and more durable, though not as durable as the Hohner Blues Harp. But you're not going to get the same sound quality as the Bluesmaster or the Blues Harp. The cover plates on the Big River are such that it's a real mouthful, like a double-decker sandwich, but I like it. The intricate carvings on the cover plates create a nice texture in the mouth.

I like the mouthpiece of the Suzuki -- it seems easy to get a good seal and move up and down the harmonica. The unit seems quite tight (a little bit of air goes a long way). It's a little lighter feeling than some of my other harmonicas.

Can get a great blues sound out of it especially when bending notes. Using DVD's to learn blues harmonica. Can easily play one note by tipping the harp down.

I had heard all the good things about a suzuki harp, couldn't wait to get mine....it sucks.some of the holes don't blow a couple don't draw, it doesn't sound any better than a hohner. maybe i just got one that was poorly built. but i'm not rushing back for another