Side by Side Comparison of: Suzuki vs Music Sales America vs Hal Leonard vs HOHNER

I gave it 5 stars for it's value. This model compared to Lee Oskar in key of C came out respectably well. Both were in key and all holes responded well. The volume is notably less in comparison to the Lee Oskar. Though is not a fifty dollar harp, it is every bit worth having around for the price. Would I play it at a gig, yes, because i can mic it to where it has enough volume and tone and like i said it plays well and responds.

I normally play the Seydel 1847 with steel reeds which lasts me about 2 years. Great harp, but $90 a pop. I need a backup/practice harmonica in each of my common keys. For under $20, these fit the bill. The harmonica needs a little bit of breaking in, but no more than an hour of playing with a little bit of bending gets it to where it is quite playable. This is probably the least expensive "serious" harmonica. Definite deficiencies (leakage, light weight, etc.) versus the ~$100 harmonicas, but at a fifth of the price.

I am not sure how to score this one honestly. It's a good harmonica and my son plays it all the time now that he has it. The problem started when I received it very quickly after I ordered it. Prime worked as it should and two days after placing the order I had a great Christmas present on December 7th. The box went into the to be wrapped box and waited until Christmas eve when we wrap gifts. My daughter opened the box to see the harmonica and it was not inside the box. The product was on back order when I placed the replacement order and we didn't get the harmonica until Jan 17th.Overall the harmonica is much better than I expected. If you want a good harmonica that is not a piece of junk for your kids this is a good purchase.The quality feels good and the sound is also really nice. If I purchase another harmonica for my kids I will be getting another one of these.

I have a good ear for pitch, and this harmonica sounds great. I bought it for my husband who has Alzheimer's and he is really enjoying it. He has been keeping it in his pocket and playing it numerous times a day. He isn't playing anything recognizable, but what he is playing sounds good and original! For those of you who don't know, music memory and hearing are the last physical senses that a dementia patient maintains. Give it a try. Music is also the language of the soul. For this price, it's better than therapy! I've enjoyed seeing him be creative and happy.

Bought this for my 9 year old daughter. Works great for her. Cute case, we added a polishing cloth :) I play guitar, she plays piano, we love music and this harmonica fits right in. Nice tone, on key, etc. The engraved body looks fancy.

I love it. although it may be a little shaky at first, but once you break it in you can get the bends and play a pretty good blues scale. this has been my backup harmonica and it is pretty reliable and cheap where other harps fail. I've had it for a good two months and it hasn't failed me yet. Only complaint is that I had to put a piece of carpet in the case to keep it from rattling in my pocket.

Beginning musicians need lots of books & videos to shorten the learning curve & practice time for any instrument - This book is a winner for the harmonica - well worth adding to your collection - you'll be playing a simple song after an hour of practicing from this book. Use the CD to get a feel of the rhythm and learn the basics. A few sips (not too much!) of wine (or any beverage) to relax a bit and keep your lips moist and you will be surprised at the music you can make in such a short time with this book. If you have grandchildren (I have two) they make a great audience for a short time. The older we are, the longer it takes to learn music, this book helps to get you playing faster.

This is great

Love the songs and very well made to start learning, great buy.

Perfect first book for learning to play. CD is helpful lessons are easy to follow.

Great beginner book.

I haven't used the CD yet but the book is wonderful!

I'm impressed by this harmonica. I've only been playing about a year so I'm no expert but this seems to be as well made as any of my more expensive ($40-50) instruments. The sound is not quite as loud as others and somehow it seems smaller than a standard 10 hole harmonica but for the $12.99 it's amazing. Of course much of the savings is probably achieved by being manufactured in China rather than Germany or Japan. Also I think it might be C only unless you by a set (which I might consider now.)

gift

great quality, workmanship. i need now to order some talent.

Better than expected at this price. Looks good - certainly doesn't look cheap. And the quality of the sound is quite good.One star off because one of the reeds is wrong. A #10 hole blow produces a G6 note - same as for the #9 hole. (Confirmed by both ear and instrumentation.) It should produce a C6 note (same as a #7 blow) per their own insert. I'm assuming I got a bad unit and this isn't the norm for this harmonica..This would be a good choice for kids. Or even an adult starting out - to see if you actually like playing the harmonica. If if turns out you don't, you haven't lost much.And a particular hot button of mine: A major evil is giving a kid something that's so cheap and poor in quality that it frustrates rather than teaches and inspires. This harmonica is satisfactory.PS - One nice feature of their insert: Under the drawing of the harmonica holes showing the blow and draw notes, they put a music staff showing the notes in standard music notation. I found that helpful.

Works well

Pretty standard harmonica. Not the fanciest, but for the price it's great. Comes in a plastic case. You are getting what you pay for with this one.

Have been trying to play for a while so I thought I would get a book with more songs. good selection of songs. Time will tell.

Very helpful for a novice

This accompanied the harmonica I got my son in law for Christmas. The CD promises to be helpful.

The book seems simple enough. I will just have to wait to see how much I am able to learn.

This book is very nice, I bought it for my 11 year old and he's been able to read through it and use it to start playing.

A good book for beginners.

Just got this product not too long ago, been trying out various songs on this folkmaster, however, the pitch is way too high and doesn't sound right. Instead of getting this product, I would recommend getting a suzuki bluesmaster for 13 extra dollars or a promaster. The bluesmaster and promaster are both manufactured in suzuki japan, which the folkmaster is manufactured in china. Aside from that, learning harmonica for a beginner C-major is easier on the bluesmaster, many of the sheets are more suitable for blues harmonica as well.

Nice sound

In tune.

i think its ok maybe its just how i play but it just feels like the 4 always has issues on every harmonica i play. to me it feels like any normal harmonica.

Fun to play

Product as advertised

CD is very difficult to follow. Barely any pauses and keeps running on. so its hard to follow.

Helps dramatically well with learning

Good book but i feel it might be better for someone that already has some musical background.

ok for starting out.

It's ok for learning notes- songs you learn are not exactly what the hubby was expecting...

New harp player here, and so I'm buying/trying different ones... my comparison of this harmonica is to others I've already tried (seydels and hohners in the $30-$45 range). Half the cost, so I figured 'what the heck', but had low expectations. Neither blow nor draw for hole #1 on my Suzuki worked out of the box. Edges are a little sharp, so even with the lower cost, wouldn't get this for a kid. Bending notes on this one was a challenge. So when I switched back to the seydel and hohner, bending was a breeze! Not worth it. Look to the $30-$45 range even if you're just starting!

I'm not much of a harmonica player, so I thought this less expensive harp might do just fine. However, there is a noticeable difference between this and the Marine Band instrument I've had for years. Here, the wooden section (basically the whole thing) is plastic and just does not vibrate & ring out like the real thing. It's less responsive to dynamics & bending notes, and I get winded trying to make this one come to life.

I am very disappointed in this book. A waste of money. The songs are strange and very few that I would expect to be able to play from a beginners book. Don't waste your money. I'm gonna look for better deals out there for a book that has many harmonica songs at the beginning level.

The book is very short. The CD won't play. The 15 pages of written instructions are clear and simple, but rigid ("hold your harmonica as shown in your left hand"). Several songs besides. Good for absolute beginners maybe - I'm returning after decades of not playing - needed tips on making the seal and moving on the harp with false teeth and slow hands - nada.

The book looks fine enough, but the cd is missing. Would have been nice to know this since the talk about the cd in the description. It would have been nice to have the option of whether or not I wanted the cd. If you are going to advertise it with a cd it should have the cd! So annoying!

great

I just got this and it already has 2 reeds blown. (2 and 3)... what is the deal??

Well, was very excited upon arrival of this harmonica. Well, opened the case and there was no harmonica...

2 hole draw doesn't work

If you can't read music,don't but it

The lesson format is "listen, then play." I received the book but not the CD. Looks like you could learn fairly quickly, providing you had both of the required materials. Very disappointed!

I bought a chromatic harmonica and Amazon advised me to but this book. Now I can see the book is for diatonic harmonica. Be careful.

CD is blank, book info looks good, but will probably have to send both back. Disappointed!.

It may have been personalized but it was personalized by an inscription that read something like "personalized stainless steel Hohner" and was thereby made useless for me.