CHROMATICS OVER $300

[Rich35]

Hi All
 Question  for You All, I have a 48 csx suzuki  20 is years old still plays great several
Old hohners old style 48 and 64 ,1 very new hohner 48 great chro,and several easttop
 48s and 64 s and a couple valveless easttops . All around 2500 and under.
 My question is there any reason for Chromatics  up to $600 or under that would beneficial  from a playing stand point ?
 And any recommendations  if any .
 Thanks Rich

[Gnarly He Man]

The SCX is great, but the Sirius is better.

[Age]

I have two SX's (one of which you MK tuned ) and the Sirius 56 I got from Jasonic, and while still deciding, you're probably right.

[Gnarly He Man]

I like the CX Jazz too (Age, I know you don’t).

[Age]

Not absolutely sure I don't like it. I know I like the mouthpiece a lot better than the regular CX.  I'm not crazy about the way the CX feels in my hands. Maybe too big? I dunno.

[Rich35]

Gary
 In what way is the Sirius better , than the cx ?
 Rich

[Gnarly He Man]

IMHO, materials and workmanship are superior.
Sirius is more air tight.
Also, 12 hole comes straight tuned.
Silver mouth piece.

[Rich35]

 Hi Gary
  Thanks for the info ,I take it that the Sirius is a step above the  Gregoire Maret  48
 Model Chromatic  ?
     Rich

[brorat]

 Hi Gary
  Thanks for the info ,I take it that the Sirius is a step above the  Gregoire Maret  48
 Model Chromatic  ?
     Rich

Hi Rich. I realize your question was for Gary, but I’ll give you my $0.02 worth. I own both a Sirius 14 hole and a G-48. I prefer the G-48 easily. I find it has a better tone (IMHO) and it requires less maintenance. It’s every bit as air tight as the Sirius. They’re both great instruments and I have developed my personal preference.

[Gnarly He Man]

I seem to recall that the technology used for the G-48 was used to develop the Sirius and Fabulous.
The real bottom line is probably the amount of human care given to the factory made instruments.
As a technician, I recognize that, "you can spend a lot of time working on a chromatic harmonica".
It's a rabbit hole of the first degree.
I enjoy working on a diatonic when given the chance.
Strangely, I have not become a guitar technician, even tho I have played that instrument for 60 years.
Oh wow, I think I need to lie down.

[servus]

Just to complicate the discussion a little: I'm a big fan of the Seydel Symphony 48. Choose your tuning. I prefer the orchestra tuning. It's an engineering wonder, available with a conventiional spring or a magnetic slide. The reeds are stainless steel, the reed plate German silver. Aluminum comb and covers, each cover removable separately. In addition, the slide is removable with the turn of a screw at the rear of the instrument. Morover, its very airtight and, well, quite personally, I like the tone.

PJ

[Danny G]

I'm pretty sure that the Magic Garden was the prototype for the G 48 and almost at the same time the G48 was introduced the Sirius came out with the added weights and just about killed sales for the G 48. The thickness of the reeds especially at the pad end are thicker. The advantage of the Sirius and Fabulous is the wider, more focused sound pattern

[Age]

Got my curiosity going, DanDan! I've actually played mine very little since getting it from Jason a few months back, and since we all know know Chromatics don't really "come alive" again (after sleeping for a month or more) till ya play it for about a half hour straight. So I guess I better get to it, eh?


@ge

[RichChrome]

I have to agree with Gary (brorat) I have a Sirrius 56 and a G48, two of them in fact, the blue metal and the wood cover plate version. I really prefer the G48; however, if you want a 56 then it's the Sirius as the G 48 is does not come in a 56 version. Of note, I play the Suzuki SCX almost exclusively for my day to day playing and practice.

[Gnarly He Man]

The straight tuned Sirius I play (48) is Orchestra tuned (and bebop), using SCX reed plates in G (that were cross tuned).
It’s my favorite!

[Age]

I kinda like the SCX 48 Gary retuned to Orchestra for me too 

[Gnarly He Man]

Smaller means more air tight.

[Age]

Good point, Gar!
My problem is that my hands never got used to anything bigger than a 12 holer.

Always liked the idea of a sixteen holer that was about the same size as a 270, but so far NO ONE has ever had the guts to break away from the crowd and build one, even though there's no reason in the world that it wouldn't work.

I think it musta started out when all the wannabee "ankle biting" harmonica companies just started knocking off the original, and just got stuck in a rut making "cookie cutter" harmonicas that would almost interchange with with one they knocked off fifty plus years ago. Copycat-ism has always sucked IMO, but for the most part, it looks like we're still stuck with it.

Now, I can just imagine, 64 little diatonic reeds in a little Chromatic. Deep sigh!🥰

[servus]

The Meisterklasse is kind of small - same size as my Seydel Symphony 48...but only 14 holes. Smaller holes would be a real challenge.

[Age]

Small?? D'jya ever play a suck-harp?

[servus]

I don't even know what that is??

[Age]

I call diatonics "suck-harps."
Diatonic reeds are a noticeably narrower than Chromatic reeds AND many diatonics are still louder than many Chromatics.  A Chromatic could easily be built using narrower reeds, resulting in a smaller sixteen holer. 

[The Lone Harper]

I call diatonics "suck-harps."
Diatonic reeds are a noticeably narrower than Chromatic reeds AND many diatonics are still louder than many Chromatics.  A Chromatic could easily be built using narrower reeds, resulting in a smaller sixteen holer. 

Regardless of ideology, the 10-hole Trochilus with the yellow comb is a non-valved chromatic harmonica only marginally bigger than a regular diatonic. Not that JDR have any intentions of making one but it seems quite realistic that they could indeed make a valved 16-hole model about the same size as a 12-hole chromatic.

[Grizzly]

The S-50 12 hole chromatic (Don't remember the brand; Chinese) has holes as small as a diatonic.

The Suzuki SCX 56 is only marginally longer than a CX 12. (It's my "CX 14"). Then again, you'd have to like the feel of a CX 12 for a comparison to judge the length.

Tom

[Age]

The S-50 12 hole chromatic (Don't remember the brand; Chinese) has holes as small as a diatonic.
Tom

That one doesn't count. No slide.

[servus]

"Suck-harp". Aha. Gotcha.

[Gnarly He Man]

With regard to the original question—it’s a great idea to spend more than $300 if you have the budget.
I think more expensive harmonicas are generally worth what you pay for them.
Lessons are also a good investment.
As a proud American I recommend having your favorites refurbished by an experienced domestic technician, keeping those $$$ in the good old USA, rather than enriching a foreign country.
But those Chinese harps are getting better all the time. . .

[Gnarly He Man]

I call diatonics "suck-harps."
Diatonic reeds are a noticeably narrower than Chromatic reeds AND many diatonics are still louder than many Chromatics.  A Chromatic could easily be built using narrower reeds, resulting in a smaller sixteen holer. 

Regardless of ideology, the 10-hole Trochilus with the yellow comb is a non-valved chromatic harmonica only marginally bigger than a regular diatonic. Not that JDR have any intentions of making one but it seems quite realistic that they could indeed make a valved 16-hole model about the same size as a 12-hole chromatic.

My buddy Mitch Weiss has been using CX-10s forever—he found most 12 hole chromatics to be too large, but says the Trochilus is too small!

[Rich35]

  Hi All
  Just a update ,I picked up a suzuki  Sirius 48 s from rocking rons on a special ,and East top 52 orchestra,  both added to my Chromatic  Collection .
Thanks for all the info

[Lou]

Brorat,

Which G-48 do you have, wood or metal covers?  Both are on sale. Hard to make up my mind.

Lou