Trochilus Chromatic

[Gnarly He Man]

Anybody tried it?
Here is a link to Fred Klett’s eBay ad, comes in three tunings, one of which is solo.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355637326356

[Age]

Veeeeeery Interesting!

Looks like some thing that's been a long time coming. Actually might even be something that can even turn my head.

Definitely cute!

[servus]

Interesting concept, but what about the Seydel no slider? Sounds nice, plays nice, built nice Just takes a little getting used to.

PJ

[Lou]

I first became aware on Winslow Yerxa’s YouTube channel. It comes in three different tunings Solo, Richter and Paddy Richter. Each tuning is available in six different keys, I believe. It is valve less, by the way.
It is manufactured by JDR (Chinese) under the Trochilus name. It is sold in USA by Bushman Music.
Same innards with Bushman covers. Rockin Ron’s sells the Bushman version.

I’ve had the Solo tuned version for a couple of weeks. It is very high quality, very air tight. Nice slide action. The tone is very good with reasonably good volume. I am very happy and it is fun to play.

I have two different versions of the Forerunner. Never been happy with either, not very air tight and poor tone. This (Trochilus/Bushman) is at least an order of magnitude above the Forerunner.

[Lou]

Age, please reread my post. It is NOT about a diatonic harmonica. The version I have is a very high quality, 10 hole, valveless, solo tuned chromatic harmonica. I think it would be of interest to all SlideMeisters.
Lou

[SlideMeister]

Hi Lou,
I know the Forerunner is a Chromatic, but I moved the whole topic because the "Trochilus Chromatic" (name of this thread) is basically a diatonic with a button. When I first saw the topic, I just assumed it was on the diatonic board,  then after thinking about it, I went back and checked.    That's when I saw it was getting into a grey area. I know, splitting hairs is annoying, but I hafta at least try to be consistent, eh?    Here's a paragraph from the rules and regs:


"Grey areas: Anything not blatantly Chromatic, (like trying to make a Chromatic sound like a diatonic or vise-versa) must be discussed on the diatonic board. We are not here to argue, but not unlike Politics and Religion, Chromatic and diatonic passions are easily aroused. Grey areas ALWAYS invite controversy anywhere they're introduced, and we don't "do controversy" here. Veiled innuendos, and/or snide remarks toward other group members are not allowed. If you want to sword-fight, "take it outside" i.e. go to another forum as there are more than a few out there that seem to thrive on that sorta stuff. THIS IS SlideMeister.
SlideMeister membership is easy, private, secure and will NEVER fill your email inbox with SPAM and "offers" from outside sources."

[Gnarly He Man]

I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet, but my understanding is that the solo tuned version is a slide chromatic harmonica.
Think I will ask Winslow.
Edit: left a VM.

[Age]

On SlideMeister, anything that plays like a diatonic is a diatonic. When the lines between the two get blurred, I have no real reason to be in this chair.

[Winslow Yerxa]

The Trochilus Solo tuned is a CHROMATIC HARMONICA, full stop.

It is tuned exactly like the Hohner 260 - a solo tuned, 10-hole chromatic, with two-and-a-half chromatic octaves

It has a slide that raises pitch by one semitone.

How does this not fit the definition of a chromatic harmonica?

That's the yellow combed model.

The red-combed model is, again, fully chromatic but with a different tuning scheme that gives it three full octaves of the chromatic scale. Again it has a slide that changes pitch. So how does this not fit the definition of a chromatic harmonica?

The Trochilus models are smaller than standard chromatics but bigger than standard diatonics.

Yes, the blue-combed model is tuned exactly like a Koch 980 - 10 holes, tuned like a diatonic with a slide - which Hohner always classed as a chromatic. That's one-third of the Trochilus models. All three models have slides, and two-thirds of them are fully chromatic.

[Laina]

I've been following various reviews on this one. It looks such an intriguing design and some other chrom players say it's punchy and interestingly more airtight than the Forerunner 2 but not without issues like loose buttons. Hopefully that's just teething problems as JDR is extending its chromatic portfolio with some high end products.(D Ming Studio on YouTube has thoughtful reviews and puts chroms through their paces.)

I was initially tempted but a couple of aspects made me hesitate so far - the MP is traditional square style and it also has tabbed covers.

Then I spotted an Easttop ET12 on offer -  £20 less than a Trochilus... arrives in the next couple of days!

[Gnarly He Man]

Winslow replied to my VM with a single word text.
Glad he also replied to this thread.

[SlideMeister]

I think it's pretty cool and will probably even get one myself, but again:

On SlideMeister, anything that plays like a diatonic is a diatonic. I'm too old and cranky to argue about it anymore, so I'm not going to. When the lines between the two get blurred, I have no real reason to be in this chair!!

SM

[Gary Richardson]

Yes Gary, I have tried it.  A week before SPAH the Harmonica Happenings magazine arrived.  Winslow had written an article about the Trochilus/Game Changer.  So I viewed a video or two of Winslow playing the instrument.  First thing at SPAH was to visit the JDR booth when they were not busy.  Lots of interest with interviews and videos.  Gary, you talk about bebop tuning quite a bit so I opted for a C Chromatic (yellow) with C6 tuning.  I also got one in C of the POP (Paddy/Red).  I asked three of the Chinese representatives what Trochilus meant.  They discussed this amongst themselves and said bird...humming bird.  And sure enough there is the artistic figure of a bird used for the s at the end of Trochilus printed on the harmonica case.  Later when I got back home I looked it up on the internet.  Crocodile Bird.  What an imagination!  Later I got with John Hall (Bushman) and purchased a Low F Pop (Red) plus a John Lee C diatonic.  It is amazing the new quality harmonicas that the Chinese keep bringing to the harmonica community.   It was great to hear both Winslow Yerxa and Peter Hogaboam individually perform at SPAH using this new instrument.  Peter also had a seminar at SPAH about the Trochilus/Game Changer.   Plus he has put together a book about the Diatonic version of the instrument.
@Laina, Yes it does have tabbed covers and when you look at the instrument from the side it has the "cool" traditional diatonic look (think Hohner Marine Band).  I had to look up Easttop ET12.  Yes it was $30 less than the Game Changer. 

[Gnarly He Man]

I think it's pretty cool and will probably even get one myself, but again:

On SlideMeister, anything that plays like a diatonic is a diatonic. I'm too old and cranky to argue about it anymore, so I'm not going to. When the lines between the two get blurred, I have no real reason to be in this chair!!

SM

Try one before you slam the door.

[Age]

Yeah, just might.

[jasonic]

I have one, it’s quite fun! solo tuned, it’s definitely a mini chromatic, and pocket sized. The sound is similar to a diatonic harp, and does bend more easily. I probably wouldn’t use it live, my stuff needs a heftier bottom, and dropping to at least a G below the standard C on a chrome, (thus I play orchestra tuned or 14 holers) but it’s nicely made, it might be interesting for diatonic players to get used to the patterns in a chrome.

[Age]

So far, I'm very impressed with the look if the mouthpiece; looks to be very well made.
(kinda MeisterKlasse'esque) 

[brorat]

So far, I'm very impressed with the look if the mouthpiece; looks to be very well made.
(kinda MeisterKlasse'esque) 

The mouthpiece/slide mechanism is getting lots of reputation as a “mustache trimmer”!!😱😱

[Gnarly He Man]

If I got one, it would be a G, which I would retune to Orchestra Bebop.
They seem to be quite affordable.

[Age]

So far, I'm very impressed with the look if the mouthpiece; looks to be very well made.
(kinda MeisterKlasse'esque) 

The mouthpiece/slide mechanism is getting lots of reputation as a “mustache trimmer”!!😱😱

Oh-Oh! That might be a deal-breaker. 😬. I'd hafta like it an awful lot to go "stacheless."

[Gnarly He Man]

So far, I'm very impressed with the look if the mouthpiece; looks to be very well made.
(kinda MeisterKlasse'esque) 

The mouthpiece/slide mechanism is getting lots of reputation as a “mustache trimmer”!!😱😱

Oh-Oh! That might be a deal-breaker. 😬. I'd hafta like it an awful lot to go "stacheless."

Don’t you already own too many harmonicas?
 

[Age]

So far, I'm very impressed with the look if the mouthpiece; looks to be very well made.
(kinda MeisterKlasse'esque) 

The mouthpiece/slide mechanism is getting lots of reputation as a “mustache trimmer”!!😱😱

Oh-Oh! That might be a deal-breaker. 😬. I'd hafta like it an awful lot to go "stacheless."

Don’t you already own too many harmonicas?
 

Probably, but I only have about 20 suck-harps.
I'll be thinning the Chromatic herd down to the ones I actually play here pretty soon, (hopefully before I croak in the next thirty years or so ) although it is kinda hard to decide which ones I like best. I think I'll prolly give some to kids who are interested in the wonderful world of Chromaticism.  

[servus]

Just out of curiosity: does the Seydel no slider count as a chromatic harmonica even though it doesn't have a slide? If not, what is it?

                    PJ

[brorat]

Musical theory isn’t really up for much debate!

Diatonic pretty much refers to the “white notes” on piano
Chromatic refers to scales made up of both the “black and white” keys.

If an instrument natively is set up with only white notes, it’s diatonic.
If it has both black and white notes natively available it’s chromatic.

Slide has no bearing.
How it sounds has no bearing.

[Gnarly He Man]

Musical theory isn’t really up for much debate!

Diatonic pretty much refers to the “white notes” on piano
Chromatic refers to scales made up of both the “black and white” keys.

If an instrument natively is set up with only white notes, it’s diatonic.
If it has both black and white notes natively available it’s chromatic.

Slide has no bearing.
How it sounds has no bearing.

Thank you, counselor.
The defense rests.

[SlideMeister]

Just out of curiosity: does the Seydel no slider count as a chromatic harmonica even though it doesn't have a slide? If not, what is it?

                    PJ

Of course it's a chromatic, "lead" harmonica, and a very interesting instrument, but since it has no button or slide, and since this here is "SlideMeister," (get it? ) and I put a lotta thought into that name twenty-five years ago, so I only allow its discussion on the diatonic board. 

Cranky old Age.

[servus]

Just what I thought, which is why I always pull down the shades and lock the door before I play it. Btw: I spoke to the inventor of the no slider at Seydel. He's the guy I call when I have problems with my Symphony. He's very proud of his invention, and I'm proud of him. I should add: Of all harmonicas, I like the tone of my Seydel Symphony best. Well thought out machine - with a very clever slide mechanism to boot.

             PJ

[Age]

Yeah, and on the Zoom meetings, I've noticed your playing getting better from week to week, so I'm guessing your axe muss-be agreeing with ya.

[servus]

As they say in German: "Thanks for the flowers."

[J.R.]

The Tombo S-50 is also a slideless chromatic...