Brendan Power & Alternative Harmonicas Forum

Interested to hear people's thoughts.

I am looking for the next step up from the Lucky 13 solo instruments that I have.

I really like them for two key reasons: a. they play light. And b. they are bl**dy loud!
Downsides: they are a rough old sound - which might be why they seem so loud…

I play in a very noisy pub each week, it's a fantastic session but waaaay too loud for the Seydel 1847s I got this week (as it turns out) so they are going to be used for accompanying songs. And, tbh they feel very stiff to me compared to the Lucky 13s.

I am not a huge fan of the tremolo sound, so that kind of rules out that direction.

I am thinking about the Suzuki Promasters as they seem to have a great sound that I like. Sadly, I don't have any of them to hand to try.

So, thoughts please, how do I get something as loud and which has the lovely free playing quality of the Lucky 13, but with a somewhat better sound quality?

Any ideas anyone?

Here’s my testing of six harps with a decibel meter!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPFW9yxiKOc

I know what you mean about playing in loud pub sessions!

I assume you're meaning an Irish session, where there's a bunch of different instruments playing the same tune together? Generally fiddles, flutes, whistles, accordions, pipes, concertinas... Even simply to hear yourself play (let alone the others), you have to play the shit out of your harp - which is not nice for you or the instrument! Besides losing the subtlety in your playing, it's easy to blow reeds out playing that hard.

Standard single reed harmonicas will always be quieter than these other instruments, no matter the brand or model. Compared to the other free reed instruments there (button boxes and concertinas), harps have much smaller reeds that simply push less air around.

It's a problem that I and other Irish harmonica players have grappled with for decades. Here are some solutions:

OCTAVE HARMONICA
An octave harmonica has double the number of reeds, so is noticeably louder than a standard harp. Seydel makes the Fanfare octave model in Solo tuning - you could try that.

BIGGER REEDS
Specifically for Irish sessions, I made a few prototype harmonicas using large accordion reeds. Here's a video demonstrating them:

https://youtu.be/jejsiCD172E?si=a15Tlj8j83hMgHM7

They're definitely loud! I never got around to turning them into a product for sale, but if you're the hands-on type you could explore that direction yourself.

SMALL AMPLIFIER
In my opinion the simplest option is to take along a small (pocket size) battery amp, and play through a discrete lapel mic that fits inside your hand. Because of the small size and modest volume of these tiny amps, they won't come over as overbearing in looks or sound - and should be accepted by your friends in the session. You could even have the amp resting on your lap under the table. A pocket amp will raise your volume to a similar level to everyone else's, and allow you to hear yourself without blowing out your reeds. There are lots around and they can be bought very cheaply.

That is a really helpful post. Yes, for sure, it is all the above instruments!

I would, for sure love to give your accordion prototype a go - I'd happily have a chat with you about it. I happen to have an industrial resin 3d printer which could do some really useful things in terms of making a cover for that which would work. Shall I email you about it?

I have thought about the idea of a little pocket amp. We do occasionally have an electric piano so no-one would object. Do you want to know the absolute coolest thing though, now I think about it? I actually have a VOX escort amp from 1970 which was given to me by Mandy Morton of Spriguns. It is super cool, and sounds amazing Just need to get a little mic to plug into it!

I love a bit of a bend on the notes for interest, so I am not sure the Octave models would do. Also, I found that the reed response on the 1847s I bought was so slow compared to the Lucky 13 that I am reluctant to try any more! Have you got any advice on diatonics which have that same free reed feeling that the Lucky 13s have? I can't seem to find any luck on that front.

Here's a pic of the Vox amp it's small enough to sit under your chair with ease.

I got the little vox working very nicely. Then I blew up the speaker when I put in new batteries. So new one on the way from eBay. In the meantime… these arrived… for the creation of an accordion reed harp… No idea what they are from. But plenty to choose from to see what I can make. It’s gonna be a monster whatever it is…