Every harmonica player wonders which harmonica is the best for them. Which harmonica plays the best sound? Which type and key of harmonica should be chosen? What kinds of musical perks are offered by each and every one of them? Well, to answer these and many more questions, this article contains all the necessary information. Not only that, but also, we will be comparing two of the most top-notch harmonica styles and products, discussing the Hohner Crossover vs Special 20 in a battle of features, perks and cons, etc.
About the Harmonica
If you’re a beginner and just recently discovered your interest in the field of mouth organ music, then to explain briefly, a harmonica or a French harp, is a wind instrument that is used several musical genres including country, folk, classical and most particularly blues. Harmonicas come in many shapes and sizes and keys, however, most songs usually use Harmonicas in the key of C, so keep that in mind the next time you’re at a music shop looking for your own.
There are several types of harmonicas including diatonic, tremolo, orchestral, and bass versions and more, however, we’ll be discussing two major types that are both Hohner products and very top class in their quality and musical prowess.
Hohner Crossover Diatonic Harmonica
This can be considered one of the best recent harmonicas released by Hohner. It is able to play rock, funk, jazz, and other genres of music exquisitely due to its top-notch design and amazing quality. The transition from note to note in this harmonica is swift and neat, giving it an edge over other products in the market.
Buy on AmazonFeatures
Hohner’s Crossover Diatonic Harmonica has a bundle of excellent features. The following are a few of those features.
- Type of Harmonica: Well as stated in the name itself, this harmonica is of the diatonic type. Which means it is specialized to play in a single specific scale.
- Comb: The most exciting and fascinating feature of this amazing product is the laminated bamboo comb. The comb offers its own perks and thus makes this harmonica one of the best.
- Sound quality: The sound quality due to excellent design using various screws and bolts in the structure is amazing and you retain full chord sounds.
- Easy Assembly and Disassembly: The use of Philips head screws helps in providing easy assembly and disassembly to the harmonica, and helps players in maintaining the harmonica adequately.
- Plate Edges: The reed plate edges are not sharp and instead are rounded off, for providing the players a safer and more comfortable playing experience using this harmonica.
These are a few features of this product that help in making it one of the most exceptional harmonicas available in the market.
Pros
The perks offered by Hohner Crossover Diatonic Harmonica are amazing and can be listed as:
- The laminated bamboo comb makes it water repellent and therefore, a more resilient product than others.
- Due to the comb, it is extremely stable as well as perfectly comfortable for bending from note to note.
- Reed plates design also helps in providing greater sound and clarity to the player.
- It is much lesser expensive that Special 20 and other harmonicas available with similar features.
All these and many more perks are offered using by this product, and thus it is one of the front runners of the harmonica industry.
Cons
This product is amazing however, there are few things you must look out for, before buying it.
- Due to its airtight design, repairing this harmonica can be more difficult
- Diatonic harmonicas by nature require bending techniques in order to reach other notes.
Hohner Special 20 Diatonic Harmonica
Buy on AmazonThis product is so revolutionary, that its design leads to a lot of companies to copy the Special 20 in order to rival it. The Special 20 offers a beautiful melodious blues sound which can be used in other genres as well. It has a very distinctive sound and plays great for folk, country, and jazz as well as other genres.
Features
The features offered by Special 20 Diatonic Harmonica are quite amazing as well in comparison.
- Comb: This harmonica comes with an ABS comb made by injecting molded plastic into it. It offers swift play and easier experience.
- Type of Harmonica: This one is also diatonic.
- Reed plates: It offers 20 classic reeds which help in providing a crisp sound and excellent stability to the instrument.
- Airtightness: It is incredibly airtight and therefore, provides a helping hand to the beginner mouth harpist.
These features and others are what make Hohner’s Special 20 Diatonic Harmonica so amazing.
Pros
This model of Harmonica offers a lot of perks which can be listed in the following words:
- Sturdier, because reed profiles are better and designed to increase reed life by a long shot.
- It contains 10-hole diatonic offering the player an amazing and unique musical experience.
- Easier to play, because of its airtight ability, less blowing stamina is required to play it.
All of these perks make Hohner’s Special 20 Diatonic Harmonica an excellent rival to Crossover.
Cons
The following are some of the things you should be looking into before buying this harmonica.
- It is more expensive than other diatonic harmonicas available in the market, but your return on value for money is greater.
- Diatonic harmonicas by nature require bending techniques in order to reach other notes.
This comparison includes two very evenly matched competing harmonicas. However, from personal experience, the fact that Special 20 requires lesser breath due to its airtightness, it is a winner in my opinion. But it all depends upon personal preference and whatever suits your taste and budget. Using the information gained from this article, you can choose the right kind of instrument best suited to your preference, budget, and musical needs.
Choosing the right kind of harmonica at the right skill level is very important for a harmonicist. Therefore, make sure you pick the right one for yourself and play as much as you can to learn more and more and excel in the industry.