Is it just me?

[qtheblues]

.......Or am I not alone out there?
I'm talking about the Hohner 'Cross Harp'. My local music store have been on to me to try the Cross Harp for some time. Unfortunately, due to health and safety (naturally) issues with harps, you can't 'try before you buy'. So I took a chance.......and lost.
Has anyone else found that the front recessed edge of the comb - top and bottom - is too sharp for comfort. First time I tried it out I cut my lip (not badly)! I've since ran some smooth grade abrasive paper over it and it is better, but I'm still not happy with the feel or the sound. It just doesn't live up to its hype.
Anyone else had these sort of problems with this or any other harp?

[NEONMOONY]

Haven't had that particular problem with the sharp edges. However, I agree with the hype part. After trying cross harps I went back to just using the regular key markings. made life simpler with labeling in my Harp case. With Cross harps I had to not only mark the key but then give a designation that it was a cross harp. When I'm grabbing harps in a dark bar I don't need confusion or complications, let alone the wrong key. It's hard enough to remember which harp I use for a given song ( I, IV etc.) without throwing more labeling confusion into the mix. keep it simple.

[thebluesbox]

Hi guys, I never wanted to pay that much for a harp so I never got one but if its anything like the marine band harps I thought the same thing about the reed plates when I first started playing them my lips were raw bad, chapped chaff cut up, it got to where I couldnt play I had to lay off and let my lips heal. But I did that a couple times and now I play them with no trouble at all i have gotten adjusted to them. My lips are not callus lol or hard now that I can tell so I guess its part you adapting to playin it a little smarter, and maybe some what that your lips do get a little harder to be able to not be so sensitive to the harp but not like a hand calus, or my wife woulda said "dude, whats the lips problem" lol.

Anyway if your dead set on playing a protruding reed plate harp give it some time and you wont know the difference after a while. As far as the sound hmm the only harp I ever played that actually really had a difference in sound was a hering 1923 and a delta frost because of the bronze reeds.

[qtheblues]

Maybe I just got a bad one then, as I've passed this particular one around to a couple of harpers I know and they've all said the same thing....."You wouldn't get MY mouth near that!".....at least, I THINK they were talking about the Cross Harp.....LOL.
Seriously though, this is one bad harp.

[dblues]

Haven't had that particular problem with the sharp edges. However, I agree with the hype part. After trying cross harps I went back to just using the regular key markings. made life simpler with labeling in my Harp case. With Cross harps I had to not only mark the key but then give a designation that it was a cross harp. When I'm grabbing harps in a dark bar I don't need confusion or complications, let alone the wrong key. It's hard enough to remember which harp I use for a given song ( I, IV etc.) without throwing more labeling confusion into the mix. keep it simple.

To my recollection, these harps are labled like all the other Honher Harps. THE KEY THE HARP IS IN. What are you talking about neonmoony( or am I remembering this wrong?) And no, they're are not worth the extra dough they cost over the other Hohner Harps. If you do like the thicker reed plate they have, it's the same ones that are sold as replacements for the MS series harps. Get yourself a Hohner Big River for $10.00 and when you blow it out replace with these reed plates.

[NEONMOONY]

dblues wrote:

To my recollection, these harps are labled like all the other Honher Harps. THE KEY THE HARP IS IN. What are you talking about neonmoony( or am I remembering this wrong?)

What I'm talking about is if I'm playing in G for example, and playing cross I would use the C harp in a regular key harp. The Cross harp for G is labeled as a G harp. So, in a low lit area, if I'm looking for a harp in a mix of harps, did I grab a C regular or C cross. I'm just saying for me, it's easier to identify if they're all the same type. Back at the house it doesn't matter. No big deal, just my 2 cents

[dblues]

Still confusing me Neonmoony. A Hohner Blues Harp, Marine Band, Pro Harp, Big River etc etc and Cross Harp are all labled as to the key the harp is in. The Cross Harp is no different than the rest. Are you saying you have a Hohner Cross Harp you would play to a song in G and play in 2nd position is labled G?? Because mine says C

[NEONMOONY]

Song is in G, you're playing in second position, cross harp is labeled as a G, harp regular harp is labeld as C harp (to play in second). That's all.

[dblues]

Sorry Dude but you are incorrect. Here is a quote from Hohner themselves.

"A Cross Harp in G is the same as a Pro Harp in G or a Special 20, Marine Band, Golden Melody, Blues Harp, etc. in G. In other words, it is tuned the same as the rest of our diatonics."

"Cross Harp is just the name we gave that harp, to honor the institution of cross harping. The name does not indicate anything specific about the harmonica's tuning."


Bill Bucco
Harmonica Technician

Hohner, Inc.

[jeffl]

Sorry Dude but you are incorrect. Here is a quote from Hohner themselves.

"A Cross Harp in G is the same as a Pro Harp in G or a Special 20, Marine Band, Golden Melody, Blues Harp, etc. in G. In other words, it is tuned the same as the rest of our diatonics."

"Cross Harp is just the name we gave that harp, to honor the institution of cross harping. The name does not indicate anything specific about the harmonica's tuning."


Bill Bucco
Harmonica Technician
Well Db,you have just provided a bit of what we all value so much about this forum: a free way to correct any misinformation we've been harboring. I personally have never played a "Crossharp",so I had no idea how they labelled 'em.
Hohner, Inc.

[thebluesbox]

guess that settles that. A G is G is a G is A G, gee!

[jeffl]

A "G" is a "G" until ya' climb up on stage with a band that forgets to tell ya' that they tune down a half step; and the way it goes is the guitar player feeds ya' a little of the chord the tune starts in,and ya' grab yer harp,and yer off a half step,and the frontman goes,"Oh yeah,I forgot we tune down a half step,ha-ha." Now,I always ask if they tune down a half step. And ya' know when they're not used to playin' with harpers,cuz they're surprised when you got whatever key you need.

[nizer]

Here is a quote from Hohner themselves.
"A Cross Harp in G is the same as a Pro Harp in G or a Special 20, Marine Band, Golden Melody, Blues Harp, etc. in G. In other words, it is tuned the same as the rest of our diatonics."
"Cross Harp is just the name we gave that harp, to honor the institution of cross harping. The name does not indicate anything specific about the harmonica's tuning."

That's NUTS man! So I can use a G "Cross Harp" to play straight harp in G? Cross Harp and Marine Band the same tuning? It makes the term cross harp useless:
- "Hey Bubba, here's a tune in G."
- thinks:*Hmmm... should I play my G Cross Harp straight or my C Marine band cross-harp??*.

[bosco]

the guitar player feeds ya' a little of the chord the tune starts in and ya' grab yer harp...

Wow ain't that the truth. Because you don't actually play a harp in the key the song is in, it's tough for harpers to remember the keys to 60 or 70 songs. Then the band starts borrowing tunes from set 4 for set 2 and the setlist you have in front of you becomes useless. At least once a gig, someone will give me the key the song starts in instead of the actual key of the song. They always end up red faced when I give them the stinkeye after grabbing the wrong key harp.

Last year we played a wedding and I was introducing the bride and groom for their first dance together. The bass player told me the groom's name was Justin, but when I announced it, over a hundred people shouted back in unison, it's JASON !!!



Bosco

[NEONMOONY]

My bad, it's the Lee Oskar cross harps that are labeled for playing in 2nd. LO Cross harp G is the same as regular LO C.