SEYDEL Blues Session Steel Key of C Harmonica C

I read a review that said "Comfortable, sounds good and really responsive. Highly recommend it." That is an excellent summary.I own >10 harmonicas spanning 5 makes and several costing much more than this one. The Hohner Marine Band Harmonica is an amazing deal for the money and sounds very soulful but I think I'm mildly allergic to the metal used. I find the Suzuki products (Promaster, Manji and Olive) superbly well made but harder to play due to their shape. The Suzuki F-20J-G Fabulous is very impressive in sound but still has the awkward shape. It's also too loud for casual practice.I often read people asking which harmonica to start with and for me, this is the best choice. Larger holes makes it easier to produce a clean note, it slides easily, bends nicely and sounds great. It doesn't sound (to me) quite as good as the Marine Band but it is very good and the plastic comb makes it super for beginners and intermediate players.

Been playing harp for a few months now, and like most newbies I've been afflicted with HAS (Harp Acquisition Syndrome) and find myself wanting to buy/try them all! So far I've acquired: Hohner's Big River/Golden Melody/Crossover, Lee Oskar's 1910, Suzuki's Bluesmaster, and Seydel's Solist Pro and now THIS GEM! It's airtight, handmade and perfectly constructed, sounds great, bends easily, is comfortable to hold in the hand, and the reeds are supposed to last much longer than usual being that they are made of stainless steel (will put this to the test over time.)The airtight construction, the fact that the holes are spaced a bit further apart which makes individual notes easier to play, and the way it fits nicely in my hand with its smooth edges are my favorite features to date. The tone is very good and it rings loud/clear but it's the form/finish factors that make this #1 in my book.By way of comparing this to the Crossover (my second favorite harp) I would say that the Crossover is prettier, has a bit more "raspiness" due to the bamboo comb, and might be a *tad* more responsive. The reason I prefer the Session Steel is because the tone is very good in its own right and the lower price/stainless steel reeds/more ergonomic grip make it a better buy I think. This just seems to fit my hand/mouth better overall and find this has become my "go-to" harp these days; I plan to buy more of these in the future.If you are a beginner looking to upgrade beyond your "starter harp" I recommend this wholeheartedly!

This Seydel model just soars beyond Hohners & Eastops. Plays easier and sounds better.

Things I like:Airtight, comfort, crush proof, nice looking; holes are slightly bigger.Stainless steel reeds do not project sound as good as brass or even phosphor bronze, they are less responsive but this has to do with mechanics of materials, the harmonica does a really good job countering this; it requires a bit more air than you typical brass or phosphor bronze reeds.Tone is nice, I prefer the sound of stainless steel, it sounds as a 60USD harmonica should; Seydel claims stainless steel reeds last 4 to 5 times more, mine has not been used for too long so I cannot tell at this point but if this is true, I rather play stainless steel.Things I don't like:Leather carrying case is nice but this does not really proportion additional protection against drops, maybe just scratches in the cover plates, cheaper zipper cases like from Hohner or Easttop provide better protection.The edges on the cover plates are not 100% smooth, the fold of the cover plates where the steel was... folded, is not completely cover by the comb, this is something I think Seydel can solve, also the middle support out of the three does not touch the reedplates, so is doing nothing, this is again due to bad folding of the steel to make the coverplates.I mentioned that this is airtight which is true however you really need to tighten the screws to get that; also since the comb barely protrudes outside the end of the coverplates, the Session Steel is difficult to put together after been opened for cleaning, just like the tin sandwich style harmonicas.