Is the Special 20 really special?

[Dauber]

So I'm practicing my harmonica...I'm finding I can bend notes with ease on the two Special 20s I have, but on my Marine Band it's hard as hell...

Thing is...the Special 20s I have are in E and G, and my Marine Band is in C...and I ordered another Marine Band, this time in A. (My blues harp class requires a C harp, and the next class I take also requires an A.) I'm only just now finding that the Special 20 is much easier to note-bend on. And it also plays much louder...

But of course I'm thinking, there must be something I don't know. Is the Special 20 a quality harp, or will I find it unplayable or stale before too long?

[FatJim]

Look on the cover plates - it reads "Special 20 Marine Band". It is a "special" version of the Marine Band. I believe it has the same reed plates inside; the same reeds, same gaps, same tuning scheme. The difference is in the plastic comb and cover plates.

It's a subjective thing, but I find that a plastic bodied harp plays better than an out-of-the-box wooden bodied one. Feels nicer and plays easier.

A Marine Band is held together with nails - a Sp20 uses bolts and screws. The porous wood comb of an MB absorbs moisture, swells, pushes the nails out a little and then contracts as it dries out. That leaves you with a less responsive, leaky harp. Of course as the customisers do, you can seal the comb, smooth the hard edges, drill the plates and covers to accomodate proper bolts and end up with a beautiful airtight Marine Band. It just seems a whole lot simpler to me to buy a plastic bodied harp. In terms of what the harp sounds like, the bulk of tone comes from you (you're probably bored of hearing that again and again!): the next most important factor is the reeds and how they are tuned. If comb material makes a difference - it is almost indiscernible. (go here for some clips of MB plates on wood, plastic and metal combs - http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q6.html)

So to answer your question - yes the Special 20 is a great harp, designed to overcome some of the inherent flaws of it's predecessor the Marine Band.

An out of the box Marine Band is flawed in many respects, but is still a good harp.

If you learn how to do simple maintenance tasks like regapping and embossing, you'll be able to improve your harps as your technique improves and I doubt you'll ever find a Special 20 unplayable. Of course, like all harps, metal fatigue kills the reeds eventually.

You've said you can play bends better on a Sp20 than a Marine band. Now you haven't accounted for different keys (which does effect the ease of bends) but you say an E (quite a high key) and a G (a low key) so I think you really should be able to bend a C.

In my opinion, at this stage of your playing, you should go with Special 20s.

[Harper-Chris]

The Special 20 is for beginners, it´s plastic and easy to play and the Marine Band is a professionel Harp (wooden),
sounds much better but is harder to play.

Since just a few years it reads "Special 20 Marine Band"

[FatJim]

I hate to disagree, but the Special 20 is no more a beginners harp than a Marine Band is. They are simply different harps. Having a plastic comb does not make a harp a beginners model. Howard Levy, Jason ricci, John Popper (Hohner Special 20 endorsee), Lee Oskar, the late Junior Wells (Lee Oskar endorsee) all use (or have used) plastic bodied harps. I'm sure there are many more great names I could add to that list too.

[Harper-Chris]

Your right, but a plastic harp is easier to play!
That´s why beginners should first use a plastic harp.
Some players still love the plastic harp, that means not that they ars beginners!!!!!
Charlie Musselwith and Dan Aykroyd still use the Special 20.....

[Syd-Blues]

See, I dunno, because I bought both my Special 20s and Blues Harp at the same time, I don't really 'hear' a difference. But I like the wood alot better, but i think the wood is better, I have no idea why.

[Dean Heuke]

Originally Posted by Harper-Chris

The Special 20 is for beginners, it´s plastic and easy to play and the Marine Band is a professionel Harp (wooden),
sounds much better but is harder to play.

Since just a few years it reads "Special 20 Marine Band"

I'm playing both, plastic and wooden. But I have to say, that the wooden harp is sh!t.
It's not really more difficult to play with them, but GO PLASTIC!


Dean