HohnerHarmonicas Marine Band Crossover, Key of C, Stainless Steel, Bamboo

I have a low priced Hohner International Blues Band Hohner Harmonica that was made in China. I love the nasal plaintive sound it makes but the sound clarity is not optimal and it looks cheap. Still, the price was low and good first instrument. International simply means China, ha ha ha!This new Crossover instrument made in Germany is a beautiful one with more clarity and precision in notes that does bleed over into other notes. Thanks to the side vents or design, it has a rich depth of sound, very satisfying to hear. I was unhappy with the huge price tag of $69 on sale (!) and normal price of $79. Amazon still had the cheapest price.Hohner Marine Band instrument is metal, plastic reeds, no side vents, 2 screws, 10 slots, 4 inches (just under) length, 1 1/8" width, 3/4" depth. Stampings are the letters no fancy graphics. Made in China. Nasal sound, not rich, slight bleed, not as clear, but not bad overall. Great for kids or beginners.Cost $6-$10. Paper box, Washable with soap and water. Blow dry.Note: Do not confuse this one with the MARINE Band Blues at $60 made in Germany.Hohner Crossover instrument is metal, bamboo reeds, 4 side vents, 4 screws, 10 slots, 4 inches (just under) length, 1" width, 3/4" depth. Stampings have fancy graphics. Made in Germany. Cost $70-$85.Rich sound, no bleed, precise notes, clarity, very satisfying. For serious players. Comes in black zipped sporty case. Do not wash this. Spray with alcohol and wipe clean.Summary: Yes, buy it. Regardless of cost. But please also buy the first one to practice on and bang around. This one is a finer instrument worthy of more care.

Playing the Hohner Crossover, and in a side by side comparison with a couple of special 20's, and Golden Melodys, MS Blues harp and a few Lee Oskar 1910A (i will also do a comparison of the crossover harp to 8 Suzuki harps LATER on).The Crossover, The rest of the competition/comparisonNice tones, None of the harps i mentioned above in the same class as the Crossover harp.Very Flexible None of the harps i mentioned above in the same class as the Crossover harp.Very Responsive Both the Special 20& Lee Oskar 1910 are responsive, BUT!! Not like the Crossover.Fast Response to play fastThe Crossover harp sounds Excellent being played very quietly with very little air.I cannot say that about my Hohner Blues Harps, as they demand that you play them with more authority, I have sealed my Hohner Blues Harp's, But they still are not even close to the Crossover for quality of sound and what can be done with the harp right out of the box they are Amazing.The Crossover just does Everything Better, the expression, the full rounded sound, Bending, over blow, the quality of sound from Low to loud, that the Crossover is capable of is very nice!The real question is Does everyone need this high level of a Professional quality instrument. No!That's why many other models of Harps are selling well.The Closest thing to the Crossover is, well in the category of harps I listed above, Nothing, it is far and away superior, if that is what is needed.What about duration, longevity, durability! I dont know i have not had it very long.That said My Blues harps lasted, more than 10+ Years, but dont have anywhere near the sound quality or are as easy to play.This is how i would rate each, remember Opinions are like your third eye, every one has one, good or bad, your opinion may differ.the Crossover, is Excellent in all categories, except size, still trying to get used to it,The Crossover harp is SMALLER!! I mean narrower, and thinner, Comb tine spacing is Narrower, as the comb hole size is smaller about the size of the Blues harp.Crossover harp reeds are placed right up to the leading and trailing edge of the reed plates, None of the other are like that.The Comb they say it is Glue Laminated Bamboo, it is slick, slicker than pear wood or the plastics(PVC) on the others.The Stainless Steel covers are nice, they are opened up a lot on the Back, the Sides are also open like a marine band deluxe covers are, This lets more volume come through the sides, not muffling it, (shoot i can Muffle the sound, if i want with my hand) this provides a cleaner sound, and more volume, when you want it, but can sound raspy also when needed, as the bending and over/under blows come easy.Crossover (Excellent scale 8) Even though I gave the Crossover a 8, that is in the Excellent scale category, None of the other harps are in the Excellent Scale catagory.Special 20 is a very good Harp, Just Not as Good as the Crossover for me that is. (Very Good scale 7)Golden Melody, I have always loved Playing the Golden Melody, it is a great, very Ergonomic, Great Tone, fast playing, (Very Good Scale 6)Lee Oskars are also in the very good category, but!! (Very Good Scale 5)My range is 0-10 in each category, meaning Good 0-10 Very Good 0-10, Excellent 0-10my MS Blues Harp was at the bottom of the list for me, To me the Blues Harp, plays like a Much Older Model, the quality of sound is number one, then Playability and the Blues harp is just not there (Good Scale 5).These are all, out of the box stock harps, ExceptNote: all my Blues Harps are more than 10+ years Old, but are no where close to the Crossover.I will soon be testing a Hohner "ROCKET"AgainCategories:Excellent - CrossoverVery Good - Special 20, Golden Melody, Lee Oskar 1910AGood - Blues Harp

Good seal. Classic. Consistent note quality and sound across the brand.

Yup, it's expensive. And I don't easily buy into overpriced musical instruments. But this thing is engineered really, really well.Where this harmonica is best is holes 1-5. The others are great, too, but in 1-5, the Crossover destroys Suzuki and Lee Oskar in playability. Especially in that tricky hole # 3 (in which the draw reed has four possible notes) the Crossover (in the key range from Bb-D, especially) is pure gold. For me, that was the startling experience in playing it - "Wow, hitting that relative minor tonic note is totally feasible!"The sealing of the instrument (especially when you're doing your draw bends in the aforementioned range) is impeccable. The harmonica is loud, clear, and well tuned. Online reviews said it's the best harmonica for overblows - I'm just starting to do that, and honestly a few reeds seemed relatively ready to overblow out of the box, which is really cool (especially that b7 in the tonic key - I need it, and the Crossover seems willing to provide, through the 6 overblow with a bit of woodshedding).This isn't just an overpriced piece of musical equipment, like a Gibson or Fender guitar with some magical paint on it that justifies an extra thousand bucks. Serious engineering has gone into it, and it works - you can fairly easily play three octaves across it (minus that lousy ten hole draw, which I'm not sure is humanly possible) and it seems ready to roll for overblows.

I know this is subjective but... I found the crossover better than the special-20 because:- it sounds better- it's easier to play the single notes- it's easy on your lips and hands because there are no sharp edges (holes and the outside body)- it looks better- it has great case that you can attach to belt (or put in packet without feeling the 'box' edges)I just don't know how will the bamboo wood perform over the time... I think at some point the protective layer will wear out(?)... the time will tell.

Great harp, nicely rounded sound. Could be a little more airtight for softer playing.

Great feel and easy bends. It’s a keeper.