Hohner 560/20 Special 20 Marine Band Harmonica, Key of C

Customer Reviews

My 9 year old loved this!!!!

2007-03-09
My daughter bought this harmonica with a gift certificate that she had received. She just loves it. This is a quality harmonica, with great sound. We received fast delivery and it was packaged well. No complaints here.

Great for beginners

2006-11-21
I started playing harmonica earlier this year on a couple of supercheap Hohner products, then picked up this one. It costs more, but it's worth it. It has loud, clear notes, is good for playing single notes, and the two-draw is uniquely warm and friendly. Superior to the Marine Band, the Golden Melody, and the Lee Oskar.

play like a pro without the price

2006-07-05
This is a relatively affordable harmonica; it has a good feel- the holes are well spaced. Overall it is easy to play; whenever I am playing out of key or whatnot on another harmonica I turn to this one and it sets me back on track. Sounds great too!

new harmonica for a new player

2005-08-22
Well, I started on a Kay $1.99 special and they play good too but once I saw how fun harmonica is- I stumbled onto a little better harmonica, an old, old Hohner American Ace and it played so easy, I had to get the top of the line Hohner and got this Special 20 in key of "C." It did take a little while to break in the special 20 before it played as easy and sweet as it's step brother- the American Ace. It has a more contained, refined sound than the other two I mentioned and bends well. I still find my American Ace bends easier but it's probably 10 years old and the reeds are weaker than my brand new Special 20. I am still curious about the Lee Oskars but for the history of Hohner, the average $7.00 cheaper than Lee Oskars, and the fact it is made in Germany, I opted for the Special 20. Awesome harmonica at an awesome price. They also have a short waranty unlike other brands.

Smooth, easy to play, easy on the lips

2005-05-12
I am a new harmonica player trying to substitute shopping and technical research for practice and talent. I went out and bought nearly every diatonic harmonica under 40 bucks. Most fell by the wayside. I still use the Special 20 every day for a couple of reasons. The one I have is easy to play. And only the plastic cone touches your lips, not the brass plate that sticks out on lots of Hohners. (That's the only reason the Golden Melody comes in second for me.) Overall, it just feels really nice in your hand, smoother even than the non-stick Pro models.

Unless you are shopping addicted, as I am, this is the only harmonica you are going to need for a long time.

Beautiful harmonica...

2008-06-06
...and wonderful sound! It's my first, so I have no point of reference, but it sounded really smooth and great the first time I played it. Now I just have to learn how to really play it.

Quality

2007-09-20
Bought the Hohner Diatonic in C for my wife after she got laid-up with a broken ankle. She loves it. I also bought a Lee Oskar Diatonic in C for myself. They both are quality harmonicas and sound great. Bought them from 'The Instrument Store'. No problems except, my wife now also uses the harmonica to call me when I'm out of vocal range...

Love It ! :-)

2007-07-07
I love this harp. I started out using a "Hohner Big River Harp". That was very nice and I used it to teach me the harp. Then I got a "Lee Lee Oskar Major Diatonic Harp" witch was very nice but I didn't like the feel of it as much as the Hohners. I think they both sound the same and play the same so I went with the feel. I then moved to the "Hohner Piedmont Blues Harp Pack with Case". Love the case ! The Piedmont harps are nice but not as well made as the special 20's so as I get more of the Special 20's I am replacing the blues harps and using the blues harps as backups. As you can see I moved up to the Special 20's after the Piedmont Blues harps and I love them ! It seems like I don't have to blow or draw as hard as I do with the Big River harp or the Blues harp. Also, the metal on the Special 20 feels much better on my lips and makes it so I can play much longer than I could with the Blues harp. It is all the little things that makes the Special 20 fun to use and is what is going to keep me coming back and purchasing more Hohner stuff. I hope this review helps someone out in there purchase.

Nice Harmonica

2007-03-21
This is a nice harmonica in a convenient hard case. It's a good size (like the old Marine Band), it plays easily, and has a good tone. Only problem is a couple of notes keep sticking and won't play. I wedged them open but they stuck again. Oh well, it's still nice.

An oldie but goodie

2007-03-20
I received my order promptly. The harmonica was just as good as that instrument has always been. I would highly recommend the product and the seller.