Best Harp for Sonny Boy II's sound?
Hello Winslow,
Would a Hohner 364/24 be the best harp to relicate Sonny Boy II's sound on recordings like "Keep It To Yourself" and "Bye Bye Bird"?
I have a Rocket Low F that I love. I'm thinking of a Low D or Low C. I saw on a Reddit post where you said Sonny Boy II used a Low D "extensively in Europe" and Low C "for his Chess recording of Bye, Bye Bird".
Or, should I consider a Brendan Power Lucky 13?
Another consideration: Do I even need a 12-hole and should I consider a Rocket Low C or D?
Thanks!
Thanks for the reply UkuleleRob65,
David's Rice Miller (Sonny Boy II) study is what got me started on this topic. I love the piece ("Sonny's Bird") and am memorizing it. It's a good challenge to create all those sounds he gets.
I really appreciate the information about your harps. Based on that, I will stick with my Rocket Low F for now. It's a fun harp and gets a lot of use. Perhaps someday I'll buy a Rocket Low C—the sound of it in David's videos is very cool.
NoNoteHarm:
This'll be interesting. I have a 364/24 I won in a raffle at a workshop. Cool harp (and supposedly like Rice Miller's Hohner Echo Vamper model), but I don't play it that much. I also have a Rocket Low F that gets a lot of use. Great harp. And at one time I owned a G Lucky 13 that got so little use I passed it on to a friend. I also have various makes of low harps going down to Low A, but they sure use a lot of air!
But always keep in mind that a lot of what we identify as the "Sonny Boy II" sound from Rice Miller came from his technique, not the harps he played. If you haven't already checked out David's Sonny Boy II study here, it's a great intro to a lot of what made him distinct.