Does your harp get better as time goes by?
Was thinking the other day about the quote attributed to Mark Twain, but actually first written by author Fred Rindge some years after Twain's death:
"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years."
Was thinking about it recently while playing a harp that I bought seven or eight years ago, and early on thought, "This harp isn't all that good. Maybe leaky, maybe something about it makes bends difficult, etc." And then the other day, after years of practice in the meantime, I pulled that same harp out after not playing it since shortly after I bought it, and was "astonished" at how much its sound, tone and bendability had improved over that time!
Had a similar experience?
Good points.
Re the Lee Oskars: While they're not part of my gig kit (and are used mostly for travel) I have various keys of the Lee Oskar harp, and think it's a fine instrument (at a nice price). At one time David told me that the issue you mention was because the Lee Oskar reeds are a thinner gauge than Hohner. But as you've experienced, the more I play them, the less frequent that "squeek" that used to be most notable on the 3''' on lower key harps.
Just about any harp in the $45+ price range can be played nicely once one has played enough. But the $10 and $15 no-name harps one sees on Amazon will definitely not perform. I do have two custom Rockets from bluesharmonic.com's own Kinya Pollard (the "HarpSmith") and really like them; however, the diffences from stock Rockets are pretty subtle. While playing those harps (a Bb and a D) I get a bit more enjoyment out of my playing, but they certainly don't make me sound more like Kim Wilson.
Finally, that $100 guitar: When Robben Ford lived in Southern California some years ago, 2-3 times a year he put on informal master classes for groups of up to 20 or so musicians. The classes were wonderfully tailored to all levels of players, from beginners to gigging pros. I was fortunate to attend a few of them (with moderate guitar skills). One class I attended included a 13-year-old beginner who'd been given an inexpensive Fender Squier strat as a birthday gift. He asked Ford, "Is this guitar good enough?" Ford responded by handing to the young student Ford's vintage tour-experienced Gibson SG, and he took the young student's Squier, and invited the young student to alternate some licks with him. It was pretty clear that Ford's sound was 99% or more Ford, and 1% or less the guitar itself. And then Ford spent some time on the importance of one's hands, with tips that not only the young student, but everyone in the room, could put to good use.
With cheaper harmonicas I have noted that the sound quality improves over time before going off for good. There is a short period wherein it sounds well. In this period, the bends on even a Silverstar sound perfect. The better harmonicas, for instance the Hohner Blues Harp, gets better with time, stays like that for a long time (until one blows a reed), then degrades mechanically through simple use. This has been my experience, though a brand new harmonica always sounds like it needs to be run in for a while before it gets its true character.
Lee Oskars habe those shrill overtones that show up when your bending technique is not accurate. Most of my standards keys (low F, G, A, Bb, C, D) are Lee Oskars and I usually had that issue and the "this harp is leaky" feeling each time I got a new one. Each time I've noticed the issue go away by itself as long as I played each harp. I initially thought the harp was getting better with usage while obviously it's the player who got better with practice.
That's why I'm very skeptical of harp brand and model reviews which discuss bendability, leakiness etc. While surely each harp is different and I understand comfort, etc counts, I'm pretty convinced the main difference is not within the harp, and as long as you have a half decent harp what matters most is who is playing it. It's like those YouTube videos which show a pro player shredding on a $100 guitar or violin or you name the instrument: the player is the most important factor.