Seydel Chromatic Standard 12 Hole 'C'
Has anyone tried a Seydel Chromatic Standard 12 Hole 'C'? I can't afford anything more expensive at the moment and for a chromatic, these seem pretty reasonable (about £50 in the UK). Do they play well? Are they up to the job? Would I be better leaving it till I can afford something better?
Very helpful feedback - thanks! I'll look into the fitting-valves idea with the Seydel and will also check out the Chrometta. Yeah, surprising that William Clarke played them, but a good endorsement too - I guess that means that the tone must still be pretty good. By the way, is the main problem with a leaky chromatic the reduced volume (as well as affecting the ability to bend notes, though I guess that's not as much of a problem as it would be on a diatonic)?
Leaks on any harmonica reduce your control because not all the air is directed to the reeds. You run out of breath quicker, volume is reduced, and things like vibrato and bends are less effective. And yes, note bending is just as important on chromatic s on diatonic, though not always for the same reasons. You don't need to bend for missing notes, but bending for expression, and for minute pitch control, are both important. Just listen to Stevie Wonder or Larry Adler or Toots Thielemans and you'll hear that stuff going on.
The main problem with the Seydel Standard is that it lacks valves. I haven't played one in the last 10 years, during which Seydel have made changes and improvements to their entire product line, but any time I have ever played a valve-less chromatic, no matter what the brand and no matter what the claims made for its airtightness, the harp has been unacceptably leaky.
It may be possible to add valves to this harmonica, but that's not a given. Sometimes the comb structure has additional cell walls to help with air loss, and these can make it impossible for valves to fit.
Have you checked out the Hohner Chrometta 12? This can be had for about the same price (I'm seeing between about £47 and £69 in a quick online search) and, judging from the brand new Chrometta 14 I currently have for an upcoming HarmonicaSessions review, is quite a decent harp. Chromettas do leak more air than pricier chromatics, but not anywhere nearly as badly as unvalved chromatic.
By the way, William Clarke played Chromettas. I was surprised to find this out when I visited him backstage in the mid-1990s. I expected that he'd be playing something much more heavy duty, but he liked them.