Mel Bay's Harmonica Sessions | The Oldest New Kid on the Block Monster Harmonica Workbench - Kinya Pollard

As a harmonica customizer, I am in a perpetual mode of sampling harmonicas from all over the globe. My goals are twofold:

First experience the natural high of discovering and playing new harmonicas
Harvesting harmonica parts to make the best customized harmonicas possible

I became intrigued with Seydel Harmonicas after a friend "loaned" me his "Blues Favorite Black" Harmonica (#15301A at $54.95). He'll get the box back after I'm done experiencing and harvesting. The high quality fit and finish caught my attention and the ease of purchasing factory direct through Seydel's interactive and informative web site persuaded me to purchase numerous types of harmonicas and tools (don't tell Mrs. Harpsmith!)

Seydel's online tutorials are top notch. Also impressive are the numerous special tunings that are readily available. For example, the Low F# Diminished tuning enables the player to play chromatically with simple whole step draw bends very cool. Replacement parts and harmonica tools are also available from Seydel's Products eShop.

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In their marketing material, Seydel promotes that "...it should be possible for the player, without additional custom work, only by doing additional regap, to reach overblows". If I didn't know any better, I would say that Chairman Lars Seifert is positioning (focusing) Seydel to cater to the discriminating requirements of the serious harmonica player market.

A Brief History Lesson 1
Christian August Seydel left his brother's company, J.C Seydel and founded his own harmonica company C.A. Seydel located in Klingenthal, Germany (originally named Untersachsenberg Georgenthal) in 1847, ten years ahead of Hohner. In the early 1920's, Seydel, with 800 employees, reached annual production levels of seven million harmonicas.

Ownership and management have changed numerous times over Seydel's 159-year history:

1946, when eastern Germany was occupied by the Soviets, the Seydel factory was named "State-Owned Harmonica Factory of Schsenberg".
After that, "Plant 5" of the VEB Klingenthal Harmonica Works
1953, VEB Vermona (United Harmonica Works)
1964, VEB Vermona merged with the VEB Klingental Harmonica Works
1990/1991 Klingenthal Harmonica GmbH
Till current: Seydel, C.A.

Out of the Box
Weighing in at 100g (3.8 oz.), the aluminum comb Seydel Favorite Black (#15301A) removes any doubt for the player that they are holding a "real" instrument. Typically harmonicas made with wood or plastic combs weigh 60g (2 oz).

The mouthpiece was "built for comfort and speed." The familiar square holes have been replaced with round, barrel-shaped holes. Contributing to this engineering achievement, is the raised curvature of the mouthpiece that can be seen when you sight the harmonica from the side view.

According to Seydel, their unique mouthpiece "supports playing 'safe and reliable' single notes, especially when puckering because lateral air loss is minimized..." For me, I was more impressed with the engineering attributes and high coolness factor.

The Favorite Black's overall dimensions are 4" x 1.125", similar to Hohner's MS Harmonicas.

The chrome, flat-end mounted cover plates are not vented. For players who prefer a "traditional" sound (i.e. Hohner Marine Band 1896), simply replace the stock Seydel cover plates with Hohner's Big River harmonica.

Under the Hood

More than just for sanitary reasons, the Favorite Black is outfitted with tarnish-resistant chrome reed plates that should last longer than it's brass counterparts. Visual inspection of the reed offsets revealed consistent gapping across all twenty reeds.

Test Drive (a.k.a. the moment of truth)
The Seydel Favorite Black is not a substitute for a customized harmonica. However, compared to other metal-comb-type harmonicas that I have played out-of-the-box, the Favorite Black performed well.

The HARPSMITH^SM rating system measures the performance of the harmonica in:

Resonance - Muted to tinny
Responsiveness - Spongy to decisive
Tonality - Chords, single notes, octaves, tuning, and volume

1. Haffner, Martin and Lindenmuller, Lars, "Harmonica Makers of Germany and Austria", Deutsches Harmonikamuseum, Torssingen, Vol.6, p.146

Till the next issue of Monster Harmonica Workbench, don't forget to...

Stay Tuned!

Kinya Pollard
The Harpsmith