Hohner Golden Melody E

Advantages: Cheap and Brilliant Investment
Disadvantages: Just a 1-piece

...♫♫♫ Take a one-foot length of plastic with a few holes drilled down the front, give it to your kids and sit back while they amuse themselves for about 5 years. Sound too good to be true? Sounds like a Recorder! ♫♫♫ This Ciao category encompasses a wide range of recorders on offer from Hohner, who actually produce a model to suit every pocket. But being a normalish kind of person I own only one kind myself, so that’s the one I’ll be reviewing. My little model is a plastic Descant with Baroque fingering (i.e. standard) and comes in one piece in a lovely shade of lemon. I’ve had it a very, very long time indeed, (about 30 years in fact), so I checked up on the Hohner website before launching into this review to see whether they still make the same model, and they do! It’s exactly the same; same... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Well made, low priced
Disadvantages: None apart from age.

...I'm often asked where a good cheap set of drums can be acquired, usually with the same response, Dunno! Just kidding. What I normally tell people is to look out for a Hohner lite set, as in general they are pretty good and quite easy to pick up cheaply as they are now relatively old, but the age is of no consequence. Unlike most cheap kits the Lite LE ain't half bad, I've actually go a set myself. The standard set consists of 5 drums. Bass - Floor Tom - Twin Toms - Snare. Any cymbals or other add-ons are just that, Separate add-ons. But that don't kill the kit as most second hand sets come with hi-hats and a splash or two, often with no extra cost so the kit becomes an even better bargain. As said it's a basic 5 piece, and these are of a good solid design that look the part with a laminated coating and nice bright chrome... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Quality instruments
Disadvantages: Need to buy one for each key

...I’m guessing this product title refers in general to the range of Hohner diatonic harmonicas and I’ll review in that way. Harmonica was the first instrument I learnt, not being able to afford a guitar at the time. The first decent harmonica I ever bought was a Hohner Marine Band (key of G), and since then, these are the only brand I’ve considered using. Hohner is probably the most famous of the harmonica brands, used on albums such as The Jayhawks’ Hollywood Town Hall (a classic!). There are a range of diatonic harmonicas available, and each in different keys (the notes are arranged in the scale of the key. Keys available include Major, Minor and Natural, plus some other specialist tunings). Some models even come in different sizes (e.g. 10 hole, 12 hole)! Different models are made of different materials: generally, the top... Read review

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