Hohner Special 20 Handmade C > Reviews > Great starter harmonica

Author's product rating:   

How well constructed is it?	very well
Appearance	Very Cool
Quality of sound	very good
Playability	very playable
Value for money	satisfactory

Advantages:	plastic comb, easy to play, good for beginners and intermediates
Disadvantages:	range of sound

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Hohner Special 20 - in key C because that's the key most playing is done in, on diatonic harmonicas - is a great harmonica for both beginners and intermediates. It's easy to play because of the plastic comb (the bit in between the harmonica's two metal plates), and the holes are well-spaced and large, so it's hard to go too wrong if you're not used to playing - this is unlike other harmonicas such as the Pro Harp which have more closely spaced holes from which it is harder to achieve single notes.

On to the more technical details....well, Hohner is arguably the number 1 in harmonicas and provides the best quality models around. The Special 20 in C comes with good-looking metal plates, and since the reeds are within the comb and within the harmonica, there is no reed-plate edge to annoy the lips when playing. This harmonica is resultingly easy to play.

As for the very few negative factors connected with this harmonica - the first is price, harmonicas do not come cheap in the UK for some reason, especially good quality models. Secondly, the Special 20 is easy to play but the range of different sounds you van achieve with the notes can be somewhat limited - although you can buy a 'country tuned' Special 20 which allows you to play a wider range of sounds with an eye to country tunes. These small points aside, the Special 20 in C is a great player-friendly harmonica which I'd recommend to anyone, especially beginners.