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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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: Cheap and cheerful
Disadvantages: Snare stand a bit flimsy

...I own a Hohner LEX 5-piece drum kit. I bought it a couple of years ago for £300. This included Hi-hats and a crash/ride cymbal. This drum kit is a standard 5 piece kit, consisting of a bass drum, a floor tom, two mid toms and a snare. Included was a snare stand, and a cymbal stand. For the price the kit is surprisingly well made, with the insides of the drums smooth, and the outside finished in a shiny black laquer. There is a label on each of the drums with the make, Hohner, the model, LEX, and saying that it was made in Taiwan. All of the hardware, with the exception of the snare stand is sturdy. The two toms are affixed to the bass drum on two l-shaped brackets. The angle and height of the drums can be altered, and once satisfied, you can lock them in place using the drum key provided. The snare stand is not really very good... Read review

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Advantages: TRue Blues style harmonica, can bend notes
Disadvantages: none

...This is a great little harp that can be carried around and played anywhere, I have owned it for over twenty years, it is battered and bent but still plays brilliantly. The only work I have done is to strip the covers off to clean the reeds. If you tongue it corectly you can slur the notes for nearly a whole tone, My rendition of 'Captain PUgwash is a marvel to hear, despite what my wife says. This little instrument has given me a lot of pleasure over the years, I wonder about buying a new one but I can't justify it, this one is still as good as the day I bought it in a music shop on Norwich over twenty years ago. It is well worth paying the extra to get a hohner, rather than any of the cheap brands, this one has outlasted about ten of the cheap one and sounds far better. I would like one in D as this is a better key for blues... Read review

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

...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... Read review

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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 keys... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great price and value, top quality instrument
Disadvantages: None

...I have been playing the harmonica for over thirty years. Of all the instruments I play this is the one that have done best at, probably because it is the least anti-social, most portable and most convenient. Being a lot quieter that most of my musical stable also helps. I've owned some terrible harmonicas over the years, usually the cheap ones but when I splashed out in 1984 on a Hohner C Blues Harp I found what I was looking for. It is a basic twelve hole harmonica that has stood the test of time. Before Christmas I looked at my old harp and decided that it might be time for it to go into partial retirement. Having spent about £24 on it and played it thousands of times it was looking a bit battered and scratched. It still plays beautifully, no dead reeds, fantastic tone so when I went looking for the next generation... Read review

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Advantages: A great quality guitar for a great price
Disadvantages: Quite heavy

...think you can also get grey, black or blue. After a year of continual playing the frets have hardly worn at all. In fact I've not had any problems with my guitar. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHAT DO I LIKE ABOUT THE GUITAR? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** The neck of the guitar is quite narrow at the top, which makes it easy to play, especially as I have small hands. ( I had a hohner rockwood and struggled to play it as the neck was just a fraction thicker.)** ** The frets are finished of superbly which means that your hands can run up and down the neck whilst playing without getting sore. ** ** It looks great! ** ** Changing the strings is very easy to do as it has the kind of bridge that you just thread them through without having to fiddle about putting strings from the back of the guitar, through the guitar... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful guitar, responds to all playing styles
Disadvantages: expensive