Hey Tim, great review. I really like the Lee Oskar. On another note. I finally purchased an East top harmonica and I was surprised how good they are. They sound great and I can see why you gig with them ! 25 bucks for a great sounding blues harp.
Hey Chris, Being a long term Lee Oskar player?, I too have gone to the dark side. I've been pretty satisfied with Easttop 008k's. All I have purchased are "in the barn" and used as backup, but I'm quite impressed. Might be out of the barn in the near future.
I’ve been playing Lee Oskars for over 20 years now. The recessed Reed plates, and a few other things, leave it a very airtight harmonica and I find them to be very, very responsive and easy to bend notes on - my first ever harp was a Hohner Pocket Pal, which was a cheap and nasty little box-full of leaks. It was so hard to learn to bend on. (I still have it, 27 years later. I hardly ever play but it still fights me all the way on bending). But as soon as I switched to a Lee Oskar I could fully bend within just an hour of practice. The only Lee Oskar I ever had issues with was my A harmonica, which requires great care and attention when drawing hole 1 to 4. From the moment I got my first Lee Oskar harmonicas I’ve played them exclusively, until today when I received my first Seydel 1848 in A. I was expecting a fight because I’ve been told the stainless steel plates are harder to play. In fact, that’s partly why I brought it. Lee Oskars are very forgiving if your technique isn’t great as they are so easy to play, so I wanted a challenge so I’d have to concentrate on my technique. But it’s so much easier to play than a Lee Oskar in A. The other keys are great in Lee Oskar, but my Seydel A is great. It feels like I’ve been playing it my whole life!
i had the opportunity to talk to lee oskar at sweetwater gear fest 3 or 4 years ago and it was a fun conversation. i have never liked his harp because of the mouth piece. too severe a break for me. but a neat visit anyway. another fine review
I have the full Melody Maker tuning set. About 5 natural minor tuned reed plate sets and a Low D and Low F diatonic. I change out reedplates according to music needs. All of my Lee Oskars play well and no problems out of the box...which is amazing quality control! And not one reed has blown out after 3 years of playing them...I think I am lucky though lol. They are not my favorite toned harp bit pretty good. They make cover plates larger for Low F and Low D so reeds do not rattle. Love the flexibility and quality of LO
Your vids are so entertaining! I found it interesting that you didn't say anything about bendability since I've heard people say that the other major brands are more bendable. What do you say, Tim? Can you play everything you play on a Special 20, and if so, with the same ease?
Thanks Landz! Yes - there seems to be a little added reed resistance to the Lee Oskar relative to the Special 20. I'd say it's about on par with the various Suzuki's in that regard, which for me also tend to be a little stiffer. It's not a huge deal tho, and I know of some folks that like their harps a little less flexible - something about being able to more accurately hit half bends without too easily blowing past the note you're looking to hit. Me, I like 'em as bendy as possible.... Cheers!
@@Tim48103 Bendy is just what I like, too. And I agree with you about Suzukis. I have one Suzuki, my first and my last. I found it very hard to play, and I tried so hard to play it it went out of tune. My Blues Harps, on the other hand, are much more bendable.
Oh, I dunno - I like Special 20's a wee bit better, too, from a playability perspective, but I really don't think normal folks can tell the difference on the chordal aspects of these two harps. Some pro's can, maybe, but your average audience wouldn't know one from the other. Pretty sure the LO's are more reliable, and I like the easy-change, easily available replacement reed plates.
I just bought the Lee Oskar and find it much more difficult to play. I've got the cross over and I find that much easier to play. My lips slide across it easier to play the crossover. But I'm also a beginner but can still play OK.
thanks Tim for reviewing my all-time favorite harps.the reeds are indeed brass.i have some 5yrs old or more.first song I learned once I bought my 1st Oskar?......you guessed it......low rider!
Yeah - I mean, how can you not play low rider on these? And yes, they're good harps - I've been carrying this C harp around with me for the last week or so, and like it better and better as time goes on. Definitely going to have to get a bunch of those low-tuned versions! Cheers!
Tim - Have you noticed how large deep the 1 - 10 are stamped into the sturdy stainless steel top cover plate with a full length reinforcement ridge groove along row of note #numbers? Much better than old HMB&HMB-MS which are invisible. #may be 4 Ammatures but, do it right or notX. I believe if replacement plates were sold individual at $10. OK deal 4 repair.🤔 Love U sense of Humor (Low Rider)👍
YES - those numbers ARE deep - and for me, honestly, it takes a moment to learn to ignore them while playing. But it only takes a moment. And yeah, it'd be nice if the replacement reed plates for ALL harps were cheaper. As it stands, I'm always kinda like, well, hell, for an extra $20, I get a whole new harp, and then laziness kicks in.
@@gunney5744 isn't special 20 like $40. Idk price fluctuates so much. Lee Oskars are actually pretty great harps, but at the time i think they were about $50. Idk man
I’m cheap… I buy used lots of Hohner sp20/GM/Rocket, refurbish and tune them, and sell the ones I don’t need. Usually comes out to about $10-12 per harp, and about 20-30min of reedwork and re-conditioning. In the end, it makes it much easier to toss a bunch of Sp20’s in the car cup holder to always have handy.
Thanks for the review, I was looking forward to get your views about Lee Oskars vs. Special 20s, one of the most popular discussion topics in the web.
Love your reviews and you make me laugh! “After spending 5 seconds online I couldn’t find anything. “
lol, yeah, well, you know, I'm a very busy man....
Hey Tim, great review. I really like the Lee Oskar. On another note. I finally purchased an East top harmonica and I was surprised how good they are. They sound great and I can see why you gig with them ! 25 bucks for a great sounding blues harp.
Hey Chris,
Being a long term Lee Oskar player?, I too have gone to the dark side. I've been pretty satisfied with Easttop 008k's. All I have purchased are "in the barn" and used as backup, but I'm quite impressed. Might be out of the barn in the near future.
Thoughts on Melody Maker?
I’ve been playing Lee Oskars for over 20 years now. The recessed Reed plates, and a few other things, leave it a very airtight harmonica and I find them to be very, very responsive and easy to bend notes on - my first ever harp was a Hohner Pocket Pal, which was a cheap and nasty little box-full of leaks. It was so hard to learn to bend on. (I still have it, 27 years later. I hardly ever play but it still fights me all the way on bending). But as soon as I switched to a Lee Oskar I could fully bend within just an hour of practice.
The only Lee Oskar I ever had issues with was my A harmonica, which requires great care and attention when drawing hole 1 to 4.
From the moment I got my first Lee Oskar harmonicas I’ve played them exclusively, until today when I received my first Seydel 1848 in A. I was expecting a fight because I’ve been told the stainless steel plates are harder to play. In fact, that’s partly why I brought it. Lee Oskars are very forgiving if your technique isn’t great as they are so easy to play, so I wanted a challenge so I’d have to concentrate on my technique. But it’s so much easier to play than a Lee Oskar in A. The other keys are great in Lee Oskar, but my Seydel A is great. It feels like I’ve been playing it my whole life!
i had the opportunity to talk to lee oskar at sweetwater gear fest 3 or 4 years ago and it was a fun conversation. i have never liked his harp because of the mouth piece. too severe a break for me. but a neat visit anyway. another fine review
Glad I watched this video, moreso I'm glad you did this video. I was wondering about both harps just lastnight. thank you my friend...
I have the full Melody Maker tuning set. About 5 natural minor tuned reed plate sets and a Low D and Low F diatonic. I change out reedplates according to music needs. All of my Lee Oskars play well and no problems out of the box...which is amazing quality control! And not one reed has blown out after 3 years of playing them...I think I am lucky though lol. They are not my favorite toned harp bit pretty good. They make cover plates larger for Low F and Low D so reeds do not rattle. Love the flexibility and quality of LO
I found this video to be very helpful! Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience with us, sir.
Hey Tim great review. I just ordered a lee oskar can't wait to play it. I'm new to the harmonica.
Great harp to start noodling around on! Enjoy!
Your vids are so entertaining! I found it interesting that you didn't say anything about bendability since I've heard people say that the other major brands are more bendable. What do you say, Tim? Can you play everything you play on a Special 20, and if so, with the same ease?
Thanks Landz! Yes - there seems to be a little added reed resistance to the Lee Oskar relative to the Special 20. I'd say it's about on par with the various Suzuki's in that regard, which for me also tend to be a little stiffer. It's not a huge deal tho, and I know of some folks that like their harps a little less flexible - something about being able to more accurately hit half bends without too easily blowing past the note you're looking to hit. Me, I like 'em as bendy as possible.... Cheers!
@@Tim48103 Bendy is just what I like, too. And I agree with you about Suzukis. I have one Suzuki, my first and my last. I found it very hard to play, and I tried so hard to play it it went out of tune. My Blues Harps, on the other hand, are much more bendable.
Specia 20 is much better harp!! Chords are better play!!
Oh, I dunno - I like Special 20's a wee bit better, too, from a playability perspective, but I really don't think normal folks can tell the difference on the chordal aspects of these two harps. Some pro's can, maybe, but your average audience wouldn't know one from the other. Pretty sure the LO's are more reliable, and I like the easy-change, easily available replacement reed plates.
That' odd. Mine plays Cisco Kid every time I put it in my mouth.
Lol! Might be a different key? Weird....
I just bought the Lee Oskar and find it much more difficult to play. I've got the cross over and I find that much easier to play. My lips slide across it easier to play the crossover. But I'm also a beginner but can still play OK.
thanks Tim for reviewing my all-time favorite harps.the reeds are indeed brass.i have some 5yrs old or more.first song I learned once I bought my 1st Oskar?......you guessed it......low rider!
Yeah - I mean, how can you not play low rider on these? And yes, they're good harps - I've been carrying this C harp around with me for the last week or so, and like it better and better as time goes on. Definitely going to have to get a bunch of those low-tuned versions! Cheers!
@@Tim48103
A convert? I switched about 30 years ago from SP20s. The ease of play and durability kept me around. Working a few Easttop 008k and like
Tim - Have you noticed how large deep the 1 - 10 are stamped into the sturdy stainless steel top cover plate with a full length reinforcement ridge groove along row of note #numbers? Much better than old HMB&HMB-MS which are invisible. #may be 4 Ammatures but, do it right or notX. I believe if replacement plates were sold individual at $10. OK deal 4 repair.🤔 Love U sense of Humor (Low Rider)👍
YES - those numbers ARE deep - and for me, honestly, it takes a moment to learn to ignore them while playing. But it only takes a moment. And yeah, it'd be nice if the replacement reed plates for ALL harps were cheaper. As it stands, I'm always kinda like, well, hell, for an extra $20, I get a whole new harp, and then laziness kicks in.
Nice review! 🎶✌
Lee Oskar seems way overpriced tbh. Anyway I love your reviews. Thanks a lot!
And a 59.95 Hohner w/same reed as a SP20 doesn't fit that mold? Where I shop the SP20 and Lee Oskar cost the same.
@@gunney5744 isn't special 20 like $40. Idk price fluctuates so much. Lee Oskars are actually pretty great harps, but at the time i think they were about $50. Idk man
I’m cheap… I buy used lots of Hohner sp20/GM/Rocket, refurbish and tune them, and sell the ones I don’t need. Usually comes out to about $10-12 per harp, and about 20-30min of reedwork and re-conditioning. In the end, it makes it much easier to toss a bunch of Sp20’s in the car cup holder to always have handy.