HOHNER FLEXRACK

I bought this and gave all my other holders away, then I bought a new Echo 96 harmonica which I use some some songs, can you believe it is 2mm too narrow, so don't make the same mistake

I am not regret and it means yes I am really happy

Excellent

This is a quality piece of equitment but comes with a high price tag. I justified my purchase by thinking I'll never have to buy another one and I guess you get what you pay for.

This time lost the tightening screw and associated washers, rendering it useless. Poor value for money. Cheaply made, sold expensively. Expected better.

Every development of the electric guitar by messers Rickenbakker, Fender and Gibson has been noted and illustrated but the origins of the `harmonica harness' are lost in the mists of time. Woody Guthrie certainly played one, and following him Bob Dylan, also bluesmen Jimmy Reed and Slim Harpo, these all looked similar - a wire frame adjusted by wing nuts with the harmonica held by a sprung bar. I got my first one in the mid-70s, seemingly made from coat-hanger wire, and from day one the wing nuts didn't really hold the two halves of the frame securely and the more you played the more the harp moved away from you. I have since got much more substantial holders but I still use this original one as its dimensions seem to suit my body and it is nice and light.Light is one thing the `Flexrack` certainly isn't, this new Chinese-made harmonica holder from Hohner may look and feel like a medieval implement of torture but it is claimed to be the first fully adjustable holder, allowing adjustments to "position, angle and height". Indeed when I first used it I was able to quickly adjust the various knobs etc. to get the perfect harmonica playing position, which I'd never achieved with any other rack. However, it then proved impossible to sing in this position and I had to adjust to a compromise position which enabled both harp playing and singing.The `Flexrack` is made from substantial rectangular-section steel, with the part that goes behind your neck being particularly large which stabilizes the rack but adds considerable weight. Adjustment is easily carried out without tools and you can change harps without altering these settings, the rubber lined harp-holding bars will accept harps up to 16.5 cm. (6 1/2 inches). Although I use mainly Hohner harps I did check the `Flexrack' with harps by Lee Oscar, Herring and Suzuki and it held all of them without a problem.The rack does seem very well-made, although I do wonder how the various plastic knobs will hold up with use. To me it doesn't look as `elegant' as the traditional holders, it seems over-engineered and the price you pay for that stability and perfect harmonica playing position is a lot of extra-weight, extra expense (twice the price of conventional holders) plus the feeling that your head is being held in a vice! If possible I'd recommend going to a shop and asking to try the `Flexrack` before you buy - it's a lot of money to blow if you find you can't get on with it. If you are just starting out then you couldn't start with a better harmonica holder and in 40 years of playing on racks I've not come across anything like it. (Although I'm still puzzled by the decision to go with a 1960`s picture of Donovan on the box seemingly playing a `Flexrack` 50 years before it had been invented.)

This would be a five star product...if bits didn't keep flying off it.As a harmonica holder, this is probably the best in the world, as it has every adjustment you need.Unfortunately, on the first use, the left hand tilt adjuster came off in my hand and flipped across the room, followed by two small black washers. As I was using it in a dark space with cables everywhere, finding the adjuster was impossible. In the end I took the ball adjuster off a microphone stand key and screwed that on to the thankfully remaining bolt instead. It looked a bit stupid but it did the job.On the second use one of the big round adjusters dropped off whilst I was using it. I heard a bonk and a rolling sound. Result....still looking for it.For something so pricey, you'd expect the adjusters to not come off so quickly and easily.If you use this. then you'll need to use it in a modern art gallery space, preferably one with a white floor. if you're playing dark pubs, get yourself a cheapo job with silver wing nuts.