Hohner Special 20 Harmonica Bundle with C-7 Case in keys of G,A,C,D,E - SPC

I snagged this deal from Amazon when they were at $106 the week before Christmas. The harps arrived just before New Years. I'm fairly obsessed with Special 20's these days, having come around from Marine Bands, and traveling through the gamut of harmonica brands and models.A few things of note about this 5-pack:1) These are, indeed, the new "Progressive" Special 20's, not NOS ones from before that change.3) The case is pretty good, although it is a bit cheap, and made in China. The outer "clamshell" is quite rigid (although it is of a flexible canvas), but you can tell that lower quality materials were used for the padding and cutouts (probably cheap opencell foam for the one, and styrofoam for the other). It's all lined with a velvet-like material on the inside, however, and the harps do fit snugly. Not a bad "addon" for this purchase, but not really a main reason to buy this set. FYI, there is space for two additional harps in the case.3) The harps are all gapped high for my taste, but the two lower harps (A and G) are gapped VERY widely. This is a non-issue if you know how to tweak your harps (which I do). The E and the C were the best two OOTB, but YMMV.4) Yes, that E is in there, and it's a bit hard to know what to do with it. Two things, however: a) at $106, even if you never play the E, you are still getting a good deal for the four remaining harps. b) if you are handy, half an hour with a file and tuner, and you've got a high F. Still a "fringe" harp for me, but probably more useful than the E. Perhaps more useful still, break out the BluTak or the soldering iron, and you could take it down to an Eb. You could even experiment with an alternate tuning layout. Tuning this to "Easy third" would let you play across the whole harp in 12th position as if it were 2nd, which is the key of A major. Could come in pretty handy for country tunes and the like.Some observations about, and thoughts on the new 'Progressive' Special 20 design:first impressions are that they are not significantly different than the old Special 20's. The tone is clear and certainly darker than a Marine Band. On the better-gapped ones, the bends come easy, and can be sustained well with out squeals or unwanted overtones. The lower-keyed ones seem "breathy" to me, but I am fairly certain that's due to the wide gaps, and not due to being leaky.Out of curiosity, I've just opened up the G harp, and am comparing it to an older Special 20 from my main set. Here's how they line up:1) Covers: Other than what's stamped on them, the covers appear identical to the older version. Same profile, same placement of the screw holes (slightly forward of center), and same coverplate screws (slotted head with the little square nuts). The last is a bit of disappointment, as I was hoping that they would have upgraded the coverplate screws to at least those that are used on the MB deluxe.2) Reedplates: The reedplates differ in that the new ones have two extra holes at each end, apparently for mounting on a different comb. The two additional holes seem to match the spacing of my MB deluxe. Otherwise, the screw hole patterns and other cutouts are identical to the older model Spec 20.3) Reedplate screws: This seems like a bit of a negative. The new screws are thinner and have smaller heads. This could be bad, as the smaller heads would tend to put more focused pressure on the reedplate, which could warp the plate a bit if they are tightened too far. It also means that you won't be able to mix and match reedplates from the old Spec 20 line with the new ones. Here's the screw measurements (using calipers):Old reedplate screw dimensions:Screw head diameter: 4mmScrew shaft diameter: 2mmScrew length: 10mmNew reedplate screw dimensions:Screw head diameter: 3.1mmScrew shaft diameter: 1.2mmScrew length: 10mm4) Reeds: As I said, most of the reeds were gapped too wide for my preferences OOTB. The low harps were gapped especially wide. For example, it looks like the 1 draw reed on my new G harp is gapped approximate 2.5 the thickness of the reed tip. Reed dimensions appear identical to the old Spec 20's, and tuning marks seem comparable to the way they were done before. Looks to me like they were tuned with a hand file, and not a rotary tool or a draw-scraper. Reed tips have cross-hatched file marks, and only one reed was filed at the base. This was done diagonally, and over a very narrow swath. Tuning: a quick check with a tuner app on my phone suggests it's tuned to A=442 with the 4 blow dead on the money, the 1 blow a little flat, and the 7 blow a little sharp. The rest is definitely tuned to a compromise of some kind. For example, 2 draw comes up 15 cents flat, and 2 blow is 25 cents flat... Chords sound pretty smooth, and single notes are generally in okay tuning. Seems similar to the way the Special 20 has always been tuned.5) Comb: Externally, the comb appears absolutely identical to the old Spec 20 comb. The only perceptible difference may be the color, which seems slightly "bluer" on the new harps than the old, but that could simply be a matter of age. Internally, it appears that the comb has some extra holes at each end. Perhaps to accommodate other cover plates (e.g., MB deluxe/crossover)? These seem not to have any effect on airtightness or ergonomics, however.I spent about 15 minutes working on the G harp, doing basic gapping and shaping of how the reeds lay. That small work makes it play so much better than straight out of the box. The tone is rich, but clear. The draw bends are all smooth and very present. Chords are nice and full, and the tuning seems very accurate. The 6 overblow was there, and easy to get and sustain with minimal squeal, although I could not bend it up. Probably some embossing would help that. Couldn't get the 5 or 4 overblow to sustain, so those holes would need some work (although I tend not to use those OB's much). Blow bends were easy, and sounded good. Couldn't get the 10 half-step, however, which means I need to do some more adjustment on those reeds.In general, I think these will all be very good harps once gapped to my playing style. The only reservation I have is the change to the reedplate screws, which I think could be a significant issue if overtightened. One should be very careful when reassembling these harps. The screws should be barely tightened, just so that they are not loose, and one should be very careful not to over-torque them. Probably, they should also be tightened slowly, one at a time, in a cross-pattern (like tightening the bolts on a care tire).

I almost gave up on learning harmonica after I bought a Hohner Bluesband set of 7 on impulse. The sound was off key and the effort to make a decent sound in any key was tough to stay motivated...Being a Blues Traveler/John Popper fan, I did a little research and stumbled on the Hohner Special 20 Key of C, and I have to say, the difference in quality was obvious out of the box. The instrument was in tune, and the draw notes were so much easier to hit. The overall sound is worlds above the the lesser quality Made in China Bluesband Harp Set, and as a beginner the Special 20 was so much more motivating to play. When you know you have a quality harp, it allows you to focus more on your progress, rather than question your instrument.Once more, I can't say enough about the quality of these harps, the Special 20 is made in Germany, has an air tight plastic comb which makes it less susceptible to moisture than wooden combs, and in my mind easier to clean.Since switching to the Special 20, I have ordered this 5 harp kit and have been very happy with the collection. It comes in the Keys of A, C, E, D, & G, with 2 additional slots for expanding your collection. Recently I have added the Keys of F, Bb, and Eb to my collection, as well as 2 Special 20 Country Tuned Classic reed Harmonicas in the Keys of C & E.I do have one negative aspect that I have noticed with the Special 20...sometimes my facial hair gets caught in the sides. But given my lack of playing experience, I attribute this to my incorrect form, and assume I would have similar problems with other brands in this price point.Bottom Line: If you are interested in playing harmonica I suggest skip the bargain Made in China blues harps, and start off with a Hohner Special 20 in the Key of C...the price is worth it and you won't regret it. When you decide to add to your collection, the Case of 5 Special 20 Harmonicas is a great deal, and will give you plenty of Keys to be able to jam in.