C.A. Seydel Söhne Nonslider Chromatic Solo C

No moving parts, strong and rust-resistant materials, no valves (in Solo-C version). You can clean it by pouring tap water inside. Throw it in a backpack, play it cold, store it wet: no problem.

Rustic instrument, yet it responds to soft breath consistently across the range. The reeds produce bright tones if slightly strident, similar to a Seydel Saxony but less "full". Holes are smaller but spaced like a normal harmonica.

Recommended for beginners *if* you pick up a slider chromatic to practice alongside with it. You will appreciate ease of play and consistency, it is a forgiving instrument.
Advanced players will appreciate the challenge of adapting their playing technique.

Important note: some versions of the Nonslider are valved, check Seydel's website.

I am no stranger to playing the harmonica. I started playing sixty-two years ago at the age of seven and over the years I've owned and played many different instruments. In recent months I decided to treat myself to some new harmonicas the Seydel Söhne Nonslider Chromatic de Luxe being one of them.

A few weeks before buying the Seydel Nonslider I had bought a Thomann Chromatic 64 Harp and was quite pleased with its performance and still am. On the day the Seydel Nonslider's unique design caught my eye I imagined it to be a superior harp considering how much it cost - almost three times the price of the Thomann Chromatic 64 Harp.

How wrong I was. From the moment I began playing the Seydel Nonslider I felt that this instrument had little to offer. Since then I've played it every which way to try to get an acceptable performance from it and the best I can get - if I hold it at an angle - is a kind of blues sound. My Tombo "Lee Oscar" and Hohner "Marine Band" can do much better when it comes to blues. Because of its double hole design I soon discovered that it is definitely not suitable for Irish traditional music.

I became so disappointed that I considered selling it on eBay just to get rid of it but reconsidered once I realised that I would be selling on my feelings of disappointment to someone else.

I guess I'm stuck with it.