Session Steel Review 

Hey guys, I'm going through my harps and doing longer reviews as separate videos. Let me know if you are curious about any harps in particular, I'll do them next! Thanks 👍

Same here about the 3 draw in my Session Steel. It's a big drawback and I have tried gaping it but must do it again since it came back to bad response and not loud at all. Still, the 1847 Classic looks gorgeous and may make me try Seydel again. But sadly not repeating on Session Steels.

I probably have about 10 Session Steel harps. Yes I've had to gap a few, but that comes with most harps I find. And gapping is something everyone serious should learn. The are a bigger sandwich in your hand but nothing I can't get used to. I prefer them over Special 20's and are comfortable in my smaller hands. One thing I don't think you mentioned is that the holes are wider spaced than other harps which I have heard may be better for single notes. As a lip purser much more than tongue blocking I've never felt any issues playing them. And all mine came with a leather pouch over the years I've ordered them, which are my preferred case. Soft in the pocket and not as bulky.

I bought one. Looks great! Plays like junk out of the box. Everyone said, just wait until you send it off for adjustments. Why? Would I pay for that? Especially since the session steel cost nearly 80 bucks. My advice would be buy something else. The 1847 classic however is great! Absolutely not a fan of the SS

Thanks for you honest review. My mistake was not believing in your words. I bought the session steel summer edition directly from the manufacturer. Not playable out of the box. Sent it back immediately. Extended my research and bought a Suzuki Harpmaster half the price of the GERMAN Quality product. Perfect choice. Very responsive good sound. Thanks to plastic comb easy to clean.

i was checking this one today. I already have 1847 lightnings but my fav color is orange so…. 🙄

A lot of folks have issues with Seydel and Suzuki due to their stiffer reed material. Unlike Hohners, which are very forgiving, the others require solid diaphragmatic breathing to perform well. They also come setup for beginners, so they require some gapping work.

I agree with you concerning the necessity for reed adjustments on the Session Steel harps -- but once I have done that: Wow! They really play well and (to me) sound great. I am more of an 1847 CLASSIC player, so I use the Session Steel models to test different tunings (e.g. Wilde, PowerDraw, diminished, etc.) before deciding to invest the extra money required to buy an 1847. Thank you for your honest, informative reviews !!

What do you think of the Seydel Session Steel?

Wow. I feel like my review would be exactly like yours. Bottom line…”Built like a tank, plays like a tank”. Prefer the Special 20s and Golden Melodies. Thanks for your videos!

I'd love to get one of those, but now I'm afraid of 😂😂😂 Last month I bought a Suzuki Manji and hated it. The tone is beautiful, but I have to struggle with the instrument. How do they compare with each other?

Session Steels are like an old stratocaster, with 0.013 strings and a higher action. Harmonicas like Hohner are like a brand new Les Paul, with 0.009 strings and a lower action. SRV used to play an old stratocaster like the one I described. It was perfect for him, but could not be perfect for Eric Clapton. Session Steels are harder to play, but I love their tone, but I agree with you in many ways.

Thank you, very objective review. The stainless steel reeds do last longer, but eventualy they also wear out guite quick if playing a lot. I am a busker, playing on daily basis and i use Hohner. These wear out aprox. after 3 months, while Seydel do after 6 months. From my experience. Of course, talking about almost daily use for at least 2 hours. All reeds wear out, it is their nature, it depends not only on how hard you play, but also on how much you play, is it indoor or outdoor, etc. It's like guitar strings. I think Hohner ones are still doing a great job, they are much more playable then Seydels, the ones i don't play a lot(Thunderbird, for example) can also work up to one year or more.

I never had a Seydel harp before but decided to buy a C and A harp, expecting an excellent experience. I was disappointed. Played terribly out of the box. I took them apart and set up the reeds. Better but I still much prefer my special 20s.

Did Seydel not do one with a steel comb as well as reeds or am I confusing them with another company? Haven't tried either. The ad for the steel comb gave a price of over $100. I wouldn't expect to have to mess with the reeds for that much.

Music is too loud

Bell Reed :)

Session Steel may work for some people but i believe that Seydel which is arguably great harmonica maker did a poor piss job designing Session Steel from the point of view of ergonomics. They are about 2.5mm thicker than Hohner Rocket and covers meet the comb at a steep angle. The mouthpiece does not extend into your mouth - it is very flat. All that means that when you try to make air tight embouchure - which is effortless on Hohner harps it FAILS for many people with Session Steel. Your lips try to make airtight seal with a tall "wall" of steel and plastic. Which may work ok for some people. Online you see tons of posts from people complaining that their new Session Steel is leaky . Except it is not the harp but their embouchure. Brought by poor design by Seydel. Some people may eventually overcome it and some may not - i believe Seydel needs to acknowledge that and redesign that harp. I play SS Orchestra S and I use "U-blocking" - and use it mostly for Irish melody playing without bending - so it does not bother me a lot. But I would NOT buy them for blues - no way.

Great review. Not a good fit for me.

They do come in leather pouches, and not even one that is a good fit. I know because I recently bought one. I tossed the pouch in the garbage can. First and also the very last Seydel I will ever purchase.