Vox Continental Harmonica -- Type I and Type II -- who knew?

[Mark Schmieder]

Although we've gotten used to a couple of Harmonica and Melodica models branded as Hammond for some years now, due to the Suzuki ownership, it came as a bit of a surprise today to see two new Vox Continental Harmonica models from Suzuki, labeled and styled as Type I and Type II.

 

https://theharmonicacompany.com/product/vox-continental-type-1-harmonica/

 

https://theharmonicacompany.com/product/vox-continental-type-2-harmonica/

 

Could a Vox Continental Melodica be far behind?

 

As with the Hammond models of both (Harmonica and Melodica), I suspect these are somewhat unique spec-wise vs. just being paint jobs on regular Suzuki models. But I'll have to check those details (and audio clips) after work.

[RandyFF]

Huh, didn't know Hammond was owned by Suzuki, they market their own melodicas as well.

 

Available in only A D G C. Type 2 with the round, warm sound sounds good, Type 1 is a more aggresive sound.

 

Have never warmed up to harmonicas, though I love playing my Yamaha Pianica (melodica) 37D. In terms of sound quality, likelihood the reeds will be in tune, and the amount of breath required, AFAIK, the the Pianica is the best under $100 melodica out there.

 

Mark, you play wind instruments, right? Harmonica and melodica?

 

[Adan]

There are sound samples?

 

Been a Lee Oskar man for many years, but always open to trying something better.

 

edit: should have checked youtube before asking (Sorry Sven!)

 

 

Both sound pretty good. Can't say I care much for the transistor organ/blues harp sound combination, but I understand why they did it that way.

[Mighty Motif Max]

Thought you were going to be talking about some awesome harmonica patch on the Korg Vox Continental...

[Mark Schmieder]

I can't do video or audio at work, or else I would have searched some demos to post, but I don't like to link stuff I haven't personally watched or heard yet so didn't bother. I was going to do that later tonight once home from the office.

 

Back in the late 90's, I got into Lee Oskar blues harps and had a collection, which I then sold to a local buff, as I ended up feeling they sounded harsh.

 

I'm more of a Hohner fan these days, but have been carefully picking a few Suzukis to try as well, including the surprisingly excellent "Hammond Harmonica" which actually is a bit different from a Suzuki Promaster after all as the reeds are voiced a bit differently.

 

I truly am hoping there will be a Vox Continental Melodica or two down the road. It almost seems likely. But I might try out these harps in the meantime. I'm not quite comfortable with harmonica compared to melodica, but do not currently own a melodica as I sold my Hammond and my Hammond Bass.

[KeyMoe]

My preference has been Lee Oskar as well. They just feel and play very nicely.

[Mark Schmieder]

Here's audio demos from Romania (jump to around 7:30 if Romanian is incomprehensible to you; fortunately I spent three weeks in that country so have a rudimentary understanding of the language):

 

 

And then there's the official demos for Type I and Type II:

 

 

 

Looks like these have been out in some countries for almost a year.

 

I personally much prefer the sound of the red (Type II) to the green (Type I). But then, I'm mostly a jazz/latin guy.

[Mark Schmieder]

Here are the official product pages at the Vox site:

 

https://www.voxamps.com/continentaltype1

 

https://www.voxamps.com/continentaltype2

[Mark Schmieder]

Although the Type II looks to be based on a ProMaster, the reeds are different than on the Hammond HA-20 (which I now own), as those are phosphor bronze:

 

https://theharmonicacompany.com/product/vox-continental-type-2-harmonica/

 

The Vox models use a hybrid wood/resin material for the comb; whereas the ProMasters use anodized aluminum.

 

These new models also use equal temperament. I forget off-hand which Hohner and Suzuki models do that; I might already have one that uses that scheme.

 

Note that the Vox manuals include some scores for Beatles songs. I remember reading a long time ago that John Lennon had a "special" super-cheap harmonica for the early songs; not the more typical Hohner Marine Band model. Did Vox make harmonicas way back then?

[RandyFF]

It's odd that in the ad for the Type 1, the mic was around his knees, which is not the usual way most harp players do it, and looked like it might be a large diaphragm mic. Perhaps he felt like it was too biting to play up close to the mic?

 

I thought the player seemed much more comfortable with the type II harp and played it more fluidly and expressively.

 

Altogether, if the Romanian demo could be edited and have English subtitles, it would be much much more informative. I liked the way he switched from Type 1-> 2-> 1 so you could hear the differences, and he demonstrated playing each of them in quite a few different styles. Turn that into a 3-5 minute demo and you'd have a video that'd help you with your buying decision.

 

I also prefer the sound of the Type 2. It seems like every instrument I play I often run into the same thing, trying to tame strident/screechy mid range. I suspect I'm overly sensitive in that range.

 

 

On a side note, if you don't mind going a little OT, I was curious how much longer you could blow a regular (soprano?) melodica as compared to the Hammond Bass melodica. The one time I tried a bass it took almost twice as much breath as my Yamaha melodica.

[Mark Schmieder]

I was astounded at how much breath the bass melodica required. I can't remember if I sold that to a forum member, or on eBay. They were fairly rare, and a bit more than $100 more than the regular model (which I think is an alto vs. a soprano).

 

In the end, I just find, as with harmonicas and even accordions, that the reed approach doesn't work so well once one gets into the lower notes of the bass register. I don't mean reeds in general; I love bassoon and contrabassoon. Just reeds-on-plates. The pitch isn't very focused, even with good playing skill.

[Mark Schmieder]

After this busy work week ends, I plan on sending an inquiry to the excellent harmonica specialist in the U.K. (from whom I successfully ordered a couple of specialty models recently, with unusually quick arrival as well).

 

I am pretty sure they will know the answer, regarding whether the Type II is just a paint job on a ProMaster. I doubt that's the case though. I have made sure that each harp I have is distinguished by more than just the key. Some have been misses though, like the Suzuki Humming Harmonica, which is cylindrical shaped and non-ergonomic from my point of view.

[Mark Schmieder]

I sent an inquiry today to The Harmonica Company in the U.K. regarding any differences between the Vox Type II and the ProMaster, and expect I'll hear back on Monday morning.

 

My plan is to order one in "D", as I currently only have a "Country Tuning" D Major model from Hohner (Progressive Special 20) and already have three "C" models of various styles.

 

My one low harp is a "Low F" from Seydel, who claim to have invented the harmonica in the early 1800's. I think they have a rivalry with Hohner.

 

Oh, I also asked the harmonica store if they have heard any rumours about a Vox Melodica coming down the pipe (no pun intended).

[Adan]

Is the Harmonica Store a reliable shipper to the US? They seem legit, I've just never encountered them before.

 

I'll get a Type I and Type II just for kicks. The color and style alone make it worth having a couple around. If I like 'em, who knows, I might switch.

 

edit: ah, I can see they are a US operation. In fact they only ship within the States.

 

 

[Mark Schmieder]

Yeah; probably the best shipper I've encountered. In fact, I find that stuff from the U.K. is generally quite quick, even for books. Each country is specific; my brother's been doing this since middle school on a regular basis and says the U.K. and France are about the only two countries he trusts with reliable, safe, and timely deliveries.

[Adan]

Yeah; probably the best shipper I've encountered. In fact, I find that stuff from the U.K. is generally quite quick, even for books. Each country is specific; my brother's been doing this since middle school on a regular basis and says the U.K. and France are about the only two countries he trusts with reliable, safe, and timely deliveries.

 

From their website looks like they're Stateside! Is that bad? ha

[Mark Schmieder]

Oh, sorry, I get the two easily confused as their names are almost identical. I ordered from both stores at the same time and had excellent service from both. This one is indeed the one that is in the USA, and my recollection is Oregon. Both came up in searches for specialty harmonica vendors, as I have better luck with specialists than with generic music stores. Sometimes they do setup work, inspect the reeds, etc. Especially true of accordions. Maybe not so much with harmonicas due to the cost ratios.

[Mark Schmieder]

Here's the official word on the Type II (I didn't ask about the Type I):

 

"The Type 2 is tuned to equal temperament, which is the same as most Suzuki harmonicas. In terms of sound it's closer to a Manji, due to the comb material (wood/resin rather than alloy)."

[Mark Schmieder]

I've ordered a Vox Continental Type II in D Major, and after some research have decided to try an Octave Harmonica for the first time and to make it a stainless steel reed model for longer wear vs. brass, so ordered the Seydel Club Steel model in High G:

 

https://theharmonicacompany.com/product/seydel-club-steel-octave-harmonica/

 

Only $10.80 shipping, regardless of how many I order, which is why I decided to go ahead and throw in the Octave Harmonica (I recently bought a Hohner Golden Melody Tremolo model, but am not ready to give Chromatic harps another try quite yet).

 

The Harmonica Company is indeed the one in the UK; Harmonica Land USA is the other one. But it does seem that they have just recently set up a USA site, so perhaps that was why the one I ordered a couple of months ago came so quickly and was so cheap to ship.

 

As for Seydel, I do have one that I ordered recently and quite like: the Blues Classic 1847 in Low F (my lowest model). I find that Seydel excels in the lower register compared to either Hohner or Suzuki, which is why I went that way both for the rare Low F model and the Octave model.

[Mark Schmieder]

My harmonicas arrived today, shipped from Somerset, England.

 

The Seydel Octave Harmonica is ideally voiced for that sort of harp, but it'll take some getting used to as I've never played a curved harmonica before. It seems in principle to be along the lines of Romanian Pan Pipes from an ergonomic point of view.

 

The Continental Type-3 is very clean and focused sounding compared to the Hammond harmonica. The latter is based on a ProMaster whilst the former is derived from a Manji model. The difference in timbre between blowing and drawing is minimal compared to other models. Quite nice.

 

I'm not sure this reed design would adapt well to a Melodica, but it would still look sexy to have a red VOX style melodeon at a gig.

[Mark Schmieder]

My Continental I harp should arrive tomorrow. There are more audio demos than when it was first released, and I ended up liking it more once I heard it in some lower voicings.

 

Be aware that both of these Vox Continental models do not seem to be ordinarily available in the USA, and that outside of Japan, The Harmonca Company MIGHT be the only vendor.

[Mark Schmieder]

The Vox Continental Type I Ampliphonic Harmonica in A arrived today, and is a very clean sound after all, very melodious with pleasing overtones and easy to play.

 

You can drive it hard if you like though. But the on-line demos give the wrong impression about its core sound.

 

Just as I expected, it works perfectly for Thompson Twins' "You Take Me Up".

 

In comparing the Type I in A to the Type II in D just now, the latter sounds thin and wispy in comparison, with less body and subtler harmonics.

 

That could just be a reflection of the key though, as it's a fourth higher. And of course I';m playing them both in cross-harp mostly-draw-vs-blow mode.