Johnson BK-520-SET Blues King Harmonica Set

I just got this harp set today, and I am just blown away with it. Sure the harps are not Hohner or any other well brand. The Johnson name reminds me of Howard Johnson's. The case is soft and plush inside, with a luggage grade zippered outer shell. The harps are not blue, but purple. Twelve purple harps, one in each major key, what a set of sweet sounding harps. This is a welcome addition to my harp collection.

Right out of the box: Some of the harmonicas are unusable (see details below) and three others are poorly labeled from improper machine etching (see below). They'd be great as practice harps if they were all useable. The ones that work are nice and a little airy but not too airy like other people said. They're somewhat tight except the 8 draw on the C harp is very airy rendering it unusable. The F# harp10 blow is completely muted. The B harp 1 blow is completely stuck. The 1 blow and the 10 draw both on the A harp are completely stuck. Each harmonica is shrink wrapped in sticky blue plastic that doesn't completely remove when trying to peel it off, leaving residual bits of plastic stuck in the etchings & edges that could be accidentally inhaled. They sent a different case than the square one advertised. The Ab DB & Eb key labels are etched poorly so only half are legible so difficult to know which key harmonicas they are.

First off, those that are complaining that these don't measure up to the Hohners and Seydels need to do a reality check, this set comes out to a little over three dollars a harp if you count the case as a freebie, at that price what do you expect solid gold? As far as the set itself the first thing I noticed was that the case seemed well made with both a carry handle and a shoulder strap, after a few days use the carry handle is still unblemished, but where the shoulder strap meets the case the fabric is abrading rapidly (see product photos for a close up) the rest of the case is well constructed and should hold up well barring any abuse. the harps themselves are decently constructed, the engraving on the plates is rather cheesy and cheaply done and should have been omitted altogether to improve the harps looks, as for function they play easily but their volume is about half what you would get from the above-mentioned Hohner and Seydel harps and the tone from the Johnsons sounds "thinner" than from the others. The tune is off on some of the harps but they are ok for general playing. If you want a set to go on the road with in a semi pro or a professional setting these are not what you would want, if however you are like me a amateur that plays to while away the time or to entertain family and friends who just wants a set of the different keys to play in pickup sessions with friends this is a perfect set for you.

These are good Harps, I had no dead notes on any of the 12 Harps, Good Looking,well built and smooth, good Buy, and Yes would Buy again and recommend to a friend.

I bought a set several years ago and they were very good. the old ones are almost as playable as Honer special 20s. the new ones are a disapointment. Several won't bend well and all are harder to blow. It's like the passages are restricted. The survivors of the old set still play well. I would return them if I could but harps are not usually returnable . Sadly would not buy again.

I ordered this product a couple years back and I got just what I expected. The harps are fairly low quality with about three of them being a bust from the go. Two others were slightly off key of what they were supposed to be which made playing with another instrument problematic. The rest were good if a little thin sounding. The harmonicas that were playable did in fact go bad (busted reed, that sort of thing) after a few months. I don't really use them anymore myself. I would say that these harmonicas are comparable to the hohner blues band harmonicas that run about $5. Considering that these are cheaper when you divide by 12 and they come in each key it actually works out as a better deal than the hohner. The great thing is really the case. I've begun placing the nice harps I have in the case as it is functionally better than anything else I have. It's well made and looks nice enough. It may sound like I'm trashing on these harmonicas but I actually recommend the purchase of these. A good player can make anything sound good. In fact I would argue that, to a certain extent, if you can make a junk harmonica sound good then you'll be all the better playing something nice. It's essentially good training. I wouldn't expect these harmonicas to be something to gig with but they are good enough to fool around with or to practice. I think quality varies a lot on these so just beware. As long as you know what you're getting into, you'll be alright with these.

Though these are not expensive they are perfect for a beginner harmonica accompanist for musical jams where everyone plays in a different key. Besides, having harmonicas that have the same name as my last name is pretty cool!!!!

The case and presentation is very nice, but the sound quality of these harmonicas is very weak. There is a poor joint between holes and top/bottom plates so lots of air is bypassed. They feel very light weight in your hands. Compared to a Honer Special 20 these seemed like they had half the volume. You get what you pay for.

Awesome product, great seller and shipping. Thank you.

Poor quality ..made in China ...toy like not for serious playing

Produits similaires a hohner avec une qualité acceptable

GOOD QUALITY AND PRICE ...

Very good! I like it!!!