HohnerOld Standby G (34BBX-G)

I love saving money, and if you just want a harmonica to goof around with this is a good starter. As you'll see from reading the reviews, the quality control on these is not fantastic, so it's not uncommon to get one that out of the box has a few reeds that just aren't sounding right. That's ok for some, totally unacceptable for others. For sitting around the campfire, probably not a big deal. At about nine bucks, you're definitely getting what you pay for, perhaps a little more.But if you're serious about learning to play, or already know how, you will want the  Hohner Special Twenty Harmonica, Key of C . Yes, it costs about 3 times more. But out of the box you've got a musical instrument instead of a toy/instrument. It will play well right off the bat, and get better the more you play as long as you take good care of it. Shake/smack out the spit after you're done playing. That's about it.Either way, I encourage you if you're thinking about buying a harmonica for the first time to get one of these. It's a great instrument, obviously super portable, and allows you to learn about chords and melody, lessons that can be applied to any other instrument you decide to learn. Music is a wonderful outlet.

Even though China-made and of lesser quality than Hohner's higher-priced German-made harps, this harmonica is a good value, and plays OK. If you're just leaning harmonica, or need a performing instrument, it would be best to spend the money for one of the higher-ends (I like the Special 20s, and when I can afford it, the Crossovers are really nice); however, I bought this (and other Old Standbys in different keys) to have a harmonica I could carry around in my briefcase; take to the park at lunch; play while riding my bike (and possibly dropping it on the pavement if/when I have to make a quick stop); take to the beach; take hiking; etc. etc. It is what it is, and for the price and what it does, it's perfect. The four stars are for practicality, not tone or playability.

I'm just a casual player, but am very pleased with the quality of this harmonica. I had purchased a more expensive harmonica in the key of G, three times the price, and after 2-3 week is has a dead hole, was not as playable as this. There are better harmonicas out there, but for the money, this is hard to beat. Playable and sounds good, a bit on the "country" side.

I purchased this instrument specifically to play the harmonica part for Mary Jane's Last Dance. I am a novice at the mouth harp, but I have listened to our recording and it sounds exactly like I wanted it to. Hohner advertises Old Standby as its Country and Western model and after having played Hohner's  Hohner Hot Metal Harmonica, Key of G  (their Rock and Roll model) I can see that it is a legitimate classification. Beyond the Old Standby having a little more twang, I have found that it's much easier to bend and that one can achieve a little more volume variance than with the Hot Metal. They are both great instruments for the price, but I have to give my full endorsement to Old Standby if I had to choose between the two.

I am very happy with my harmonica. (: It is cheap and comes with a nice plastic case that is handy. I'm sure a 30 dollar harmonica would sound a bit better, but for a beginner or maybe a child, this is a good harmonica. It comes with instructions and on the back of the box it has a whole bunch of other harmonicas, including what genres of music they are best for and if the harmonicas are for beginners, advanced, or professionals. The Old Standy by is under the "Country & Western" genre (although it states that this is just a recommendation) and under the Advanced user category.

In most keys I play Hohner Blues Harp. I thought I'd try this as a quick cheap replacement for my 'G' harp, which my kids got a hold of and blew out a reed goofing off. It was not worth the gamble. The tuning is marginal at best. Two low note reeds stopped working altogether within the first 15 minutes. Air leak is severe on the blow, so lots of air just goes by without making a note. There is little you can do as an artist to put depth into what you are playing - it can't support bends, or volume swells or much of anything. This is kid stuff. If you actually play harmonica, this is not a bargain compared to the $35 "real" Hohner models. This is a throw away. Save your time and jump up to a Melody Maker or Blues Harp. You have been warned.

This is a fine little harp for playing around and learning or for casual campfire playing. The build is decent for the price, seems well constructed in general, but mine came with a slightly wonky 2 draw. Notes bend alright, but even I as a less than accomplished player feel that there is a severe lack of overall playability. The tone and volume control don't even begin to compare with my Golden Melody, but for the price its quite serviceable for a kick-around, back-pocket instrument.

The Old Stand By key of G is not a bad harp for the price, however, mine needed quite a bit of tweeking. 3 holes did not work well at all for draw and 2 of those did not work on a blow. After a little tweeking i was able to get some of it working but i still have work to do though im sure i can get it working in time. Not bad by my special 20 is still my fav.