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The Big Sixty Six Harmonica
The Big Six... just got bigger14/04/2025⋱ Chatblog ⨗
The Big Sixty Six Harmonica is basically two Seydel Big Six Harmonicas, of two different keys, strapped together with a hair band.
This fantastical invention dawned on me one day when reminiscing on various 'duo harps', such as the Hohner Double Puck and the Easttop Dual Harp... those seemingly attractive concepts which unfortunately have their quirks.
The idea of course is that you have TWO Harmonicas in one and thus more chords, more melodies and more musical possibilities. The problem is however they are quite large and irritatingly fiddly to "flip" in your hands, since they also never seem to be orientated the way you would like!
The little Puck Harmonica is a lovely little harp, but much lower quality than a regular Harp and from my experience the 'Double' Puck leaves little to be desired in terms of sound projection, reed quality and longevity. Likewise all common quirks found even with the larger 'duo harps'.
Furthermore, all 'duo harps' are always strapped back-to-back, reducing sound quality and are always tuned C/G! Sure, whilst these two keys are closely related, THAT is the problem when you want a wider selection of chords and melodies. Being tuned this way means you already have two identical chords on both harps when you could have something much more useful. If only we could have a 'duo harp' which allows for switching and changing of keys...
Eureka! Enter... The BIG SIX by Seydel Harmonicas... a serious BEAST for its size, fully customizable via the Seydel Harp Configurator and of supreme quality manufacturing.
I thus realised, if I strap TWO Big Sixes together I would, in no less than a few seconds and indeed... words... have solved the paradox.
Why is the Big Sixty Six a revolution in the making?
- Small, lightweight and powerful.
- Easy to flip in your hands.
- Any two keys/tunings of Harp you desire.
- Orientate them however you want.
- Switch in and swap out keys in a nano second.
- A custom-tuned, fully draw-valved Big SIX in G (Blue) with a sharpened Hole 6, giving me an extra F chord, a bluesy minor 3rd in 2nd position and many more bends.
- A custom-tuned, fully draw-valved Big SIX in A Minor (Red), likewise giving me a full range of bends and more chords.
I have always loved the Big Six and indeed the exceptional quality of products and services offered by Seydel, the world's oldest Harmonica manufacturer since 1847.
Over the years I have found myself acquiring quite a handful of these fantastical little harps, all in various custom tunings. The Big Six really has struck a chord with me ~ quite literally. The ability to personally configure them straight from the manufacturer is of course incredible and with know-how allows you to increase the melodic capabilities of the Big Six beyond its default design.
So next time you're out on Route 66, or the "Fosseway" as we have over here in La Great Britain, remember to take your Big Sixty Six along for the ride.
Now, to grab myself a custom Low F...
Thank you for reading.
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