Harley Benton Blues Harmonica in A-Major Reviews

Below what I hoped for

I get that they're cheap, but they're not what I hoped, you have to use way too much air to get a sound out of them and the bending is not very natural, there are Chinese made harmonicas, they're called Easttop, and they used to go around 10-12 Euros, but they're way better then the HB ones. I bought 5 of the HB, but I think I'll go a different way for future purchases, even thought I still use them.

good price for this quality

Good enough for the price

It's cheap and cheap sounding, but as an harmonica for someone who's learning its enough.

Good

Came nicely packaged with boxes. I'm no harmonicas expert but for me learning blues improv, work very well.. nice sound and simple, but sturdy build quality. 4eur very good.

Just do it

First things first, I am not a harmonica player. I was ordering something else while listening to piano man, and noticed this. So, 1+1=2 I bought it. It is a small harmonica, so it can easily be caried around in a backpack or purse (way easier to carry around compared to a guitar...). If you feel like learning something different, good place to start.

Excellent value for money

I own several classic hohner harmonicas I can't really tell the difference between those and the Harley Benton one. Keep in mind I am amateur player and play this at home for fun.

In short, if you are considering trying harmonica as a new instrument to see if it suits you, this is perfect and dirt cheap!

Very nice harmonica

Very nice harmonica, gor that price. quolity product, nice sound

great begginners harmonica why pay more ?

I have been playing harmonica for over 40 years , back when a Hohner Marine Band cost what these Harley Bentons do now.. Is the HB as good as the Hohner ? . No, but for the current price of the Hohner you can buy enough of these harps in different keys to play most of songs you want to learn . The main difference is that these are plastic with smaller combs . Less air in and out = less volume ,not as good for live acoustic performance but when learning you are less likely to annoy others . Begginners also tend to play way to hard which makes the harmonica go out of tune and makes some notes harder to play which is something you don't want to happen after a couple of weeks with a £25+ harp . Learn to play with HB and once you get better invest in a more expensive harps in most used keys and they should last for years . I believe that these are exact same harmonicas are being sold under many different brandnames for as much as £10 each. at £3.50 these HB's really are a no brainer

I was suprised how good it sounds. Its loud enough. Great feel.

Great sound

Great sound for the price.

Get something else!

It's a bit of hit and miss with Harley Benton products. This one is not a real instrument, its a cheap toy that can't really be played. I bought a Fender Blues Deville after this and that is a harp, this is not. It's cheap but its a paper weight so do yourself a favour and get something else.

The best for the price

I bought this because I wanted to give harmonica a try.

Those Harley Benton harmonicas are really cheap and work fine, so they're the best to start with.

Good instrument to start

For this price it is a good instrument to start, to practice. Plays easily, well tuned. You can afford a hole set of these. Its not the top but affordable for everyone!

The harp in A for those blues in E

Inexpensibe and with an OK sound, this harp is the everyday companion for my other harmonica in D. These two help me play Muddy Waters with a characteristic blues sound. If you play the rhythm guitar, you can learn and add this blues sound, with the hamonica mounted on a rack. The way Bob Dylan did.

lovely practice instrument

I bought this Harley Benton Blues Harmonica in A to learn to play the harmonica and to play along with E- blues jamtracks on Youtube, in second position.

The lowest note is a bit out of tune, but that may be my beginners' playing... Anyway, this note is difficult to play on most harmonicas I think.

I think its a cool practice instrument, it does the job and for me it is well worth the almost 5 euros.

The best budget harp.

I play a lot of sessions, & do a lot of live work. I use these harps as an everyday instrument, playing both blues cross harp, or as a first position instrument. I sometimes play guitar & bass with these harps on a rack; as this type of use involves more spit than subtlety, I have worn out my more expensive Lee Oskar models, which I now use for session or solo work only. These harps are the budget fall back. Loud, with soul, well made, they compare extremely well with classic expensive brands. I spent time & money on other budget brands until finding these, which are a cracking standby, & have been fairly rugged & well made for the abuse I give them. I would recommend these for use as above as a cracking day to day harp, & would offer an encouraging quality in sound to the beginner too. My recommended choice of budget harmonica. Excellent value for money!!

Harley Benton blues harmonica

I don't have prior experience of harmonica/harp playing, just thought of learning some. The price is a joke but the instrument isn't, it doesn't feel like a toy. At least for starters you get a totally acceptable harmonica sound to go with your guitar and vocals. How long lasting this instrument is remains to be seen.

Good quality, pretty nice sound - at low price

This product was purchased just for trying and I didn't have any expectations but when I got it, I was surprised as it came in a nice box with the harmonica inside. The instrument itself looks good and the sound is okay as this is an inexpensive product.

Quiet blues

This has a broad tone, but without the projection that I am used to.

I do however look forward to using it for recording in real time performance as my regular blues harps are too shrill and aggressive next to the vocal microphone. The quietness and breadth of tone may serve me better there, than attempting to mute performance harps that are over loud for that purpose.

A budget harp

For its price, it's a decent harp. The sounds are actually nice (for this price I expected much worse).

Compared to more expensive ones (that cost 3+ times more than this one), there are downsides. The airflow is not separated in each chamber, so bending and general responsiveness is not that great. Although unlike other cheap harps, the sound is consistent between individual notes and does not require different power to sound in the same volume.

The case, although included, does not hold the harp firmly, so it bounces inside. Both the case and harp feels like a budget model.

Decent harp for its ridiculously low price, although for serious bending capabilities, higher price harps should be considered.