any melodica players out here?

[twiggymac]

a while back i toyed around with the idea of buying a melodica, and now i am alot more interested. it seems there arent many online communities for melodicas so i havn't really been able to find out too much about them.

i understand how they work and what they are and what to expect, but i dont know much besides that hohner is a "good" brand. ive been trying to find out info for buying a first melodica, what to look for and what to avoid, but i have found nothing.

so my question for you guys (if there are any) is what can you recommend to me and what i should expect out of it, keeping in mind this will take time and money away from my guitar obsession

 

[stevens]

Dude, the Hohner is perfect. It's a fun thing to play, it'll just leave you dizzy!

 

[twiggymac]

well you're recommending hohner, but what about 32/37/whatever amount of keys they sell them with? ive seen some hohner's on ebay for quite cheap. know what the "new" prices are on some of these so i can try to make a deal?

 

[mal paso]

I don't play melodica, but I've wanted one for some time. Hohner seems to be the way to go for a decent, affordable, 1st time melodica

 

[goz211]

I've the cheapest one I could find that was pro enough to be giggable. Hohner Student 32. I play it with the plastic mouthpiece, not the tube thing.

I use it at folk gigs. Mixed crowd but plenty of oldies. The tube looks a bit too medical.

You can get an expensive one with a pickup. I've found that the vocal mic works fine.

 

[Radspin]

I play one in my band and it's an incredible attention-getter. People love it when I break it out. It's a Chinese-made Angel Melodyhorn my wife bought for me on ThinkGeek.com. $29, BUT--the top key doesn't work. I told Think Geek that and they sent me another one for free, BUT--one of the middle keys didn't work. So, they told me to just keep both of them and refunded my money. I use the first one at gigs since I don't really need the top key.

Most of the Hohners I've played are nice BUT--my son bought the cheaper one for $29 and it's a little flatter than concert pitch and the keyboard is a little uneven. If I had to buy one again I'd go for one of the more expensive Hohner models.

I use the tube because it lets me hold the melodica at an angle and see the keyboard. If I use the regular mouthpiece and hold it straight out I can't see the keyboard very well.

Clean the mouthpiece every couple of gigs or it will start to get a little...ripe.

 

[Warm Gums]

I have a older Hohner.. plays great.
If the melodicas are anything like the harmonicas these days, there are German models and much less expensive Chinese made ones, Its worthwhile to get the German made ones.
I also prefer the piano style keyboards, although if you don't play keys, the "candy bars" may work better for you.

 

[twiggymac]

Clean the mouthpiece every couple of gigs or it will start to get a little...ripe.

oh don't worry, i am a practiced saxophonist of 11 years now, i understand that. so most people are just saying to go for it....i may have to. i'm not into gigging quite yet but im considering going more for it

 

[RevMike]

I had nice Hohner, but I ended up giving it to a freind. The sound is cool, but I have some breathing issues, and I was gettin' loopy headed after a few minutes of playing.

 

[ludashoeless]

yes but annoying as hell when some people come over lol

 

[blue metalflake]

I had one of the original Hohner ones back in late '60s. They need a lot of air & they're not so loud.

 

[twiggymac]

so i got from this that they need alot of air, ok 11 years of sax should do me well. anyone know if there are "wrong" directions to go with melodica? like are there brands that are bad and not worth the time?