Hohner Crossover vs Seydel 1847 Classic

Hohner's Crossover and Seydel's 1847 Classic sit at roughly the same price points in the respective companies' ranges and are both popular choices for players looking for a traditional styled harmonica with responsiveness and classic tone. Let's take a look at the differences and similarities of these harps and help to determine which suits your needs best.

The Crossover is descended from the venerable Marine Band harmonica, although it has been significantly modernised with a swell resistant bamboo comb, bolted construction and a modern compromised intonation. The 1847 Classic is quite a similar looking harp, but its maple comb means it's heavier in the hand, something some players may like and others may not.

Both harps are exceptionally airtight - much more so in fact than their cheaper counterparts, but the Seydel just edges the Crossover in responsiveness. The Hohner, however, is super easy to do large bends on, and has a real raspy blues tone that would work well with a vintage mic and overdriven amp. For more melodic runs in country and folk styles, the Classic has a slightly more soulful tone, and it is available in a huge range of tunings and intonations, making it more versatile if you want to use one model of harp across many genres of music.

To sum up, for blues and rock licks there are few harps that can outperform the Crossover. However, for melodic work in pop folk and country genres, the Classic's tone shines through, and the stainless steel reeds are generally significantly longer lasting than the brass reeds on the Hohner. One further factor that may be a decider is availability; Hohner's production of certain keys of Crossover is infuriatingly erratic at times, whilst Seydel, in comparison, can knock you up a completely custom tuned 1847 in a few days, should you wish!

	vs
Harmonica Name	Hohner Marine Band Crossover Harmonica	Seydel 1847 Classic Harmonica
Harmonica Type	Diatonic Harmonica	Diatonic Harmonica
Number of Holes	10	10
Comb Material	Wood	Wood
Number of Reeds	20	20
Spare Reeds Available?	Yes	Yes
Tuning	Richter	Richter
Valved?	No	No
Musical Styles	Blues, Rock, Pop, Folk	Blues, Rock, Pop, Folk
Available Keys	A, B Flat, D, G, C, F, E, B, E Flat, G High, F Sharp, D Flat, A Flat	A, B Flat, D, Low F, G, C, F, E, B, E Flat, G High, F Sharp, D Flat, A Flat, Low E, Low D, Low F Sharp, Low E Flat, Low D Flat, Low C, Low B Flat, Low Low F, A High, A Flat High, Low B, Low Low F Sharp, Low Low E, Low A Flat, B Flat High, Low G, Low A
Price from	£64.99	£59.99
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