Which Seydel Diatonic Do You Recommend?

I'm frequently contacted by new customers who ask about the Seydel diatonic line and which diatonic they should purchase. It is part of our musical culture and maybe even our "gear head" tendencies to immediately go for the most expensive thinking it is the best. My consistent recommendation is to go with any of the Seydel stainless steel reed models but more specifically, the Session Steel.

The Session Steel is a recessed comb design similar to Lee Oskar and the Hohner Special 20. The recessed comb means that the reed plate sits inside the comb and is surrounded by a plastic ridge. The players lips will actually touch the comb and covers, but not the reed plates. This is not overly significant except that many will find it to be more comfortable to play, especially during long practice sessions and/or gigs. Because the reed plates sit snugly inside the comb, there are no alignment issues and everything snaps into place. The stainless steel reeds used on a Session Steel are the exact reeds used on the 1847 line and the overall construction of the reed plates is for the most part identical, too, except that they are slightly smaller and there is no need for a groove to hold the covers. The ABS manufactured comb is inexpensive to manufacture but by no means lower in quality than the sandwich style.

The Session Steel comes in at a very economical price of $60 and I consider it to be the best deal out there in the harmonica world. It is used exclusively by some of the best players in the world.

Lastly, consider this. As a Seydel dealer and Seydel service partner, I have easy access to any Seydel diatonic I wish to play. My gig case has at least 25 Session Steels.

If you would like additional information on the Session Steel, feel free to contact me here

Want to purchase a Seydel Session Steel? Go here