Hohner Chrometta 8 #250 Key of C includes Free USA Shipping

Can’t comment about the harmonica yet, but quick arrival time and careful packaging.

You've probably read all of the on-line bulletin board comments. E.g., they're "cheap." The holes are "too big." The mouthpiece isn't comfy. The slide's travel distance is too long. Blah blah blah.

Forget all that. This is a fun little instrument, and well worth the modest price. I work regularly with a great harmonica player who has a whole basket full of Lee Oskar diatonics and Hohner chromatics, and from time to time he loves to pull his little Chrometta 8 out while we're on stage. (As readers may know, I'm a relative newbie to the harmonica -- my part is vocals and guitar or ukulele, and when I play harmonica in public, it's usually to play chords behind my fellow band member's great harmonica solos, while my looper pedal's recording of my guitar or uke part covers a multitude of sins.) I inquired of Rockin' Ron and set up a special order for the Chrometta 8 (with the usual fast service and competitive price) just because my harmonica band-mate seemed to be having so much fun with his.

So here's the deal: This harmonica is well made. Using a Chinese factory lets Hohner sell it at a good price-point. The one-piece comb-mounting for the slide means that it's a tad on the loose side, and yes, the square holes and thin separations are a bit different, and the slide travel is longer than a lot of higher-end chromatics (I also play a Hohner Discovery with a round-hole 270 mouthpiece swapped in), but "different" doesn't mean "bad," and with Hohner specs and quality control, "less expensive because not made in Germany" does not mean "junk."

I'm already having fun with this harmonica, in large part because it is a bit different. It isn't a 270, or CX-12, or Larry Adler, but then it doesn't claim to be. It's simply a much-less-expensive but still nice-sounding instrument.

While I don't expect the Chrometta to be my "go to" chromatic, it's a harmonica that'll probably travel a lot with me in my suitcase or backpack. You may buy one and find that for one reason or another, it just isn't the chromatic for you. But even if you do, you'll have invested so little money that you'll probably be happy to throw it in the glove compartment or a drawer at work, and pull it out from time to time to enjoy some music. But it's also possible that like my band-mate, you'll find the Chrometta 8 just perfect for certain tunes during a performance, and it'll have an honored place in your gig bag.

Bottom line: Nice tone, good playability and quality, and most important ... fun!