Hohner Golden Melody Model # 544 (New February 2023) Free USA Shipping.

I'm a huge fan of the original Hohner Golden Melody and it's my favorite harmonica to date. When I heard that Hohner was going to change it in 2023, I was very skeptical with how it was going to play. I started playing the original version in July of 2020 because of my harmonica hero, Terry McMillan, who played it up from the late 1970s until his passing in 2007. I refused to believe that the design change was a good thing because I heard the new version was bad. So I refused to buy the new one for the longest time.
How I got one in my hands was because of somebody on Facebook named Adam Winrich. He sent me a Bulletini and a 2023 Golden Melody in the key of A for Christmas last year. The harp was actually a pleasant surprise as it was airtight despite what my friends who also tried it out told me. I also thought it would be awkward to hold due to the divet in the back, but the fingers in my hand were able to cross over it and hold it just fine without any problems. How somebody thought the divet is a place to hold your fingers at, I don't know how they came up with that. Timbre-wise, both the original and the redesign sound almost identical, with the redesign sounding a tad bit brighter. I think the back of the harp being mostly open contributed to the slight tone change. Also for those who want to play amplified and are used to the original, it is going to be very bright through an amp unless if you used a mid/bass heavy sound (which I don't). So proceed with caution.
Also, can people stop complaining about the tuning on these harps to me? I get it you're used to Marine Bands, but can you please not shun me for having my harmonica tuning sound like the harp playing I grew up on? They can be used for blues too, not just for melodies. Check out Paul deLay, Terry McMillan, and Sonny Terry's later recordings. They sound just fine as they are.

i like it. i can't compare to old model because i never really played one. i will say this new one is thicker and fits my mouth a lot better. the wider open back is better. the sound is great and it is just as loud as my rockets

Sounds good. Bends really easy. Not as comfortable to my mouth as the Special 20, but just as easy to play and sounds great for single notes and melodies.

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In many ways this feels like a well-made harp, played well right out of the box, still as easy to play as ever, but to my ear the tone just doesn't sound as good as the old models. Sounds thinner and not as beautiful. Tone and ease of play were the main reasons I loved Golden Melody.
I probably won't be buying any more of these.