TOMBO NO.S-50 Chromatic single Harmonica

This harmonica is the real deal it has a great tone you can play through notes quickly and it has very deep notes sounds some of the notes sound like a bass instrument. A great instrument for blues and jazz and Country music songs.

The chromatic layout of this Tombo S-50 intrigued me. I've never played a slide-less chromatic and the price was right so I ordered it. Since receiving it and playing it I am quite satisfied. The build quality is very good (ABS comb) and it it an attractive harp. It has sensitive reeds, good tonal quality and a very big sound and presence. Although I'd prefer the carrying case not be YELLOW, it is quite functional and nice, I'm assuming that the instructions are in Chinese, but it's not like I need harmonica instructions. I have nine harmonicas, Hohners, Suzuki and Hering. This Tombo S-50 is as good of quality as any of them and if you are interested in trying a slide-less chromatic I recommend this one.

Nice tone. Layout makes more sense to me than push button chromatics. Very pleased with the quality/value. Pretty much what I expected. Excellent tone and volume. Seems air tight.

It was of average quality. Some of the holes did not play so I returned it.

I was pleasantly surprised at the tonal quality and overall performance of this harmonica. It's quite a bargain and compares well with more expensive slide chromatics. Not as rich in tone as my Hohner 64, but I can barely hear the difference between this Tombo and my Hohner CX12. Yes, having to slightly tilt the harp to access the second row of sharp holes requires a bit of a a learning curve. And I've seen comments at other sites about the traditional slide harps being faster, but my opinion is that you have to be playing at a very high level for this to be a concern. I have only owned it for a couple of weeks, but my impression is that this is not an instrument that has to be babied, especially with the one piece reed cover design. Ultimately, a lot of harmonica for the money.

This Chinese-made Tombo harmonica, sent from a company in the USA, was in better condition on arrival, than the Tombo No.1577, mailed from Japan. It's a beautiful harmonica, both in appearance, and in it's superb tone. I might have an easier time learning this Tombo S-50, than the No. 1577, because I'm not experienced with the reed placements of the 1577. After a few weeks' practice, both harps will be a valued addition to my harmonica collection. The highest pitched reeds at the last 2 chambers on the right side of the S-50 don't make a sound. I prefer these slideless chromatic harmonicas over the Suzuki Alto Single and Soprano Single slideless harmonicas. The Tombos are smaller and easier in the hands than the bigger Suzuki models. Best Regards John Broecker email: [email protected] Thanks again for these superior Tombo products.

This looked like an interesting thing to experiment with. But I can't tell if it's a cleverly laid-out device or not, because its quality is so poor that it's just unplayable. Too many blow notes are either weak and wheezy, or entirely nonfunctional. Draw notes are even worse; almost none of them make so much as a squeak no matter how hard I huff & puff. This thing just flat-out doesn't work. The only harmonicas I have which are this bad are Chinese ... and Tombo is a Japanese outfit, right? Lee Oskars are Tombos, and I've never had weak or dead notes on any of my Oskars. So what's going on? A look at the bottom cover revealed all. "CHINA". Yes indeed, it has those telltale hallmarks of Chinese harmonicas, or at least all (well, with a single exception) of the dozens I've tried. And those telltales signs are ... weak notes, dead notes, and colossal air leaks. And this harmonica, being bigger and having far more reeds than the basic diatonic, has more weak and dead notes and air leaks than the run-of-the-mill Chinese junker. Garbage. Avoid. Why decent harmonica manufactures - who work for years to build up brand recognition and reputation - muck around with outright trash is hard to understand. There may be a good Chinese harmonica somewhere ... but if so then Hohner, Suzuki, and Tombo haven't managed to find it.

nice idea, but this harmonica is very difficult to play ( mouthpiece very big and not enough confortable )