Dabell is a South Korean company that has been manufacturing musical instrument parts for more than forty years. A few years ago, they started making harmonicas and I recently had the opportunity to try out their three 10-hole diatonic models: Story, Nobel and Contender. I was not disappointed. The build quality is on a par with the well established brands and they all feature phosphor bronze reeds spot welded to brass reedplates a little thicker than standard (about 1mm). The covers are made of highly polished stainless steel and feel very sturdy, with a pleasing absence of sharp edges or corners. Each of the samples I received is in C major, with fairly typical long slot reeds and good tolerances between reed and slot, giving them a nice, bright tone. The reed adjustment is nicely consistent, with all the bends being easy to hit, as well as the overblows in holes 4, 5 and 6. Obviously, hardcore overblowers will want to lower the reed action a little, but right out of the box all of the harps I tried were suitable for a fairly wide range of different playing styles. The tuning is very accurate, with all the octaves sounding nice and clean. The fine tuning appears to have been done using a light touch with a rotary bit, avoiding any nasty gouging of the reed material. They all come in a hard plastic case with a very attractively designed cardboard wrapper.
Story features a dark brown ABS comb, with fully recessed reedplates secured by seven Phillips screws. It has traditionally styled covers that are vented at the ends and wide open at the rear. Tuning is Equal Temperament at 443Hz and the suggested retail price is US$44.
Noble uses a traditional sandwich-style construction, with a maple comb that has a glossy sealant on all the exposed surfaces. The reedplates are attached with seven Phillips screws. The covers are wide open at rear and vented at the ends, the vents having a slightly different shape from those on Story. Again, tuning is Equal Temperament at 443Hz and the retail price is US$56.
Contender also features a sandwich-style design, this time with a yellow coloured solid ABS comb. The reedplates appear identical to those used on the Noble and are attached in the same way with seven Phillips screws. It has full length covers that are considerably less open at the rear. The covers also have a pronounced taper towards the front, which his would make Contender an idea choice if you find many harmonicas to be a bit too much of a mouthful. It is tuned in a compromise temperament rooted at 445Hz, closer to Equal Temperament than to Just Intonation, but enough to sweeten the chords a little. Also, for those of you into mixing and matching, Nobel's covers will fit the Contender without any modification, but if you want to fit Contender covers to the Nobel, you will need to drill a couple of holes in the comb, presumably voiding the manufacturer's warranty in the process. Contender retails at US$47.
All three models are available in all twelve major keys, plus Low D, Low Eb, Low E, Low F, Low F# and High G. They are also available in harmonic minor tuning in all twelve keys, natural minor tuning (labeled in second position) in all twelve keys and melody tuning (also labeled in second position, this tuning gives a full major scale in cross harp) in the keys of C, D, E, G and A. The variety of keys, tunings, covers and combs means that there is something for almost everyone with these three instruments. The only negative comment I night make is that I wish they had some more unique features to distinguish themselves from their competition, but hopefully we might get some of that with future products. In the meantime, they definitely offer what most players want in a diatonic harmonica and I think it is very much to their credit that they came straight out with professional quality instruments, rather than testing the water with some cheaper entry level models. Dabell also make tremolo and octave harmonicas, as well as other instruments and I am very much looking forward to seeing how this brand develops.
For more details, visit their online store.
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