Suzuki SCX-64C Chromatix Series C Key Harmonica - 64 Reeds, 16 Holes - Perfect for Blues, Jazz & Professional Performances

The Suzuki SCX-64C is just about everything the company’s blurb claims. It looks magnificent and is nice to play with its ergonomic mouthpiece and the silent, velvet-smooth slide action. Swapping from a 12 holed instrument to this 16 is fairly easy because the holes of the lowest of its four octaves are numbered 1 through 4, then the numbering starts again with another 1 at the fifth hole and continues to hole 12 (the actual sixteenth hole). This makes it two instruments in one and a new player used to a 12 hole harp can ignore the lowest octave and play the SCX-64 as a 12 hole harp. The real delight is how easily the first four holes play with their extra lower notes for tunes requiring mellow sounds below the Middle C.In the first six months of playing the SCX-64C only needed to be checked and cleaned on two occasions. Both times the slide buffers required minor attention, as well as a routine dusting inside the covers and on the reed plates. When brand new, most of the dust came from the plastic case with its faux velvet lining which shed minute fibrous particles that adhered to the lubrication of the mouthpiece slide and inside the covers. For this reason avoid using the case. Preferably, keep the harmonica in a lint-free cloth bag to protect it and for prewarming in an inside jacket pocket.The wind-saver valves often stick, especially in cold weather and the SCX-64C, like most harmonicas, needs pre-warming before playing. Gently puffing out the reeds and valves with cool dry air using a lens cleaning puffer after playing will dry out most of the condensation which causes the valves to stick. From beneath the covers, puffing dry cool air to gently lift the valves from the reed plate usually frees them while revealing any that may still be stuck. The time spent on this drying and cleaning before storing will pay dividends in the long run. Ignore the supplied cleaning cloth – it is just too small to be really useful. It is best to buy a couple of LensPen MicroKlear ™ lens cloths from any good camera store, or AMAZON. Cheap microfiber cloths tend to shed fibrous lint.On the negative side I found what looked like ominous cracks in the plastic comb. However, close scrutiny revealed these to be artifacts from the molding process where the injected resin had flowed around the molded screw hole inserts and cavities to leave hair-line trails: not surprising as the plastic comb is a complex piece of injection molding.Refitting the mouthpiece screws and bumpers is a delicate process, and because the Philips screw heads for the covers are shallower than desirable, care must be taken when matching screw-drivers to the heads. The mouthpiece screws also need to be carefully tensioned equally to allow free movement of the slide while eliminating any air leakage. The Suzuki SCX-64C is a beautiful instrument requiring painstaking care to maintain and handle.The tuning marks on the reeds are neat and the instrument is tuned to within reasonable tolerances. Any notes that fail to sound correctly are the fault of the player and not the harmonica. Learning to successfully play all the usual suspect notes requires daily, patient practice.I am in the process of searching for a second SCX-64C to have a back-up should the first require intensive servicing. In Australia these instruments are rare and seemingly impossible to acquire locally, with major re-sellers seldom able to keep stocks on hand. Even AMAZON only advertises limited quantities, and these are not always available to buyers outside the US. For the money, the SCX-64C is a Chromatic Harmonica to treasure and an instrument to satisfy most players.