Buying a Harmonica: New or Secondhand? A Comprehensive Guide

When acquiring a new harmonica, prioritize quality, reliability and condition by carefully considering your purchase options. You can either buy a new harmonica or a used one. I personally prefer new instruments, which is what I almost always buy, and I don't own any vintage or rare harmonicas. While I recommend buying new, I have also bought second-hand harmonicas and can share my experiences.

New Instruments: 

Reliable Sources: Purchase from reputable music stores, whether physical or online. These days you can almost buy anything online. It is incredible. I remember when I started playing in the early 2000s, the only harmonica menu I had was the one in the local music store. And their harp stock varied and was not the best. Which was good and bad - I could support the local dealer but I could not always get the keys and models I wanted or needed. So embrace and enjoy the times we are living in now. 

Guarantees: Ensure the seller offers a warranty or a generous return/service policy to protect your instrument within the first year. This provides peace of mind and allows for potential factory defaults and guarantee.

Feel of fresh and new: Hygiene, tuning, new materials and quality inspection. There are many logical benefits of buying a new instrument. One more aspect is the feeling of freshness and trust. I need to trust my instruments. And if I am the only one who has played it - I know its history and what has happened to it. So I can both calculate and diagnose an error that might occur more quickly. 

Used Instruments:

You could say that buying a used harmonica is like buying a used tooth brush. But still - there are good deals to make. If considering a used instrument, I think it is good to have it inspected and serviced by an experienced repair technician. Don’t buy old harmonicas where you don't know the history. Harmonicas do not age well when left alone in a drawer for 20 years. They can have strange smells and tastes that you don’t know the origins from. Parts can be loose, gone or damaged.

Older instruments may have hidden problems that could impact playability and longevity. These can include:

Worn Metal: Age can weaken metal components, potentially leading to structural instability or difficulty in playing. This can mean that the reeds can break more easily. The reeds, rivets, reed plates or even screws can have corrosion or discoloration. The rivets can collect dust and the metal can taste strange when reaching a certain age if left alone in a case. 

Tuning of the instrument: Tuning of an instrument can always change over time. The players breath, the temperature, material and the playing style of the musician - all of this affects tuning. If you buy a used instrument, it is very good if you are able to retune your own instrument. Or maybe the seller can offer fine tuning before selling it.

Stiff Valves: Valves may become stiff or unresponsive due to age, wear, or improper maintenance. A common problem is that they tend to rise above the reed plate. If this happens, you need to get them all replaced. The glue that holds the valves may have dried out, causing them to weaken or just fall off when starting to play the instrument. This has actually happened to me on harmonicas that are “only” 15 years old - imagine then getting an instrument that is 30 years old. 

Cracked combs: Used instruments can have cracked combs, causing them to be very leaky and not give a pleasant playing experience. Often a wood comb has this problem. Also if a harmonica is left in a box for 10 years it is in most cases not cleaned before it was put in the box. This means dried saliva, bacteria, gunk and stuff will still be inside the harmonica comb. It can also cause mold problems if the environment has been humid. Also if the harmonica has been dropped by the previous owner, plastic combs can crack. For chromatics - a common area to break is around the mouthpiece screw hole. Or a bent mouthpiece slider or missing slider button is very common to see.

Buying second hand wood comb harmonicas is much more a risk than a second hand plastic or brass comb harmonica. Wood is an organic material that always changes depending on its surroundings.

Unknown History: Be mindful that used instruments may have been subjected to varying levels of care and usage, potentially impacting their overall condition. I learned this firsthand. I bought a second-hand chromatic that played fine, but had a scraping sound from the slider. Upon inspection, I discovered the previous owner had performed some strange modifications to the mouthpiece and spring hole, requiring me to replace the comb and mouthpiece. Ultimately, it cost more than buying a new model. I also bought a second-hand chord harmonica, but the valves began falling off within days, and I nearly swallowed one. Another chromatic I purchased had extreme discoloration and an unpleasant odor. After replacing the covers and washing everything many times, it worked fine. But I have bought two bass harmonicas in perfect shape second hand so you can really set a good deal sometimes. 

Diatonic harmonicas are safer to buy second hand in that sense that there are less parts to check after. And it is an easier construction to clean. 

In general buying used can be a gamble. If the instrument looks well-maintained and was acquired within the last 5-10 years, it's more likely to be in good condition. Always ask when the previous owner bought it and how old it is.

If you are good at servicing harmonicas or maybe have a friend that is good at it, there is a second hand market for harmonicas to check out. Another good thing with buying used is that you can use that harmonica as an “experiment” harmonica and learn to service yourself. 

Buying second hand instrument from a harmonica technician

This can be a great way to save money and get a good instrument. Harmonica technicians are often passionate about what they do and care about their customers. If a harmonica is taken care of and repaired according to industry standards, buying second-hand is often not a problem. It is also better for the environment and your wallet. You might even be able to negotiate the price, as it is not a new product.

If you compare with guitars - it is almost always an advantage to buy a used guitar. I have bought several guitars used at a better price than new and they have been top-class instruments.

Buying second hand custom instruments

This can be a good deal! As long as the instrument is in OK shape and well taken care of you can get a really nice instrument for a good price. At the same time - it can be good to ask about the history and see picture examples of both inside and outside so the seller does not just write “custom” and then you don't know who the customizer is. Often customizers write a signature on the reed plates.

Another option

Is to buy second hand harmonicas and then send them to a repair technician for renovation and service. However - this might cost more or almost the same as a new one in the end. Not all technicians accept this work so be sure to double check that before sending them for repair. But if it is a specific model you want that is no longer manufactured, this is the way to go. I have many professional musician friends that do this, it is common among other wind and string instruments.

How to clean a second hand harmonica

Chromatic harmonica:

Take it apart. Cleaning everything else but reed plates under warm water. Use hand dishwashing detergent to clean. After dried up you can also spray alcohol surface cleaning liquid and wipe off. If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, you can put the parts in there. 

Reed plates - spray alcohol surface disinfection on a piece of cloth and gently wipe off the reed plates, reeds and valves. Very gently. You can also put the reed plates in an ultrasonic cleaner but you will probably need to replace a few valves after.

Diatonic harmonica:

Take it apart. You can wash everything under warm water and hand dishwashing detergent as long as the harmonica does not contain any wood parts. Use alcohol disinfection spray after. Or clean it in an ultrasonic cleaner. 

Sometimes you need to clean the harmonica two or three times.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments - have you bought a second hand harmonica? Or do you always buy new?

Best regards,
Filip