Thank you for the link, Tootler. I've had a quick look.

I'm a fairly skilled woodworker (not meaning to boast) and for a while there, it looked like I would be able to rent a place to work and finally unpack my tools, which have been packed up for over a decade. I've had a bit of a set-back, now, but I still hope to do it sometime soon. If I can, I'd quite like to fiddle about with instruments.

Most of my harmonicas are about 20 years old. One or two of them might be 10 years older; I'm not sure. They've held up extremely well. All of them are Hohners. I didn't actually ever play them very much until a couple of years ago. I don't play blues very often and rarely bend notes. The Hohner broschure I have says that bending notes causes the reeds to wear out, which makes sense to me. That's not why I don't do it, though; it just doesn't suit my style.

I like the chromatic, but I find it easier to play the diatonic, if a song allows it. Sometimes its surprising what can be played on a Richter harmonica: for example, the chorus of "La Vie en Rose" and most of "La Mer" (Charles Trenet's, not Debussy's) can be played on a diatonic harmonica. Sometimes a bend or two is necessary. I don't find it very easy to bend when using a rack, though.