Tootler: Chromatics have their own set of limitations; they're not the simple answer to the points I've raised. See my comments in this thread.

Steve: The Richter tuning is hardly "the only way to go". It's precisely because enthusiastic non-theoreticians can't overblow (even if their harps were tweaked to facilitate it) and struggle with double-bends, let alone triple ones, that I describe these other options, which can make it easier for them to play what they want to play.

Unlike Paddy Richter harps, which you have to retune yourself, the altered tuning harps I mentioned are easily obtained online and cost no more than regular diatonics; they are available in the same range of standard keys. If you want to change keys by changing harps, you can do it just as easily with these types of harps, and the Melody Maker allows you to change keys without changing harps at all (which may reduce the number of harps you need to buy) while still playing in familiar positions. I fail to see how they are any less "pragmatic"--quite the reverse. Clearly you don't like them, but why be the dog in the manger?