The typical 10-hole Richter harmonica uses a tuning that omits certain notes in the upper and lower octaves, as well as giving the same note on both 2 draw and 3 blow, in order to allow chordal accompaniment in the lowest range of the harp. One of the oldest variations on this layout is the so-called Solo Tuning, patented by in 1907 by William Benjamin Yates, of Alviso, California. This is a tuning that places a complete diatonic scale in each octave of the harmonica and is currently the most common tuning used on chromatics. There have been a variety of solo tuned diatonics made over the years, although there are only a few currently in production. They are most often 12-hole harmonicas, such as the Marine Band 364S (not to be confused with the regular 364, which simply uses an extension of the typical diatonic tuning), the Huang Cadet Soloist and the Hering Special 24 (formerly known as the Master Solo/Master Country). The Huang and Hering use the same hole spacing as a standard 10-hole diatonic, whereas the 364S is a somewhat larger harp. These are all only available in the key of C and both the Huang and Hering may be hard to find. I have seen a couple of cheap Chinese made clones of the Huang and some years ago I obtained a 16-hole solo tuned diatonic (covering the same range as a 64 chromatic) made in China under the name "Blue Danube". More readily available are the Seydel Solist Pro 12, a 12 hole solo tuned harmonica available in G, A, C and D and the Kongsheng EZ12, a 12-hole solo tuned instrument available in all 12 keys.
It should also be noted that Hohner used to make a few other solo-tuned diatonics that you might be lucky enough to find in an antique store or on eBay. First there were the School Band models - both of them were 12-holers, but the tenor version (1816T) was slightly larger than the soprano version (1816S). Each one was available in both C and G, the tenor version being tuned an octave lower than the soprano version. I believe these were made from the late 1930s to the 1950s.
They also made something called the Marine Band Soloist 584. This was a 12-hole harp only slightly larger than a regular Marine Band (just over 4"), with the same spacing of holes as a regular MB, unlike the larger spacing of the 365. This was discontinued in the mid 1970s.
The Educator I was like a 12 holed version of the Golden Melody. According to the catalogs, it was only available in the key of C, but they were apparently produced in a variety of keys, even including minor tuned versions. The Educator I in C major had a G as the lowest note, as did the chromatic version, the Educator II. The lowest two holes were unnumbered, with the third hole numbered "1", giving the same notes as hole 1 of a standard chromatic or diatonic in C. Both the Educator I and Educator II were discontinued in the late 1970s.
Seydel's Orchestra S is a 10 hole harp tuned similarly to the Hohner Educator I, but lacking the top two holes. It is available in the keys of Low C, Low D, Low F, G and A. EastTop make the Brendan Power-designed Lucky 13 in solo tuning in the keys of C, D and G. It is also tuned similarly to the Educator I, but as it has 13 holes rather than 12, it adds an extra couple of notes at the top of the harp. Also like the Educator I, the third hole is numbered "1" to indicate where the first complete scale starts.
Solo tuned diatonics are often marketed as a cheap way for a beginner to learn the note layout of the standard chromatic. However, for blues and rock players the solo tuned harp offers some useful possibilities. Most solo tuned diatonics are unvalved (although the Educator I had valves on the lowest reeds and the Lucky 13 Solo is half-valved), allowing typical blues harp-style note bending. Most often they are played in 3rd position, giving the option of playing those typical middle octave 3rd position licks in both a higher and a lower register. Walter Horton played solo tuned harps on several tunes - see this page for more details. Slim Harpo was also a fan of the solo tuned harp, using one on "Yeah Yeah Baby" (reissued on "Slim Harpo Rocks"), "Snoopin' Around" and "Blues Hangover" (both reissued on "The Best of Slim Harpo") and "Moody Blues" (from the "Live - In Concert" album, not his well known hit with the same title). One of my all-time favorite solo tuned diatonic performances is from Alan Wilson on Canned Heat's "I'm Her Man" from their album "Hallelujah" - there is a somewhat less impressive performance of this tune on the additional footage from Woodstock, where you can clearly see Wilson playing the Hohner 364S. Magic Dick plays a solo tuned diatonic on the Otis Rush tune "Homework", both on the J. Geils Band's debut album and the live album "Full House". I've been told that James Harman and Paul Oscher have also used solo tuned diatonics, although I'm not aware of any recordings of theirs that feature one.
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