Reddit mentions of Lee Oskar Harmonica, Key of C, Major Diatonic

Well there are two different harmonicas so first you have to ask yourself which one. The more common one is a diatonic which comes in different keys. The generally recommended beginner harmonica is a key of C. Then there is a chromatic harmonica. These are usually more expensive.

I'll assume you want to play the more common diatonic harmonica as it's what I'm more familiar with. Some good ones to look at are the Marine Band (which has a wood comb so can be a little more picky with regards to maintenance but some swear it sounds better), the special 20 (similar to the marine band but with a plastic comb), Suzuki Harpmaster, Lee Oscar, and the Golden Melody.

Next you'll need lessons. I've found Adam Gussow's lessons to be really good. He has some free ones on youtube so you can get to know his style and for a beginner I recommend his beginner's special. As a first step I'd recommend looking at his free 2 part into lesson. part 1 and part 2.

Also be sure to check out /r/harmonica. It's not the most active subreddit but it has some good resources. Good luck, it's a fun instrument and it's pretty cheap to pick up a really good harmonica (Figure around $30USD).

As /u/Smufflegump has noted, Hohner, Seydel, and Suzuki all make high quality harps. But its more important to note their specific high-quality harmonica. Hohner does makes $5 pieces of crap, so don't just buy based on the company name.

Hohner Special 20 a great starter harp, but it isn't as high quality as the Hohner Crossover. The Seydel Session Steel is the high-quality harp from Seydel.

I dunno Suzuki, although I hear they make good Harps as well.

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I personally only have a Hohner 1896 Marine Band. Its not bad, but the nails make it difficult to service. The harder, sharper wood is also abrasive while playing. If I were to redo things, I'd get a screw-based Harmonica (Lee Oskar or The Hohner Special 20).

One day I'll buy the top tier Harmonicas and try them out (like the Session Steel or Crossover). But I definitely can say that the ~$40 tier is perfectly acceptable for a beginner. I did have to adjust the reed distances to perform overblows however (it was literally impossible to do a 4th hole overblow until I took the harmonica apart and pushed the reeds around), which is why I'd suggest something that can be easily taken apart (ie: Special 20 or Lee Oskar). Lee Oskar gets bonus points for selling the individual reed plates to their harmonicas. If you bust your Lee Oskar due for any reason, buy a reed plate for half-off and you can fix it.

A diatonic Harmonica can be played chromatically if you learn to control the squeaky overblows, and master bending to the correct pitch. But more often, musicians seem to just buy another Harmonica in a different key, or buy a chromatic harmonica.

In any case, the "bluesy" notes come from the 2nd hole and 3rd hole draw bends. All harmonica players need to master these. The overblow technique is very advanced and doesn't seem to be used very often... but needs to be mastered if you want to play something crazy like Wammer Jammer.

You think this would be good? http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Oskar-1910-C-Harmonica/dp/B000Q87DAQ