Re: [Harp-L] (Relatively) "Cheap" Overblow/overdraw

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert Coble wrote about the AX-S20 Turboharp:
<Bottom line question: does this harp make overblows/overdraws easier? 
<YES!
<
<I usually play Lee Oskar harps, but they don't make it easy to 
<overblow/overdraw without a lot of tinkering. I could hit the 6OB the 
<FIRST TIME, using the AX S-20, without a lot of effort. Before getting 
<this harp, I too relegated OB/OD to the category of "I need to learn 
<how to do this - LATER". Now I can add this technique to the tons of 
<other stuff I'm learning and practicing.

I agree with Robert that the Turboharp is much easier to overblow than a
stock S20 or Lee Oskar.  I will add that the Turboharp seems to be very
stable in pitch on draw bends, too, more so than any other stock harp in
my collection. It's louder than a stock S20, too.  For people into fully
chromatic playing on the diatonic, or just a louder instrument, it's
certainly worth a look, especially if you want to move up from standard
harp setups one step at a time, as opposed to laying out a hundred or
more for a fully customized instrument.  For a little more than half
that, a Turboharp gives you a lot, including your choice of whether you
want the reed gaps set up for volume or overblowing. 

The covers on the Turbolid may or may not thrill you.  I find that they
really help project the sound on low-pitched harps (from A to Low D)
especially, and I have a few low Special 20s that are fitted with them.
The bulby low end is a problem for me on some of my solo material,
because it makes it harder for me to play out of both sides of my mouth
at once, and reduces the distance I can stretch.  So they thrill me some
of the time, not all.

I would certainly buy more Turbolids if they were available for Lee
Oskar diatonics, which remain my favorites. For that matter, I'd be
interested in seeing the Turbo-people make the same mods to a Lee Oskar
that they've made to Special 20s. 

Thanks, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com