XB-40 Report!

["Mark Wilson" <markwilson53@xxxxxxx>]

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Re: mic repairFound my XB-40 in C in my mail box yesterday.  I'll give a =
brief initial impression as I've only spent about an hour or so messing =
around with it.  First off, I've been hearing this harp described as an =
Omnibender but the words Omnibender appear nowhere on the harp or the =
case.  On the cover plates and the case it says XB-40 Extreme Bending.  =
The harp sort of looks like an over sized special 20 with big square =
holes similar in shape to the Sp 20's.  The comb extends out pretty far =
from the cover plates and is, by itself, almost as thick as a standard =
harp.  I found it to be very comfortable to play as you can easily get a =
good solid lip lock on the comb just as you would if you were playing a =
LO, Sp 20 etc.. =20

The first thought that ran through my mind as I blew my first note was =
that it sounded more like a chromatic than a diatonic.  Like a chrom it =
also required a bit of a warm up.  After playing for a while and =
loosening up a bit I'd say it sounds more like a cross between the two.

The most exciting thing, obviously, is the note bending capabilities.  =
Within 10 seconds of putting the harp in my mouth I'd blown a deep rich =
4 *blow bend* with ease.  The 5 and 6 blows were very easy to bend as =
well. Like a regular diatonic the lower notes are a bit more difficult =
although I was blow bending those notes as well within just a few =
minutes. I worked up several very bluesy licks centered around the 4 =
blow bend within no time.  There are lots of exciting possibilities =
here.

Overall the harp appears to be well built, is attractive, lightweight, =
and seems to deliver on it's promises.  I've already picked my way =
through a couple of melodies that were impossible (for me) on a standard =
diatonic.  If it turns out to be a durable instrument and is affordable =
to repair I'll definitely be picking up some additional keys in the near =
future.

Mark Wilson