Re: XB-40 vs. everything else

["Jp Pagan" <coquiblues@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Doc,

   that's kind of a tough question to answer. in one sense you're comparing 
apples and oranges, but in another, you're comparing harmonicas, of course 
;)
    1.) the XB-40 is NOT a regular harmonica (you may know this, but it's 
integral to the answer so i'm saying it again anyway, just in case...). the 
XB-40 is designed so that every note, blow and draw, can be bent down by at 
least 2 semitones (the 3 draw bends down 3 semitones, like on a regular 
harp). no other customized harp, with the possible exception of valved 
harps, can come close to what this makes possible. on an XB-40, using the 
same bends any diatonic player should be able to do, you can play every note 
in 3 octaves (actually a little more. on a C harp, the lowest note is 
usually C, which you can now bend down to Bb. the highest note is still C 
though. i think.) the bends on an XB-40, though they use valves, are not 
"valved bends." they are regular bends and work by the interaction of 2 
reeds, just like a draw 2 bend on a regular harp. i've tried one and it was 
suprisingly easy to bend every note (like draw 5 or blow 7 or draw 9 or blow 
6... but i'll admit, i didn't get into blow-bending the low notes, but 
everything does take some practice...)
    2.) ok, so much for the apples and oranges. how are they similar? well, 
an XB-40 is still a regular harp in that it has covers and a comb and reeds 
etc... i don't have extensive experience with the XB-40 (since no one can 
get one right now!! ;) but an educated guess will tell you that any WELL 
customized harp (say, by Bob Meehan, Tim Moyer, or Tim Northcutt) will 
almost certainly be more airtight, more responsive, more in tune, and will 
stay that way longer than any mass-produced harp (like the XB-40). if you 
plan to play the exact same licks you've always been playing, then a 
customized harp will be better than the XB-40, since you're getting an 
increase in quality. if you want to play things never before possible (yes, 
even with overblows) on a regular harp, then you want an XB-40.

     apples for cider, oranges for a screwdriver.

         --Jp

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