[Harp-L] Antaki Turboharp AXS20 brief review

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I ordered an Antaki AXS20 Turboharp in A Country Tuning (draw five reed
raised a half step) a few months ago, and it was delivered about a week
ago.  The following are some initial impressions.

The harp now retails at about $50, so in price it's midway between a
stock Special 20 and a typical customized harp.  The instrument came
fitted with fire-engine red plastic Turbolid cover plates.  The Turbolid
plates have two great advantages -- they seem louder, and they're very
easy to hold.  On lower-pitched harps especially they seem to produce a
harder attack, and when I have to jam on an unfamiliar mic and PA system
in the key of D I usually reach for my G S20 with a Turbolid.  The
disadvantage of the Turbolid for me in particular is that the bulbous
low end makes it difficult to play big intervals like 12ths and double
octaves starting on the lowest notes. Most players don't use such
intervals, so it's probably not a problem for many.

The manufacturer enclosed a note advising that the harp was gapped for
overblowing.  In fact, overblows were very easy.  However, I prefer to
hit the harp a little louder and take my chances with the overblows, so
I re-gapped the reeds for heavier playing.  While re-gapping, I noticed
that something new had been fitted to the reed plates -- a second plate
that hugged the reeds close at their bases and flared at the tips.  The
product literature advised that this plate is designed to direct airflow
to the tip of the reed, and further that some reeds might have been
fitted with a tape patch to stabilize them.  

I compared this instrument to my Glenn Davis-made custom Marine Band in
A, also a Country-tuned instrument.  The Davis harp is the loudest
diatonic I own, but not easy to service.  The AXS20 is not as loud as
the Davis harp, but certainly has a faster and punchier response than
any stock A harp I've played.  It has an edge to the tone that's unusual
in a A harp, and in the low register the tone is smooth and deep.  The
mid to high register, once re-gapped, responded quickly, even to rapid
notes.

After I'd played the harp for a day, I suddenly realized that control
over bends was remarkable. Bent notes were extremely stable.  It seemed
also to be easier to bend immediately to the right pitch, even on
troublesome bends like the whole step bend on the draw 3 reed.  I felt
an entirely new level of confidence in my ability to hit and hold any
bend with minimal change in tone.  I suspect that people who like to use
very low harps, like a low D, will find that this instrument makes such
keys a lot easier to handle.

The combination of strong tone and new levels of bend control make this
an interesting harp.  I intend to buy one or two more -- probably a C
and an F -- to see how they play throughout the range.   

Disclaimer: I paid for this harp. In general I have no financial
interest in anything having to do with Antaki Instruments.

regards, Richard Hunter
http://www.hunterharp.com