Re: [Harp-L] XB-40 Extreme Bender Pros and Cons query

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

> Let me start by saying that I am not an advanced player, just a fairly good 
> intermediate, not into overbends and overblows, and play mainly blues, 
> country, and a little gospel.  I live in the Richmond area where Hohner's 
> main U.S. office is also located.  But I live on one side of town and 
> Hohner is on the other side, some 40 miles for a one way drive.
>
> I purchased an XB-40 at the Virginia Harmonica Fest(?) in Williamsburg last 
> spring.  When I got home and had a little time to try it out, I discovered 
> that every time a played 2-hole draw, there was extra noise coming from 
> inside the harp, something like a rattling/vibrating sound.  Not wanting to 
> take apart a new $70 harp, I decided to drive to Hohner one afternoon to 
> discuss the problem with them, hoping for a quick fix.  After checking in 
> at the front desk, a technician came to the front desk, discussed my 
> problem, then took the harp with him to his work area.  He reappeared in 
> 15-20 minutes with the news that there was nothing wrong with the harp, 
> that my playing style was the problem and I needed to adapt my playing 
> style to the XB-40.
>
> I was a little surprised at the diagnosis, but thanked him for his time and 
> returned home to see what I was doing wrong to cause the problem.  After 
> several hours trying to find my problem, I decided again that it was a harp 
> problem and not my style of playing.  No matter how hard or soft, quick or 
> slow, or any other way I tried to draw through the 2-hole, the harp 
> continued to make the same noise.  Not really playing, but simply drawing 
> air through the harp at different volume levels caused the problem too.  I 
> intended to make a return trip to Hohner to readdress the problem, but time 
> passed quickly and I eventually decided that I had owned the harp too long 
> to expect any action by Hohner.
>
> I am convinced that the harp does have a problem (probably a very minor 
> one) and Hohner did nothing to stand behind it, especially considering my 
> time, trouble and expense to return the harp to them (although they may 
> have if I had been more persistent at the time).  I've read other posts on 
> harp-l that acknowledge problems with certain keys and certain reeds.  So 
> at $70-$80 per harp, I don't intend to purchase the XB-40 in other keys.  
> Having said all that, it is an interesting harp and I think I would have 
> liked playing it (or playing with it) if it had not been for the irritating 
> rattle.  Maybe I'll tear it apart some day and add a little sticky stuff to 
> the thingomabob to see if that'll fix her.
>
> I'm not convinced Hohner has a total commitment to customer satisfaction, 
> considering my problem and other problems discussed on harp-l (with the 
> XB-40 and other new models).  I'll probably continue to buy certain model 
> Hohner harps (I like the MM and SP20), but I'll also look at other brands 
> before buying.  I've found Lee Oskars to be my favorite harp, but 
> understand that others don't like Asian harps because of difficulty with 
> overdraws/bends
>
> Hope this helps.

I have two XB40s.  I am getting to like them more as time goes on, but a lot 
of what you sat in your post rings plenty of bells with me.

I have been playing diatonic harps for a long time now, and I can tell you 
that neither of my two XB40s (in G and low D) was even remotely playable out 
of the box.  All the faults were things that could, and should, have been 
adjusted during the quality control process.  I do adjust most of my harps 
to get them to play the way I want them to, and this I accept as part and 
parcel of obtaining good musical instruments at low cost.  But when I pay 
over fifty quid for a 10-hole harp I don't expect to find reeds out of tune 
from the word go (and I do understand the tunings used), reeds that don't 
sound at all due to poor gapping, one reed misaligned and buzzing, and 
several auxiliary reeds with such excessive gaps (!) that the equivalent 
sounding reed wouldn't play at all.  I can fix all these things myself but 
not everyone can do that or wants to do that, and why should they have to 
anyway?  It's not good enough.  I suspect that a good few people on this 
list have bought an XB40, played it for a bit and then decided that the game 
ain't worth the candle. They possess a harp that sounds sour and has uneven 
response - the latter especially is something one associates with cheap 
market-stall harps.  What a shame, because when an XB40 plays well it's a 
good harp and it does live up fully to the claims made for it with regard to 
bending.

Steve

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