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

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I have several XB-40's and they all played just fine out of the box.
Yeah, there's a learning curve involved with bending but as Winslow
points out, it's a new tool. There's also a problem with the high end
on higher pitched harps (C & D). When I reach for a harp I always grab
a standard diatonic but there are a few songs where the XB is
indispensible. Try playing the old-timey song Over The Waterfall on a
regular harp. You either fake it or grab a chromatic. I'm sure Howard
Levy could do it with overblows but most of his disciples couldn't.
Same goes for the very-hip modern bluegrass tune Shitake Swing.

One of my faves to play on an XB is Stephan Grapelli and Django
Reinhard's Minor Swing. I prefer to use a CBH but an XB in slant harp
on a C gets the job done quite well.

Bobby