Re: [Harp-L] Octave Splitters

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

B Boggs wrote:
<  I want to replace the Boss Harmonist HR-2 Octave Splitter which I liked alot. 
<Are there any other choices to consider. The HR-2 sounded great with all the amps
<I have. I recall posts about other octave splitters that handled chords better  
<then the HR-2.

The Electro Harmonix HOG and POG are great if you've got $300 (used) to $400 (new) to spend.  They track very well, and they'll duplicate a note or chord in multiple octaves simultaneously.  Listen to Hazmat Modine's music at CDBaby.com to hear what that thing sounds like on a diatonic harp.  It's, like, a big sound.

The Digitech RP series devices all have a very nice pitch shifter--tracks well on single notes and chords, goes from an octave down to an octave up and anything in between.  I use mine on lots of different stuff, and I love it.  The RP 100A, 200A, and 300A are being blown out right now at very attractive prices (less than $100 for the RP 200A) at online retailers like Musiciansfriend.com to make room for the  new RP 150/250/350.  They don't duplicate the tones in more than one octave at a time, but at those prices you could afford to buy two of them and still save $100 over a used POG.  (However, you'd have to run the two devices in parallel somehow to do what the POG does.)

You can hear samples of the octave doubler on the RP200 (along with a lot of other effects) at my website at:
http://hunterharp.com/effectset.html

I'd steer clear of the Boss OC-2 unless you only want to double one note at a time.  It doesn't track chords, and it doesn't track very well at all above the 6 blow hole on most harps, either.  However, if what you want is to play convincing single-note bass lines on a diatonic harp, it might be the right thing for you.  it can produce a pretty hellacious sound when you run an envelope filter, phase shifter, etc. after it in the signal chain.  I believe Jason Ricci also uses one, with the octave doubling turned off, as a kind of compressor in his rig.

regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com
Latest MP3s always at http://www.broadjam.com/rhunter