Re: [Harp-L] Harps made in China

[Ken Deifik <kenneth.d@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 10:39 PM 4/23/2008, Ron wrote:
> I am curious to know your experience with the Fire breath harps.
>
> I am an intermediate blues player.  I have tried many harps, but mostly 
> played the MB.  I then tried a Fire Breath. I love the feel  & sound of 
> it, but it seems to bend very differently from Hohner  MB, special 20 & 
> Lee Oskars.  I find it hard to play.  (It's an F).  I also have a Suzuki 
> Pro Harp 350-V in G.  I find it bends differently from all my other harps, 
> including the Fire Breath.
>
> For now I have "settled" on the MB Deluxe.  I find them more predictable & 
> enjoyable/easier to play.
>
> Any thoughts?  especially comparing the Fire Breath to others.

I used Huangs before I switched.  I was never really bothered by various 
holes playing differently on the same harp, I had never had a harp that 
felt just right from top to bottom in 40 years of playing so I didn't 
expect it.  I adjusted my style to each new harp I got that I liked, and in 
fact was able to invent new feelings and ideas for each of them based on 
their limitations.

I bought a Fire Breath on the recommendation of Richard Hunter.  From the 
instant I started playing it I felt wonderful, it was so playable, every 
hole worked beautifully (I play alot of high end stuff) and the people who 
knew my sound said the FB made it alot sweeter.  I liked that alot, though 
I barely hear it myself.

What I do hear is the world of possibilities it has opened up because I no 
longer feel I have to compromise, I can go off in all kinds of new 
directions that I didn't even know were there before.

I've never played an MB Deluxe, nor any of the other harps you mention 
outside of MB's, so I can't make a comparison.  I love the idea that 
different harps bend differently and give you different qualities.  There's 
no real reason to stick with one type of harp.  We all know guitarists who 
have several or many axes because each one gives them something 
different.  On the other hand, it'd be unlikely that I'll use anything but 
my FB's on a gig in the keys I have them in.  I don't have that many.  I 
still use the Huangs in some keys, an MB in another.  I'm replacing them 
over time, and want to try the new Seydels, too.

As an intermediate player, you should be trying all these different harps 
out deeply, ie, working with them, practicing with them all.  You'll 
probably realize that one is your great preference after a few years.  The 
great thing is, we're in a whole new world for diatonic players.  New harps 
seem to be coming out every year now.  Very few new harps were coming out 
in the '60s and '70s.  Lots of fun to try these things.

I have to think that a time is coming when I'll prefer different harp 
brands for different parts of the spectrum of keys.

Finally, as I've mentioned here before, too often, I had the 4 draw on a D 
FB go south on me at a highly inconvenient moment last Fall.  Suzuki took 
care of me and told me that there was a real issue and it had been taken 
care of.  That doesn't mean I don't bring backups to gigs, but the FB is 
worth a little worry.

K