[Harp-L] Suzuki Fabulous: Live Performance Test Drive

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

Just played my new Suzuki Fabulous for the first time at a gig.  I  
sat in with a jazz trio (guitar, upright string bass and drums),  
playing amplified (EV RE 15 mic into the extra input of the bass  
player’s  SWR acoustic bass amp,( which, btw, has a tube preamp in  
it-- I’ve played harp through it before and it always sounds  
surprisingly good.). I used my new C harp on 3 tunes. We played  
mostly blues material.   For whatever it may be  worth,  my  
impressions are as follows:

This harmonica is the most responsive, versatile  and precise  
instrument I have ever played. (I’ve been playing for almost 30 years  
on and off, but I’ve never played a custom harp.)  Besides precision  
bends, and clean tone, I was able to get  dirty, funky, distorted  
tone on the on the low end draw bends.  BUT, depending on what I did  
with mic handling and breath technique, I could also play the same  
bends crystal clean, or anywhere in between.  Any trills, warbles,  
bends, shakes, slurs, rips, octave stops, split intervals or other  
techniques/effects that I’m capable of playing could be played easily  
with whatever tonal presentation I wanted to create—clean, dirty,  
articulated, slurred, crisp, staccato, legato or whatever.

 I usually play Suzuki Hammonds because I like their dark, thick  
tone and equal temperament tuning.  I was able to get that same tone  
out of the Fabulous if I wanted to, but then I could also play with a  
thinner brighter tone on demand simply  by changing technique.  I  
never use blow bends when performing, but I did during this  
performance because I was able to hit them so easily .  I was able to  
change presentation to get just about any tonal  texture or variation  
I have ever been able to get out of any other harmonica.  In fact, I  
had to be very careful about maintaining disciplined breath and mic  
handling techniques because this harp is so responsive. It would  
readily/easily do whatever my technique told it to, and if I got a  
little sloppy, the tonal presentation would change unexpectedly. It’s  
not for beginners.

 I  play primarily single note lines, I don’t use many chords (I  
mostly play split intervals instead),  and this harmonica is tuned to  
equal temperament, so  I don’t know if it can produce a  good  
traditional “down home” style sound.  I don’t play in that style. I  
play electric with the mic cupped in my hands. I never play Hohner   
Marine Bands or Blues Harps because I don’t like them.  But I do have  
substantial performance experience over the years with  Hohner  
Special 20’s, Golden Melodies, Pro Harps (old style and MS),  
Meisterklasse (old style and MS) &  Big Rivers, as well as Lee  
Oskars, and, more recently, Suzukli Promasters, Hammonds &  
Firebreaths,  On the Fabulous I can do anything tonally  that I am  
able to do on any of those harps and more, but with greater ease and  
precision. It can give me just about any  sound or tonal variation I  
am capable of playing so long as I  maintain disciplined technique.

The crowd seemed to like it a lot and the players in the band  (all  
of whom are professionals and MUCH better musicians than I am) all  
commented on how good I sounded. I consider myself a competent,  
experienced player with decent technique and good control of my  
tone,  but I don’t do overblows and I do not consider myself to be  
particularly accomplished. I’m  certainly no virtuoso or anything  
close to it.  I have a pretty basic practical level of musical  
proficiency.  Nothing special.  But I was astounded by the variety of  
tone I could get from this instrument playing amplified.  I was using  
no effects and there was no reverb on the amp, yet someone in the  
crowd came up and asked me if I was using an “electronic harmonica”--  
no doubt because of the wide tonal variations and textures was able  
to achieve during the performance (the band had given me extended  
solo space, so I was able to stretch out and try things—I did more  
experimenting than usual since I wanted test drive this new instrument).

I think I will be acquiring set of these harps over time.  I don’t  
play acoustically standing away from the mic, so I don’t know how  
good the Fabulous would be for that type of playing. If I had to  
compare it to any other harmonica I’ve played, the Firebreath might  
be closest, but not that close, because there is so much more tonal  
variation and precision available on the Fabulous. In general, I have  
a preference for metal combs, I like Suzukis anyway and I DON”T like  
Marine Bands, so those prejudices probably factor in to my evaluation.

A lot of you are much better qualified to evaluate this harmonica  
than I am.  But my experience using it for live performance in public  
was overwhelmingly positive, and since it’s a new model and  
relatively expensive, I thought it might be of some utility for me to  
write this review,  assuming my subjective impressions are of any  
interest or value to anyone besides myself.

JP