Re: [Harp-L] B radical

[Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Paul,

I waited over a year to receive my B-radical in the key of C. I believe they
may be going through production key by key, so some keys will be delivered
earlier than others. Glad I didn't order an F#.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I haven't played my B-Radical much at
all. This summer I got pretty interested in tenor banjo, and I've neglected
my harmonicas. I can't, therefore, speak about any longevity issues.

But, I just now gave my B-Radical another test spin, and I can say I would
definitely buy another--even with the long waiting period. It performs
as well as many custom harps (I have harps from 5 different customizers) and
is the first harmonica I've had that I didn't have to tweak the overdraws to
get a good response. The overblows work very well: I can hit overblows on
holes 1 through 6 easily--and overbend notes on holes 4 through 6 upwards at
least a semitone while sustaining good tone. For example, on hole 6 blow (G)
I can smoothly bend the Bb overblow up to a B natural--and even beyond. In
regards to the regular draw and blow bends, they are almost effortless to
achieve and glide smoothly up and down over their range.

The harp fits nice and secure in the hand and feels good in the mouth. I
especially like the way the covers taper all the way over to the end to give
a nice, smooth, even feel from one end of the harp to the other.

Now for some negatives. There are a few, but they are minor. The first hole
blow note has begun to choke out. I would have noticed this when I first
tried it about a month ago, so it must have happened recently. This is not a
bigee (I hope). I think a little re-gapping will solve that. If not, I'll
reluctantly send it back.

The other not-positive issue is the case, bag-whatever-that came with the
B-Radical. It is a very over-sized drawstring pouch that offers little
protection for such a nice harp--other than keeping the dirt out. This
doesn't bother me much. The B-Rad boys were probably so interested in
perfecting their harp that a nicely fitting case was only a distraction that
wasn't worth bothering about for now. The B-Radical is wider than most
harmonicas so that the usual selection of cases for single harmonicas don't
fit the B-Radical. I did find one case in my miscellaneous box that fits the
B-Radical. It's a denim-covered semi-stiff single harp case with a belt
loop. I think Seydal used to sell it because it has a stylized C and A on
the cover's snap button. I'll try to send a crude photo of it as an
attachment. Can't remember if Harp-L accepts attachments or not.

I wish the very best for Harrison Harmonicas. My reasons for buying their
harp were as much centered on supporting a home-grown effort like theirs as
it was on wanting to check out a new harp on the scene. It must be very
difficult to produce something from the ground up as they have done.

Eric


On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 4:02 PM, <pneupco2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> When I first posted my question, I expected a fair sized response. So far
> one person referred  me to a Harponline  review of a new one and one person
> who has one in 'A' and only said that it was 'great'.
>
> It sounds like the B Radical is being damned with faint - or in this case
> an absence - of praise. Please, prove me wrong! How have these things held
> up under a few months of heavy use?
>
> In case you're wondering, I've been waiting for over a year for one in 'G'.
> It'll probably be several more months before I get it. Fortunately, I'm
> patient.
>
> Regards
> PaulN
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>