Re: [Harp-L] Suzuki Sub30 Ultrabend -- Review

["mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Elizabeth

Mike Wilbur 



On Sep 2, 2012, at 10:09 PM, Elizabeth Hess <TrackHarpL@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I bought a Suzuki Sub30 Ultrabend harp at SPAH.  I might have preferred one in A, but there was only one A to be had, and someone else beat me to it.  So, mine is a C.  Danny G. was selling them; his SPAH price was $185.00.
> 
> Then I attended the seminar presented by Brendan Power and Filip Jers.  Brendan and Filip played beautifully.  I asked what I thought was the obvious question:  "Are those out-of-the-box harps you're playing, or have you worked on them?"  Both had been worked on.
> 
> My initial impression is that the "new" or "extra" notes -- blow bends on the lower six holes and draw bends on the upper four holes -- worked quite well, and the timbre sounded like regular bent notes, which they should, because they use added, "sympathetic" reeds, so the physics should be more or less the same.  And the embouchure technique required is intuitive to anyone who can do regular bending well.  What I didn't like about this harp, out of the box, was that all the regular notes had a "congested" sort of feeling when I tried to play them, and my litmus test, 10 blow bend, both whole- and half-step, barely played at all.  Brendan did some work on my harp later, at the Suzuki booth -- a bit of gapping and some light embossing -- and 10 blow-bend on my Sub30 does work, now.  But the general issue of regular notes not feeling "right" when I play them remains.  (My working harps to date include Hohner Special-20s, Seydel 1847 Silvers, Seydel Blues Sessions, and 1 Lee Os!
> kar.)  That the chambers feel "crowded" on the Sub30 makes intuitive sense:  There's an extra reed AND a valve in each one.  Brendan suggested I have it customized, which seems kind of a shame, given what it cost initially.  I am not a high-power tech, but I can do basic and advanced first aid.  I took mine all the way apart and did some gapping work on the lower reeds.  They are better, but still not as satisfying to play as on my regular harps.  Rather a lot of work for smallish return.
> 
> The Sub30 rewards softer, gentler playing than this jam rat is used to.  I do get more satisfying results playing it through a mic and amp -- and letting the gear do some of the heavy lifting -- than just playing it at my desk with Band-in-a-Box.  So, some of my issues with this axe are strictly due to my personal playing style.
> 
> Getting all the chromatic notes on a diatonic harp fluently and well remains an elusive goal.  Overblowing takes embouchure development and finicky tech work.  I own a PT Gazell harp, and spent some time with PT at SPAH getting pointers on how to play it well.  But no-one is going to achieve PT Gazell's tone in an afternoon (or two, or ten).  Or Brendan Power's or Filip Jers  (Sub30), or Carlos del Junco's or Pat Bergeson's or Todd Parrott's (overblows).  It still takes work, no matter which path you choose.
> 
> I think the basic design principle of the Sub30 is brilliant.  That one doesn't have to learn an alternate note layout (as with the Power Bender, which also requires either overblows or valves to get  *all*  the notes) is a big plus.  As manufactured, I think that the Sub30 would be best for someone who plays more soft jazz than muscular blues, who is very comfortable working on gapping, and who hasn't already invested a large amount of time and effort in learning to overblow or play a valved harp well.
> 
> What we all want is "Everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels," out of the box, and not too expensive.  The Suzuki Sub30 Ultrabend, as currently manufactured, is a decent step in that direction.
> 
> Elizabeth
> 
>