[Harp-L] Re: SUB 30 (and XB-40) Harp-L Digest, Vol 109, Issue 13

[Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have 3 XB-40s, which were just over half the price it seems the SUB 30 is
going to be (although I don't think UK pricing is known yet), but before
writing the SUB 30 off as an expensive disappointment, my experience with
the XB-40 is that it too needs more maintenance, TLC and technique than a
standard diatonic. It still doesn't do the bends for you and, sad to say,
the more bends can be done, the more there are to practice (and possibly to
get wrong in the heat of the moment :) ). When I first bought one, I found
it quite daunting to start with.
   I have also found that mine, particularly the low D one, need to have the
reeds readjusted periodically, because they have a tendency to rise above
the slot with use (maybe because one is trying to do more bends than one
might on a standard diatonic). Nobody would buy a Porsche and expect it to
be easier to drive and require less maintenance than a Ford Focus. That is
not what makes it worth the money, if it is. If you are just going to potter
around the 12-bar then it probably isn't.

I have two questions that it would be very interesting if Flip Jers and/or
Brendan Power would answer. The first is the extent of the adjustment they
thought the SUB 30 needed - not because this is a problem, just so we know?
The second is whether they have played XB-40s and, assuming they have, what
they thought of them in comparison.
  The main thing I do not like about the XB-40 is its size - the audience
are impressed with it but it is disconcerting in the mouth. This causes some
problems of transfer between XB-40 and standard diatonic. The gaps between
the holes are bigger and playing at speed I sometimes miss the hole and try
to blow on plastic. So the size of the SUB30 is an attraction. The cost
isn't however. 
Richard