Re: [Harp-L] Re: The Future of Blues Harmonica?

[Robert Rowe <robertrowe2@xxxxxxx>]

Thanks, Brendan, for the positive perspective on the SUB30. Being severely scorched by the initial offering, it'll be a few years before I warm up to them again. I really admire the design and think it is an elegant engineering concept. I find fault with Suzuki for rushing a half-baked execution to market, especially at the current price point. 

I will say the new bends were easy to achieve, so that design objective was met well. But the rest of the harp, the basics, seems to have been neglected. 

I expect Suzuki will address the problems I, and others, have brought up and make a wonderful 30 reed 10 hole diatonic that plays beautifully right out of the box. I'll be back on that wagon when it comes. Again, it's a brilliant idea. Suzi just has to bring the rest of the harp up to the same level. 

RKR

On Sep 10, 2012, at 1:20 PM, Brendan Power <bren@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I think Richard Sleigh's easy taping mod to the Suzuki UltraBend is an
> excellent one for those who want to combine the best of the old and the new.
> Personally I like its low octave blow bends, but for traditional Blues
> tongue blockers Richard's tweak is perfect to combine the old-style feel of
> the bottom end while retaining the expressiveness and chromaticism of the
> new blow and draw bends in the middle and top octaves.
> 
> 
> 
> In answer to Richard's rhetorical question, I think triple-reed harps ARE
> the future of blues harmonica. I'd be the first to agree that the UltraBend
> is not yet the perfect embodiment of the design out-of-the-box. However,
> Suzuki have a great track record when it comes to making small incremental
> improvements to harmonicas over time. As an example, compare the modern V2
> SCX chromatics to their earlier versions: the difference is like night and
> day.
> 
> 
> 
> The same will happen with the UltraBend. Prices will drop and quality will
> improve. But even now it does what it claims to do: give the player 10 new
> easy double-bends that expand the possibilities of the familiar 10 hole
> Richter harp in exciting ways. It really rewards giving it some time to get
> used to the fantastic new possibilities, and you don't have to emboss it to
> play good music. The following videos were all played on un-embossed
> UltraBends:
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1_5M9mQ79w
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5emY-a_ZfWU
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5emY-a_ZfWU&feature=related>
> &feature=related
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZDLEKMMFB8
> 
> 
> 
> All the UltraBends so far came from the first small production run. The next
> one is at the end of this month. You can be assured that Suzuki will work
> hard now and in the future to improve OTB playability.
> 
> 
> 
> I predict that in a year's time a lot of influential players will be playing
> and recording cool new-sounding harmonica music on the UltraBend in their
> favourite configuration, whether with Richard's taping tweak, alternate
> tunings, with custom combs - or just out of the box. 
> 
> 
> 
> The future of Blues harmonica has definitely arrived - maybe not with a
> resounding bang, but the example of top players and customisers such as
> Filip and Richard will show the possibilities, inspire others to try the new
> format, and momentum will gather over time. Other manufacturers will jump on
> the bandwagon, and the general playability OTB will improve markedly. 
> 
> 
> 
> The triple-reed diatonic is just such a fantastic Blues machine! I predict
> in five years the improved quality and its seductive expressiveness will
> have convinced even the most trenchant non-believers to try it, and in ten
> years the triple-reed design will be approaching the norm. 
> 
> 
> 
> Heaps of great new licks impossible up to now will have entered the harp
> player's repertoire, and harps that can't get those extra bends will just
> seem so limited. Watch this space.
> 
> 
> 
> Brendan Power
> 
> WEBSITE: www.brendan-power.com <http://www.brendan-power.com/> 
> 
> FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/tethnik
> 
> YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/BrendanPowerMusic
> 
> 
>