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

[Michael Rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

The sub 30 bends on 5 draw a quartertone, same as any diatonic harp.  7
draw bends down a half step and very easily in the case of my harp.
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com

On Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 6:52 AM, mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <
mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Boys!
> I believe in the introduction of the SUB 30 .....if memory serves it was
> Brendan that explained that several people had gone down the 30/40 road and
> that Epping had filed a patent application ..expired.
>
> Suzuki used it's resource's to push forward.....just business.
> But it appeared credit was publicly given too the early efforts of others.
>
> Wouldn't be surprised that a Dutchman was messing with that idea in his
> work shop back in the 30's
> Forgetaboutit !
>
> Mike Wilbur
>
>
>
> On Sep 12, 2012, at 6:02 AM, "Brendan Power" <bren@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> > Mik Jagger states:
> > "Seems like an old asian practice of stealing the intellectual property
> > from the west, without giving credit to where the idea/ engineering came
> > from."
> >
> >
> >
> > ??... Seems like the old Western practice of shooting your mouth off in
> > total ignorance of the facts.
> >
> >
> >
> > The intellectual property behind the Suzuki UltraBend wasn't stolen, I
> gave
> > it to the company under a Non-Disclosure Agreement in 1991 in the form
> of a
> > working prototype I made in New Zealand in 1989. We developed it together
> > for two years, simplifying the design and reducing the size, and were
> ready
> > to patent the design by 1994, prior to releasing a commercial 30 reed
> > harmonica the size of a normal 10 hole diatonic.
> >
> >
> >
> > Then we discovered a patent by Rick Epping for 30 and 40 reed harmonicas
> > (application 1991, granted in two forms 1993/94) that covered the
> concept,
> > and Suzuki stopped work at that point. Only after Rick's patent expired
> in
> > 2008 did Suzuki restart work on our 30 reed design, and that has come
> out in
> > the SUB30 UltraBend.
> >
> >
> >
> > You can read a partial history of the idea here, with photos:
> >
> > http://www.brendan-power.com/History%20of%20the%20UltraBend.htm
> >
> >
> >
> > I say 'partial' because, aside from the three persons mentioned there
> (Will
> > Scarlett, Rick Epping and myself), it now transpires that at least two
> > others thought of the extra reed idea and tried to make prototypes in the
> > 1980s - namely Richard Sleigh and Pat Missin. Their efforts weren't fully
> > successful and they also let the idea drop after Rick's patent came out.
> >
> >
> >
> > Though I didn't know it until the mid-1990s, it turned out that Will
> > Scarlett was the very first person to conceive a triple-reed harmonica,
> and
> > he showed the idea to Rick Epping in 1982 (not 1987 as I say in the
> article
> > at the link above).
> >
> >
> >
> > I know this now because Will has agreed to tell his story in the upcoming
> > issue of the UK "Harmonica World" magazine, due out in October. Will was
> > also the first person to use overblows on a consistent basis and try to
> play
> > a 10 hole harp chromatically in 12 keys, which he did in the early 1970s
> > (his efforts are recorded on the  first two Hot Tuna albums).
> >
> >
> >
> > It's a very interesting read. Will and Rick famously fell out over the
> issue
> > and battled it out in the US patent courts in the 90s, and Will talks
> about
> > that in the article. But whatever you think of their respective
> positions,
> > both men are seminal figures in the modern history of Blues harmonica.
> Rick
> > did undeniably take the extra-reed idea further on from Will's pioneering
> > work, and his 1994 patent (plus another one in 2002) paved the way for
> the
> > first commercial harmonica with extra reeds, the Hohner XB-40.
> >
> >
> >
> > Rick Epping has consented to talk of his early harmonica experiments in a
> > later issue of "Harmonica World". In addition to being known for the
> XB-40,
> > not many of the thousands of people who tweak their harps today realise
> that
> > Rick is the inventor of the process we now call "embossing". He will
> > describe when and how he developed the technique and passed it on to the
> > names we know today (Joe Filisko and his many collaborators/followers).
> >
> >
> >
> > Richard Sleigh worked with Joe on advancing the technique, and also did
> much
> > harmonica experimenting on his own in the 70s/80s/90s. It would be great
> to
> > hear his story too!
> >
> >
> >
> > The diatonic harmonica is the biggest selling instrument in the world in
> > terms of units sold, yet a lot of its modern history is shrouded in
> rumour
> > and secrecy. It's fascinating and important to hear from the pioneers who
> > paved the way for the advances that we take for granted today.
> >
> >
> >
> > Brendan Power
> >
> > WEBSITE: www.brendan-power.com <http://www.brendan-power.com/>
> >
> > FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/tethnik
> >
> > YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/BrendanPowerMusic
> >
> >
> >
>
>