[Harp-L] Got A Harmo Torpedo

[Chris Hofstader]

Hi,

I was curious about the Torpedo from some traffic on this list and was especially intrigued by its price point ($65). I got myself one in Bb and it arrived here in San Francisco yesterday.

The first thing I noticed was that it has really nice packaging. The case is nice (maybe the elastic loop is meant for a belt?) with a soft shell and nice zipper. It comes with a little cloth for wiping it off.

After taking the harp out of the case and warming up a little, I started playing the blues scale. I immediately noticed that this harp is solidly air tight and that all of the bends (draw and blow) require much less air than does the Special 20 I have in Bb. I tried playing with as little air pressure as possible and I could hit the bends effortlessly while playing very softly. I don’t know how to do overblows so I couldn’t test that aspect of these harps.

One odd thing I think I observed was that the 2 and 3 holes seem slightly further apart than they are on the Special 20 or the 1847 in A that I had on the table when I was giving it its first test drive. I don’t know if I imagined this or not.

The one solid negative I have about this harp compared to the Special 20 and the 1847 is that it has some sharp corners. I’ve fairly small hands and found the Torpedo to be pretty uncomfortable in between the thumb and forefinger of my left hand. I’m sure this can be fixed with a file.

Of all of the harps I own, my very favorite is a Manji in C I got from Tom/Blue Moon. My plan was to get myself five more of the Blue Moon harps and, while I liked playing the Torpedo, I’m not going to change my plan and will continue collecting Tom’s harps for myself. But, at the price, I think the Torpedo should be considered when comparing to stock harps from the more famous brands. 

Now, back to Tomlin’s “Watermelon Man” lesson.

Happy Hacking,
cdh