[Harp-L] Best Out-of-the-Box harp for bends & overblows?

[The Iceman]

There is no such thing as a factory out of the box harp for overblows.
I've had pretty good luck for years with Golden Melodies....not 100% consistent, but often enough to say that there is such a thing....


-----Original Message-----
From: Laurent Vigouroux <laurent.vigouroux at xxxxx>
To: Opus314 . <opus314 at xxxxx>; harp-l harp-l <harp-l at xxxxx>
Sent: Mon, May 11, 2020 7:32 am
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Best Out-of-the-Box harp for bends & overblows?

Hello

There is no such thing as a factory out of the box harp for overblows.
There is a need for at least a bit of manual setup.

All the Hohner, Suzuki, Seydel harps above $30 will be ok after a manual setup.

If you're looking for an overblow ready harp, you would either have to buy a Hohner/Suzuki/seydel harp from a customizer (It's generally much more expensive than a stock harp, which is normal considering the work done by the customizer) or choose one of these two options:
-The Torpedo from harmo.com (reviewed here https://www.planetharmonica.com/en/torpedo-overblow-harp/ ) 
-Or the Arkia Origin (reviewed here https://www.planetharmonica.com/en/arkia-harmonica/) are ready to overblow harps at a reasonable price.

Both are below $90.
The torpedo is a regular richter harp customized manually
The arkia has a very special comb, which really optimizes the harp for bends and overblows. 

Hope this helps

Le 10/05/2020 19:15, « Harp-L au nom de Opus314 . » <harp-l-bounces at xxxxx au nom de opus314 at xxxxx> a écrit :

    I only get to occassionally play with my harmonicas but when I do I use my
    Lee Oskars.
    
    On my Lee Oskars I can, more or less, do bends on the lower half draw notes
    but holding them at a half step lower is tricky. Double bends seem to be
    out of the question. Ditto for overblows. Can't make it happen.
    
    I'm considering ordering a few of a different brand but am unsure what to
    get.
    
    Years ago I tried a couple of Seydel Blues Solist harps but one of the
    reeds blew out in no time on each one of them. I guess I over stressed it.
    (Never seem to have to worry abut that with the Oskars.)
    
    I also I think I've heard Adam Gussow say he plays Hohner Marine Band's
    mostly... And I think I've heard that he plays them right out of the box.
    (Could be wrong about that.) (And which Marine Band model?)
    
    I'm (not yet) a harp mechanic so I'm wondering what out of the box units
    are sturdy, bend relatively easily, and can be overblown?
    
    Thanks