No one got one then? I just had a reply on another forum, but says he's too old to spend too much time with it. He reckons that you will here great things about it, and from it, in the the future.
Here's a link to a guy who knows how to play it, it sounds nice enough to me, what do you guys reckon?
however, i have heard mixed reviews on the harp. it is like any other harp or product out there; it will have it's champions and detractors. the only thing to do, and it is the way with all harps, is jump in and buy it. you be your own judge.
this is my philosophy on buying harps. find a brand you like and stick with it. eventually an opportunity will arise where you need a new harp and cant find your regular flavor. that is when you take a chance. it may become THE ONE or may be one of the many small mistakes we make.
good luck. and remember, we are all counting on you.
Thanks for taking the time to reply eharp, coincidently the reason i called back here just now, was to post the comment below, It was a negative comment so i thought i had better even up the score before some one went out and spent money they my have regretted. Any way the comment is below, for any one interested. I have decided to hang on a wile, and see how things pan out over a bit more time. ------------------------------------------------------------
I own dozens of harmonicas -- all Honer's. I play Keith Relf (Yardbirds) harmonica and I normally use the Hohner "Blues Harp." Those are the very best. I spent quite a bit on this "techno-harp" and it is not worth a darn. It is a nice piece of engineering but is too difficult to play and doesn't perform as well as the Blues Harp. Since I've played on it I can't return it. So I wasted quite a bit on something that's not worth the price of postage. I fell victem to the hype that Hohner put out.
I've been playing harmonica (although guitar is my primary instrument)for over 40 years. If you think this harmonica will give you an "edge," don't fall victem to the advertisement. This harmonica is extremely difficult to play and does NOT deliver the promised tone bending. Get the Hohner "Blues Harps." You will, eventually, thank me for this advice.
We live in a world of "techno-design," but it didn't work this time. Classic is the best. As Indiana Jones said, "Trust Me." Please trust me.
I've heard from multiple people that the XB-40 is very difficult to play. It's much larger than a regular diatonic harp. The big size difference alone makes it very hard to get accustomed to. The people that have put in the time mastering it swear by it though. It's definitely one of the loudest harps I've ever heard in person. The shear volume of the thing is kind of shocking.
Last Edited by on Apr 28, 2008 7:16 AM
I am going to do some repairs on several XB-40s, and so I just dug mine out of a box and played it a while--I have it tuned to Major Cross, and being able to play the accidentals is a real nice touch. I wanted the client to get the reeds from Hohner, but when he called, they told him they were discontinuing the XB-40. Last time I saw Bill Barrett, he was playing them--I think he likes 'em a lot, bet he won't be happy they are no longer going to be in production. I can live without them, but they do have a nice sound.
I really like mine.. sounds like maybe I should order another..heck they might even be valuable if they get discontinued.
The bends are no harder or easier, but every note has one.. half valving is another solution, the suzuki overdrive is as well, but that one really is a beast.
What they do allow is a bendier chromatic sound.. on a diatonic layout.
since every note bends, you have to be more careful about tones on all notes.. but bending those notes is no harder than getting all the bend notes out of three draw accurately, just slightly different.
the tone is loud and a bit edgy. it is a bit expensive.
if you can afford, it is worth having one in your tool box
this song is played on one http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/8775635
The XB-40 is a unique instrument and you can't judge it by standard diatonics. If you do you will be unhappy.
If you take it on its own terms and explore its unique sound and capabilities, the XB has a lot to offer.
I'm sorry to hear it's being discontinued. I heard rumors to that effect last year, but had no confirmation until now.
The XB is great for celtic music and fiddle tunes, as it's very loud and flexible and can be played hard at high speeds.
James Conway is another user of the XB-40.
The high pitched keys are rather bright sounding. The G seems like the optimal key. That said, here are a coule of tunes I recorded on mid-range keys:
Windermere, a blues-inspired tune with sax doubling the melody, played on an XB-40 in Bb. This is a different recording from the one posted by someone else earlier:
I bought one in the key of A awhile back-if you bend EVERY note you play it does the job,but just for playing straight away-its too difficult-make me an offer
I bought one when they first came out. It requires a lot of patience and breath control. Not everyone likes the tone. But I have a friend who is a terrific player and he has a full set. He also is a very skilled flutist. He loves them.
wow, i love that windermere tune.. it really flows nicely.
that is the thing i like about those xb40, if you are used to the sound of diatonic, it really grabs your ear when there are bends where there should not be.. the windermere tune is a much better example of what that harp can do than the example i posted
I haven't tried either one, but if I was going to try a really different harp I'd go with that Turboharp with the magnetic slide, although the reviews on that say maybe wait until they get a couple more bugs worked out.
TurboDog has an interesting idea with the magnetic slide, but for my purposes the prototypes I tried didn't deliver enough control over bending or exhibit any consistency of behavior from hole to hole. That's from prototypes he made in 2010; maybe he's improved them since then.
The XB is remarkably robust and flexible by comparison.
I'd like to point out one thing in Windermere that is totally idiomatic for tongue-blocked blues and totally impossible on a standard harp.
At about 1:31 I start playing Draw 4 over the I chord, alternating an unbent chord or split with a bend single note, moving my tongue on and off the harp. OK, nothing unusual about that.
But when the band goes to the IV chord, so do I, going from Draw 4 to Blow 6. On a regular harp, I wouldn't be able to bend Blow 6 down to emulate what I just did over the draw chord, but on the XB I can. I do the same Tongue-off/Tongue-on-and-bend alternation that I just did on the draw chord.
That may not sound like much, but I like the ability to sculpt what the harp does to more closely follow the harmony when I choose to do that.
Last Edited by on Feb 08, 2012 10:37 AM
