On behalf of Suzuki I’m proud to announce the launch of a harp that has been waiting in the wings for a long time: the SUB30 UltraBend.
It is a 10 hole 30 reed harp the same size as a normal diatonic that allows the player to bend 18 reeds a semitone or more by interactive double-reed bending (the same type of bends as on a normal diatonic harp). That’s 10 more bends than on a standard harp!
I made a home-made prototype of the design in 1989 and showed it to Suzuki in 1991. They improved it and reduced it in size, but then patent issues were discovered and development was dropped (that’s a whole story in itself!).
The relevant patents expired a few years ago and Suzuki was able to resume development. Finally, the Ultrabend is ready and launched today at the APHF in Kula Lumpur.
Here is a video explaining how it works:
Suzuki has made a special website for the UltraBend where you can get more detailed information, and players can upload their own creative ideas using the new harp:
http://www.suzuki-music.co.jp/sub30/
It will be available to try at SPAH. Initial offering is in A, C and D keys, more to come later. Prices are still to be announced.
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 2:43 AM
Hopefully the harp will not be to expensive because it seems just terrific! Since there will be 30 reeds will there be greater quality control to insure a smooth responsiveness for us "non-tweakers"?
If this harp bends as easily as it appears, overblowing can soon become obsolete. Anyone will be able to hit those same notes by bending. With 10 extra reeds, pulling cover plates and "tweaking" will take on a whole new level of sophistication.
Just when I'm starting to get my OB's together - they become obsolete - damn! - this harp looks / sounds pretty revolutionary - congrats to Suzuki, Brendan and all involved -- When will they go on sale to the general public ? ----------
Wow, this is really exciting. I remember reading about this design of Brendan's, and about the unfortunate patent problem (it just so happened that Hohner was working on a very similar concept at the same time, the XB40, and they received the patent for the sympathetic reed concept). When I read about Brendan's design I remember thinking that it was unfortunate that Hohner got the patent, because Brendan's design seemed superior to the XB40. First Brendan's design was the same size as a regular diatonic harmonica, partly because it only had 30 reeds instead of 40. Also Brendan's design doesn't valve every reed, just the sympathetic reeds.
I won't be too quick too say that this will make overblows obsolete, or that it's the future of the harmonica, because that's exactly what people said when the XB40 was about to come out. And after all this time I can only think of a few serious players who even use the XB40 on a regular basis. But this new model seems to have a lot of things going for it, and seems like it might solve a lot of the problems people had with the XB40. First, they managed to make it the same size as a standard diatonic. Secondly (and maybe most importantly), they've only valved the sympathetic reeds, so it should sound like a standard diatonic instead of sounding like a cross between a chromatic and diatonic (like the XB40). And it should also play and feel like a standard diatonic because it's only using the sympathetic reeds to get the bends that aren't otherwise available, whereas the XB40 uses sympathetic reeds for all the bends, even the ones that are already available on a standard diatonic. I guess I'll just have to wait and see : )
I'm really excited to try one, but I'm going to have try one before I can really form an opinion or decide to abandon my use of OBs and start using these harmonicas instead. But I'll definitely be getting one of these, and if they're as good as I hope they'll be, I may just have to consider trading in the OBs I'm so fond of and using these harmonicas instead. I guess I'll just have to wait and see : )
PS. I love the full length cover plate design.
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 1:27 AM
Brendan and Suzuki will have the new SUB30 at the SPAH convention in a couple of weeks, so if you've been on the fence about attending, here's one more reason!
I played Brendan's prototype for this harp 15 years ago and thought it was amazing back then. Now they've fully developed it and I'm eager to see the refinements. ---------- Winslow
Wow...Filip you play with such relaxed control and the instrument responds perfectly to your breath with sounds so rich...clear and expressive. Thanks for the song Mr. Jers...many players should listen to your approach. Awesome development Brendan, Much success!!
I made the statement: If this harp bends as easily as it appears, overblowing can soon become obsolete.
But, notice the qualifier in that statement. Brandon can make any harp look “easy to play.” I recently purchased a Suzuki half-valved harp to try the blow-bends and to see if it would help me conquer overblows. It all came together for me the very 1st day – not great but it’s improving rapidly. I wasn’t aware that there were valves in this new harp in addition to the additional reeds. Was it stated in the video? If so, I missed it. But it makes sense.
Steamrollin Stan wrote: But I really think overblows are a bit "so what big deal" kind of playing.....Am I missing something here?
Stan, I’m pretty much a hard-core blues traditionalist and for the most part agree with you. But, even if you play straight blues, OBs add something. They open up the middle octave in 1st position, they round out the Blues scale in 2nd position and they make playing in other positions more available – even if you play only straight blues.
I view the current method of overblowing as a transitional technique in an instrument that is being used in a manner beyond its original design, And, it’s only a matter of time until the manufacturers catch up – they always do when there’s a market demand.
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 6:21 AM
I don't doubt that this harp is cool, but valves, half-valuing, alternate tunings, etc are all supposed to make obs obsolete.
In fact, we've seen this comment in every new harp thread here for years.
This harp like the Hohner XB will require exceptional bending skills and pitch control. Something a good ob or valve player will be on track to do.
There is no magic bullet so having choices is awesome. I am sure the learning curve here is similar to learning valves or alt tunngs.
Truth be told, over bending is not that hard and a good setup for it relative to a opts harp is very reasonable. ---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Mods Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
I think the “technique” of popping up a reed to get an OB note will become outdated at some point. However I also believe that players will continue doing it for a long time to come. Why? Well, price for one thing. Resistance to change something that’s working for you is another reason, (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it). We all learned about the problems of rushing into new technology when computers first came out. Remember all those hours with tech support?
It’s not uncommon for even a harmonica hobbyist to own a couple of dozen harps. I wonder where the really big market is for the harp manufacturers: The pro’s, the hobbyist, the occasional jammer/gigger?
If someone enjoys tweaking harps – great! If you can overblow effortlessly – wonderful? But an easier way is on the horizon because the market is ready for it. It’s always been that way,
Well, before anyone says anything will be outdated, when the chromatic harp was first invented in the 1920's, there were those who said the diatonic would be obsolete as well, and then when note bending on the diatonic would eventually make a chromatic obsolete as even some of the overblow guys may have said it, so I'd take that with a grain of salt in a major way because each of them function quite differently and need to be treated as totally different instruments with different skills that will be needed to be develop to get the most from them and that's the hard core reality.
Most players have a hard time dealing with the XB40 because it requires far more control over their breath control as well as their playing technique and they're expecting these harps to be like the standard 10 hole diatonic in both tone and everything else, but that has NEVER been the case, and so with these new harps, saying any one technique is gonna be outdated is thinking totally wrong and you're gonna need to develop different skill sets to make the most out of them which, again, is the cold, hard reality.
The main market is more to beginners and some intermediates, and maybe pros, in that order. If manufacturers were really going strictly to pros, then they'd be doing everything all of the best customizers would be doing, but in terms of cost effectiveness, it would slow down production by a good 80%, plus it would be far too expensive and time consuming, just from the labor side (including the costs) alone, plus for a manufacturer to tailor to individual needs, that's never going to be cost effective enough to make it happen anytime soon, and that's not just for the business of manufacturing harmonics, but for ALL kinds of products regardless of what it may be.
Harmonicas, like it or not, is often considered by manufacturers to be largely a niche market regardless of the music genres they are involved in and that, unfortunately, is the harsh reality of things. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Good to see Brendan making more and more innovations.
The one interesting thing I find about Brendan's demos, whether Suzuki's range of diatonics, the Powerbender or this harp is that Brendan always sounds like, well... Brendan. The tuning or technology never takes away his sound.
It's going to be very interesting in the years to come with all the techniques, mods and tunings out there. We won't be able to listen to recordings and dissect them like we do the old Walter and SBW stuff. I think it's going to make for an interesting world.
Thanks for the interesting comments. And what a great piece of playing from Filip Jers!
To answer Mike Fugazzi: the UltraBend is quite different to the XB40 in that all the extra bends are a semitone. That means it's really easy to play them in tune.
To draw an analogy with a regular harp in terms of technique, just imagine your 8 blow bend from 6 down to 1, and your 6 draw bend extending from 7 -10.
It's that easy and intuitive. And they are stable, not like valved bends. Much easier than overblows and overdraws on an out-of-the box harp.
Anyone like Filip who already gets around the whole harp range will adapt (like he did) really quickly. For me it's a bit tricky, as I never play Richter tuning! However I have already tuned one to PowerBender and will make up some more.
People are talking about the effect this harp will have on the popularity of overblowing. However many good players have already invested so much time and money into overblowing that they will be reluctant to change. And some won't like the different feel of the UltraBend: it has one valve per chamber, and that means it is not as breathy as a traditional harp. But you can hear how beautiful it sounds in Filip's hands, a very soulful, emotive sound.
I think this harp will have stronger effects in other directions, at least initially. Now that you can get soulful bending everywhere in the Richter tuning, I think it will make alternate tunings less attractive to the majority. Though the 30 reed design sounds good in alternate tunings, I think the SUB30 will entrench Richter tuning even more.
I believe it will virtually supplant half-valving altogether, as the bends you get on the SUB30 are so much nicer-sounding and easier to control than valved bends.
PT would sound great on one, for sure!
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 2:49 PM
While I think Noodles opinion is very flawed, I am intrigued by the harp and would buy one immediately. It isn't "fair" having Flip demo it as he is in the top 1% IMO, lol.
Brendan, you never cease to amaze me as a person and player. How you keep track of all the different harps is a wonder let alone the playing! While I am always skeptical about the ease of new harp approaches, I am always game for trying them...I have a Powerbender, Gazell harp, etc.
So far, the pros of switching from a Richter setup haven't outweighed the cons. I love where harp is headed, though.
I'm DEPRESSED. I like innovation but this is taking me out of my comfort zone. I'm thinking of the expenditure to replace my current kit and there's the problem of even more reeds to foul up plust the time I've invested into my current level of playing will be wasted. I'm not happy about all this. I'm more of a traditionalist than I thought.
I think this harp is a GREAT invention and I look forward to trying it at SPAH! I see it being very useful for a number of styles and songs, ballads, hymns, Christmas songs, jazz, etc.
As for the idea that overblow players are resistant to change, the same could be said about those who don't like overblows. However, I do understand that strong, expressive overblowing/overdrawing requires a properly set-up harp, no matter how good one's technique may be.
My approach is and has always been, I play whatever works best to get the job done for a particular song. Though I am an overblow/overdraw player, I use country-tuned harps, valved harps, the PowerBender tuning, B-Thing tuning, PowerBlow tuning, Minor tunings, other positions, etc.
I don't believe that there's one harmonica or tuning that is THE cure-all for every situation.
I also don't believe that overblows will become outdated anytime soon, because, like them or not, they have their place and have a unique expressive sound that can't be 100% duplicated with any other tuning - at least not yet! Remember, overblows can be bent upwards pretty far, which is something that you can't do with any other harp tuning as far as I know. For example, in a recent session, I bent a 4 overblow note up to the root note (4 semi-tones). (I realize that this is a pretty extreme example but you get my point.)
I'm certainly not downplaying this new harp at all. I think it's going to be an extremely useful harp to add to one's arsenal. I'm already thinking of tunes I'd like to try and play on this harp which require more expression on the 5 and 6 blow notes, so this should be fun to experiment with. I'd like to try one that's country tuned.
I do agree with what Brendan said:
"I believe it will virtually supplant half-valving altogether, as the bends you get on the SUB30 are so much nicer-sounding and easier to control than valved bends.
IT seems that new harp is well on it's way to satisfying the hungriest of players, young and old alike who have looooooooooooonged to be able to play a lot of different notes on a diatonic harp. Filip Jers definitely made it sound wonderful!
Awesome! just what this non-OB player has been waiting for
but, just to be pedantic, this isn't really Richter tuning? at least not holes 7 upward, where the blow notes are tuned below the draw. Also on the site, the image that Noodles reproduced seems to be a comparison, indicating that the harmonica to the right is standard tuning, which doesn't look right to me.
The drawing came from the Suzuki website. Brendon gave the link below his video.
RE: Overblows It’s OK if we don’t agree, we all have opinions. That’s what makes things interesting.
@Gamblershand You’re right about the tunings. In the drawings I posted, holes 7-10 appear to be inverted. That’s not how my Manjis are tuned. I believe that’s Semi-Spiral tuning as shown on Overblow.com
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 11:47 AM
Just to answer the most frequently asked questions on the new SUB-30:
Please note, the SUB 30 will not be available through most dealers until at least late September of 2012.
A VERY limited number of SUB 30's will be available at the SPAH convention coming up in Dallas. These will be available at the SPAH store on a first-come, first-served basis. Once they're gone, you'll have to wait until late September to get one.
The MSRP in the USA is $219.00.
All claims to a lower price are from customers who may have purchased their items overseas, and even then, those numbers are EXTREMELY suspect. Once again, the MSRP of the SUB 30 in the USA is $219.00.
Please note that Suzuki Music USA has not yet received any SUB 30's yet at our warehouse, so these harmonicas are NOT available yet in the US.
Please check with your favorite Suzuki retailer for their price and availability.
Thanks everybody...see you all at SPAH. ---------- -Daron Stinton SUZUKI MUSIC USA Got a question about a Suzuki Harp? Call (800) 854-1594, or e-mail harmonicas@suzukicorp.com
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 12:07 PM
Very interesting. I haven't heard anyone say but from the chart it looks like it is fully chromatic. The video sounded like it missed one note. And I wouldn't mind if the 7-10 blows and draws are reversed (that could be a typo).
So maybe street price will be ~ $150 ? All that work learning embossing and embouchure...
---------- Since I learned to overblow, I don't use my car horn so much any more.
It does appear (in the charts) that holes 7-10 are reversed. On a "C" diatonic, 7-10 (Blow) should be CEGC, and 7-10 (Draw) should be BDFA. The notes on holes 7-10 appear to be inverted for both harmonicas shown. On Overblow.com, this inversion is demonstrated as Semi-Spiral tuning. As someone said earlier, the harp may be laid out chromatically. It could very well be a typographical error.
I do however, seem to recall in another of Brendan's videos where he said something the the effect that anytime the blow note is lower than the draw note (within the same hole) that it would be of some benefit. My memory is a bit hazy on this, to be honest about it.
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 2:04 PM
Hi all: The tuning of the UltraBend is pure normal bog-standard Richter! And it is fully chromatic with bends alone.
Agreed, the chart is a little confusing compared to a normal tuning chart, but if you read the second (light blue) row as the low pitched notes in each hole, and the other light blue notes as the high notes in each hole, then it makes sense.
They should have given them different colours for blow and draw I think. Will pass that on...
@ Todd Parrott: You talk good sense there, Todd. I think a variety of approaches will persist in the harp scene, and most serious players will have a few different types/setups/tunings in their gig bag.
One area I can see the UltraBend being popular is for Country and Bluegrass. It is really easy to get those soulful, flowing fiddle lines on it, while retaining the familiar Richter tuning.
The sweetness of the sound will appeal to Country producers, I think. I can already hear it cropping up on Country/Bluegrass chart songs...
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2012 3:19 PM
I very much agree, especially since Richter tuning lends itself well to the traditional Charlie McCoy style licks and patterns used in country and bluegrass.
Harp innovations are showing up faster than I can keep up with!
This harp sounds like a interesting option. I'm not really wanting to retrain myself on the many various and useful tuning schemes currently available. I'm already heavily invested in learning chromatic harp and learning ob/ods on diatonic...but with its Richter set-up, the SUB30, while requiring some getting-used-to, may be very useful to the Richter - player.
Damn, if I had the budget for it, I'd try everything that emerged from the fertile brains of you harp developers!
In my initial post I alluded to the interesting story behind the UltraBend. For me it goes back to 1989, when I independently thought up the idea in New Zealand and made my first prototype, which I disclosed to Suzuki in 1991.
The reason why a commercial 30 reed harp didn't come out soon after that was because it turned out I wasn't the only one, or the first, to think of this idea! To give credit where it's due, I've written an article on the history behind the UltraBend for this months NHL 'Harmonica World' magazine.
You can read the article and see photos of the early prototypes here:
Brendan, When I looked at the the diagrams on the Suzuki website I had initially assumed that only the sympathetic reeds were valved. But now that I look at your prototypes I'm not so sure. I'm now thinking that it might be set up where the sympathetic reeds are valved, and then as far the regular blow and draw reeds are concerned, they're valved like a half valved diatonic would be. Which would be a total of 20 valves out of a possible 30.
So can you clarify exactly which reeds are valved? I'm asking partly because I'm curious/interested about the design and workings of the harmonica. But I'm also asking because the answer should give me an idea of how it will sound. If it's just the sympathetic reeds that are valved, I'm thinking that it should sound pretty close to a standard diatonic. But if there are other reeds valved, it will end up sounding more like a half valved diatonic (I'm don't mean the sound/tone of the bends, I'm referring to the overall tone).
EDIT: I just noticed that in one of your posts you mention that there is only 1 valve per chamber. Are these valves on the sympathetic reeds, like I'd originally thought, or are they on one of the regular blow or draw reeds (like a half valved set up)?
Last Edited by on Aug 04, 2012 4:06 AM
Thanks Brendan for the great demo and overview. A very exciting harmonica innovation.
If you are going to be making these harps in Powerbender (and other) tunings, my guess is that it could open up a whole can of creative harp worms!
I enjoy playing the XB 40's too, but don't see this as directly comparable mostly for the size, tone, and volume that the XB provides in loud, un-amplified traditional sessions.
On the XB 40, I find its almost too easy to bend and forces you to really pay attention to your technique. -----
Reading about this on another list today, I was imagining a "Physical Modeling" Super Harp, that you could program to sound like any model of harmonica ever made (diatonic, chromatic, XB 40, CBH 16, tremolos, chord, bass, etc.).
Then you would hit the Tuning/ Intonation module, (Richter, solo, Paddy, powerbender, circular,.../ JI, ET, Compromise 1,2,3, tremolo beating offset...)
and follow with the Amp Module with all the classic harp amps and effects.
Any plans for something like this Brendan? :) Burke T.
After reading the article explaining the history of the patent issues between Rick Epping and Will Scarlett, are we to assume this isn't actually a patented design and if not, does this leave it wide open for Suzuki's competitors to copy it?
@ REM: The UltraBend only has one valve per chamber. My 1989 prototype has two, plus an extra valve housing on the outside. If you read the article you'll see that I realised it could be simplified by giving the Sympathetic Reed a negative offset (no gap).
@Stevelegh: Absolutely right, the relevant patents have expired and anyone is free to make a 30 reed harp.
@ Opendoorharps: the XB-40 is a great harp, very clever design and works well. I'm sad to see it discontinued by Hohner. If you don't like the big bends it's easy to reduce them to semitone bends by raising the pitch of the Sympathetic Reeds (or, as Rick calls them, Enabler Reeds).
Last Edited by on Aug 04, 2012 3:38 AM
Thanks for posting my SUB30 video here - I was planning to do it, but now its here. Great! And thanks for the nice comments about the video!
The SUB30 is a really interesting instrument that I highly recommend trying out. It opens many doors to expression that I was not able to get before. The music in the video couldn´t have sounded like that, if it wasn´t for the SUB30. I recorded this video just a few days after I got the harmonica and imagine how many cool things there is to discover..
The phrases in this song are stuff that came to my mind directly when I started to play, and they lay out really easy. The blowbending technique is not hard, its almost the same embrouche as blowbending on harps from LF down to LC. And because there is no valves on that one - you can form the bend notes the way you want and it still sounds stable. And I am able to bend it (the bend note) in semitones upwards - creating a nice vibrato that I can never get on a normal diatonic or chromatic.
I play both overblow-style diatonic,chromatic and bass harp in normal tunings and I see SUB30 as a great complement to my other instruments.
I have a big passion for the instrument harmonica in all its different variations and I am very faschinated by this SUB30.
Best, Filip Jers ---------- http://www.filipjers.com
Hey Kids....there is a reason Brendan won the award at SPAH last year! Not only a great player but a brilliant inventor who is willing to stretch the limits. Whether this is a success or not I continue to applaud both Suzuki and Seydel for their willingness to bring new products to the market. Congrats Brendan and Suzuki. See a lot of you in about 10 days! ---------- "Life...10 Holes & 20 Reeds At A Time"
Ha! Bravo. I'd heard stories of Brendan's invention some years back. When I'd ask about it here and on other forums Brendan was always coy. I got the sense that it was something he had in his back pocket, waiting for the right time. I never pushed the issue because I didn't want to jeopardize anything in development and I'm glad I waited.
I know it's not even on store shelves yet but I think it's going to be a big deal. I know it's been said about other harp innovations but this one's different. Conceptually it's the most logical and profound development in design since the instrument first wailed.
Fitting it comes from Suzuki. Hope they sell a bunch. Fitting it was conceived by Brendan. Hope he gets a cut of everyone sold.
@ Roverharp: No, the time for 'getting a cut' is well past.
Suzuki would have paid me a royalty for the 30 reed idea if everything had gone as I thought it would in the early 90s - before discovering Rick Epping's patent. They are very honourable about that kind of thing: they paid me a royalty for five years for the half-valving idea on the Promaster MR350-V, which is a lot less radical than adding Sympathetic Reeds.
The 3-reed-per-chamber idea is now free for all, and Will Scarlett deserves our respect for being the first to think of it (even though I had no knowledge of that when I came up with it independently in New Zealand).
Will should also get a lot more respect as the FIRST serious overblower - way before Howard Levy. Of course Howard took it massively forward, but undoubtedly Will Scarlett was the first guy to try and use overblows to play in all keys on one harp. Unfortunately he didn't have custom harps in those days so it was a bit hard on the ears - but he has the recordings to prove it (I've heard 'em).
How many of the guys who currently owe their reputations to overblowing know about Will? He should be cherished and venerated - he's a great man in the history of the harmonica, and one cool dude to boot.
Last Edited by on Aug 04, 2012 11:38 AM
