Hey guys havent posted on here in a while but here is a short easy little tune I made on a Steve Baker Special harmonica in key of D (with lower octave) I used the lower octave as my rhythm for some cool train-like stuff and the middle and higher range for melody :) the song is called " The Rayneman Blues"
Very nice. I keep meaning to get around to getting a 14-hole. I wish they made the Sub30 in a 14-hole model. I could check two 'want to tries' off with one purchase. :)
The bottom octave on holes 1-3 is just like holes 1-3 of normal tuning--regular tuning starts on hole 4--and the top hole has the major seventh on draw, blow is the third--
Last Edited by on Jan 17, 2013 12:00 AM
A 13-hole version would be ideal, but no one makes one. On the SBS, the 14th hole is kinda pointless.
On the Seydel version, since it's only 12 holes, the last note on the high end ends up being the same as 9 blow, so you can't do your normal hole 10 blow bends.
The idea of the added lower register is great, but both models, the Seydel and the SBS, have their flaws.
The SBS is also much harder to hold because of the unnecessary, extra long ends.
They are awkward beasts to play, but I have to say that the C SBS I bought some ten yrs ago is a first rate harmonica in terms of airtightness and reed setup. Very responsive indeed. Learning to find your way around the entire range of the harp is kinda hard though, if you´re used to the 10-holes. Steve Baker gives some examples on how to use them on the records he did w/ Chris Jones.
@Martin, wish I could say the same. I have two SBSs, in D and F. They are both leaky as sieves. I was sanding down the comb of the D, and it broke...haven't gotten around to glueing it back. But I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in mine.
@bloozefish, Yes, I´ve seen some less than enthusiastic comments on the SBS. A pity ´cause they´re not cheap, putting it mildly. So, for once in my life I got lucky! Mine even yields an (admittedly non-sustainable) OB on hole 4 -- w/o any tampering w/ the reeds whatsoever. (That means hole 1 on a standard C diatonic.) That was a first for me.
One of my unique tunings (well, the only one, really) came from retuning an SBS in D. I change holes 1-6 to circular, so | F# g | A b | C# d | E f# | G a | B c# | I had the comb varnished and screws put in (Mike Peace) and it's a great harp! It IS a Marine Band after all . . .
