I think a Stage III harp from Joe Spiers is slightly dearer, but is of course a far superior harmonica than a B-Radical. Because it's a full custom harmonica. A Buddha harp is I think slightly cheaper, again it's a far superior harmonica.
If I had that kind of money to spend on harmonicas, Joe Spiers would be getting my cash not Harrison Harmonicas. I'm sure that the B-Radical is a good harp, but at that price point it makes more sense to me to buy a custom harmonica. ----------
It looks like B-radical hole spa?ing is wider than Marine Band and Manji and closer to Seydel. Does it really so? I think it's cool (still waiting for mine), I love seydel spacing more than hohner/suzuki. Jason Ricci recently tell in his interview it is not comfortable for him to play seydel because of wider spacing, so does he really play B-Radical? ----------
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 6:22 AM
Please could you give us MBH'ers an 'objective' review of the B rad from where you stand as a custom harp builder. For example, sound, responsiveness of reeds etc and as a customiser do you see this as real competition short or long term?
Well you can't blame Brad for the fact that other countries charges such high customs fees.
A quote from the review: "The construction as introduced in this version will never allow an economical full production run."
Unfortunately this appears to be a true observation. I don't see how HH is going to be able to keep going in the long run if they don't make some serious changes. With this extremely slow rate of production, I don't understand how they can afford to have 6 employees. I wish them well and hope they find some way to make this work.
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 6:00 AM
There were also other fine reviews there - very educative for those of us who want to understand the mechanics and innovations used in the harps. Like the XB-40, it would be nice to try out that one...
Thanks Ryan for pointing out the quote from Mr. Timler about the "The construction as introduced in this version will never allow an economical full production run," a.ka. something like a production run from a major manufacturer. That is true. We've always known that and never had any intention of making more harmonicas than anybody else. We wanted to make the best. We can and have been increasing our production, but the B-radical will never be mass-produced like other models out there. Our initial model, the B-radical itself, will always be a primarily handmade instrument. We spend more on labor than the retail cost of most harmonicas. Mind you, these are things we considered long ago when establishing the price. We knew it was going to be labor-intensive. We knew how much it was going to cost, long before production began. All that is included in the price of the instrument. The one variable we, or nobody else could predict was the huge demand for it. There were a lot of people who said nobody would buy a $180 harmonica. Before coach Harrison called me out on the field and when I was just some guy in the stadium, I can remember thinking the same thing. I can also remember a time when I thought it was impossible to lengthwise mill reeds, as companies have been trying to do that for almost a century without success, but I was wrong on both counts. If this harmonica wasn't the wonderful instrument it is, there wouldn't be this huge demand for it - and if that huge demand did not exist, nobody would be wondering about our production capacity.
@ Boris - The B-radical uses the standard hole spacing that you find on Hohners.
@ Nod It's $299 AUS only if you are being charged the 19 percent German V.A.T. tax, that goes on everything sold in Germany. I think Australia has such a tax imposed on imports, but it is much less.
---------- www.harrisonharmonicas.com
"There are only two things money can't buy - true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Lewis Grizzard
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 10:25 AM
Dave,you've got me curious. Without giving away trade secrets,how are the reeds made? Do you have to mill each individual reed? Is the brass reed stock all one gage thickness? Or are there different gages for different reeds?
Sorry if this doesn't turn out. I'm trying to tap this out on a damn cell phone.
As long as we are comparing the B Rad to custom harmonicas let's keep in mind the fact that the Harrison B Rad is a whole new base platform. Most customs are built on a Hohner product, which is cool, but the B gives a musician a new alternative framework to build on. The sound is different also.
Customizers are sorely underpaid. Aren't they great? Try to do what Joe Speirs can do for you. Instant respect from me for anyone who can twist a wretched MB into a custom harp.
Harrison Harmonicas offers a positive development if only just because we get another choice, more variety, and a big step up and above what most of us get out of the average harp.
I can't yet afford any of the high end amps and mics that are out there right now but it's great to know that when I'm ready I'll be able to talk to a Greg Hueman or Brian purdy type and check out all of the options.
The quick reaction might be to resent their "steep prices" and if you maybe have to wait while they put it all together for you, yeah sure, it's also not as fast as what you want. Nevermind the fact that someone has spent a big part of their life scraping or pissing nails over a product that will pay them 10% of what they could be making in a different situation that might actually pay them for their expertise.
If someone doesn't like the B rad, fair enough. But wouldn't it be great to have a harmonica out there that is sort of, kind of, you know, like the Martin guitar of the harmonica?
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 9:57 PM
Thanks guys. Tuckster, I can't really explain anything about the reed manufacturing. Did you see that absolutely hilarious bit on CBS where Mo Rocca was asking if they could go into the reed room and Brad was holding the door closed on him (it's at 2:00 in the clip below).
But, after signing a stack of papers, I did see the reed room. I am authorized to say this: it is every bit as cool as you think it is. Probably cooler.
Ever see the Sean Connery Bond movie "You Only Live Twice?" Remember that ultra-cool lair Blofield had disguised inside that Volcano. The reed room is something like that;) Only Brad doesn't have a cat.
---------- www.harrisonharmonicas.com
"There are only two things money can't buy - true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Lewis Grizzard
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 11:29 AM
I've just recently purchased one, because I was sick of having half assedly tweaked harps (because I tweaked them myself) and I was also sick of all the effort I had to go through to replace a bum reed. Hopefully the properly crafted instrument will improve my playing. That's my hope anyway.
I here ya. When I ordered it the bankroll was much larger. Since then I have purchased a 66 Cyclone GT convertible, dis-assembled it, completely restored and re-assembled it to the tune of, nevermind. Seriously, I think about that. I think about what has happened since June of 99 and now and man I'm gettin tired a waitin.
Dave- I meant in general. Hohner,Seydel,Suzuki. Do they mill reeds one by one or do they have a batch of them in some jig and mill them all at once?
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 3:02 PM
the clip says 20 week wait. i think that is 140 days. how come lip ripper has waited over twice that? there are others that have waited over a year, too. what gives? i got the disease as bad as many, but i need to know when the fix is available.
btw- are the reeds available for replacement, yet? if so- how much is a reed?
Dave -- Thanks for the video, and the other ones that came along with it. really interestin stuff. I love Mo Rocca, funny guy, and he did a good piece there.
@ Eharp - The discrepency of a year vs. the current wait time is due to the fact most of the time Lipripper has been waiting, no harmonicas were made. He ordered last summer, the first ones didn't start coming off until Feb. But Lipripper should have gotten his last week and he has been very patient. @Lipripper, I'm contacting you off list.
P.S., do you have any pics of that mercury?
---------- www.harrisonharmonicas.com
"There are only two things money can't buy - true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Lewis Grizzard
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 10:41 PM
I have to say I ordered my B-rad in June of 2009. Not here yet. Patiently waiting, but I must admit that the wait has been so long I am no longer excited about it.
Last Edited by on Jul 27, 2010 4:13 PM
I don't have a B rad. I talk to Brad nearly once per week these days and he's told me a few times he's going to send a few to me but I haven't seen them. I know they are extremely so I'm waiting patiently.
I have played the prototypes and the were nice but they are not the same as they are now.
I don't feel threatened about the B-rad and it's very likely that you will be getting B rad reeds in the harps that I am building sometime in the near future.
I would venture to guess the B rad is a very good harp as Brad has always been one of the top builders. I can see in the review some of the reed work and it's the same stuff that most of us do. Do I think the B-Rad can compare to something that Joe S or I would build? No, there is no way they will put in the time and level of detail into a harp they way Joe and I do.
In my last conversation with Brad, I gave him some tips on how to improve the B rad comb and I expect to see that incorporated in very short order. So at the end of the day, we are not competing but actually helping each other be better at what we do.
---------- "All is bliss"
Last Edited by on Jul 27, 2010 8:00 PM
Well, I finally got my B-Radical after a year's wait (I ordered it in June 2009), and I must say I am very pleased, thus far. I won't belabor the quality of sound, for my style (2d pos blues) and in my hands it's the best-sounding of my 70 or so harps, and I have a few very reputable customs (all of which cost less than B-Rad's $180, but are less good, too, no offense to my good friends and others who are top customizers.)
In particular - aside from the rich tone and solid construction - I like the mouth-feel, as compared to MBs,GMs & Seydels, each of which I have customized versions. the shaping of the comb-face, the inset of the cover and the general shape of the "mouthpiece" is right where I like it, even with the MB style brass rails. (I'm a long-time SP20 player, all my other top line harps are SP20s, despite my other customs.)
I also work on my own a bit and have disassembled the B-Radical to examine it very closely.
The real test will be over time, playing it at gigs and seeing how it holds up under full use. So far, it seems quiet durable in term of construction and tonality. A small discrepancy with the mounting of 2-ended nut holding the cover screws is the only flaw I've encountered, and it's been redesigned (today I send it back for upgrade.)
The reeds are fascinating, with minute longitudinal striations on the top side, i.e., away from the slot (Brad says Herringbone, I said corduroy, guess which of us buys our clothes at thrift stores!) These are very different looking reeds than one finds in any other harps I've seen.
According to Brad, to tune them one works the flat side of the reed, which faces the slot. And alas, I had to lower one of the reeds just a few cents, it was a cinch, a small production discrepancy but still I am really happy with the harp.
I'd have to guess the herringbone surface affects strength, and with less mass - but I'm a product of DC public schools so ah'm ingorant about science stuff.
Yes, it's about 8 times the cost of an OTB SP20, and my SP20's last a long, long time. Yet assuming it has longevity and durability, the B-Radical has a quality of tone and a physical ease of playing that simply sets it above and apart from current production harps, and many customs, which are naturally wedded to "old" design.
Hey customizers, I'd be curious to see how you improve upon this!
Well, I think most would agree that any harp Joe touches turns to gold. My B-Radical that Joe customized is an incredible harp. I was initially interested in the B-Radical as an overblow/overdraw harp, but the tone ended up being my favorite feature. While it did overblow and overdraw pretty well, there were a few squeals which Joe was able to eliminate and bring the harp up to the same level as his stage 3 customs. Now it's perfect. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the truth is simply that nothing can compare to a custom harp, especially when you're talking about a Spiers harp. A good customizer like Joe will learn what works well for each player and build a harp according to each player's needs and specifications. He retuned my B-Radical, eliminated the squeals, and did a bunch of other stuff that I'm sure is a part of his special process. He basically rebuilt the harp. I had to take down my initial B-Radical video because of my recent Hohner endorsement, but I'll be posting a new video on YouTube soon about Joe's work, which will include the B-Radical.
David Fertig says: "The reeds are fascinating, with minute longitudinal striations on the top side, i.e., away from the slot (Brad says Herringbone, I said corduroy, guess which of us buys our clothes at thrift stores!) These are very different looking reeds than one finds in any other harps I've seen."
That's the lengthwise milling. We are really proud of that. That's something the best harmonica engineers have worked on since at least the 1930s. Now, we're finally doing it.
David
---------- www.harrisonharmonicas.com
"There are only two things money can't buy - true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Lewis Grizzard
Last Edited by on Jul 29, 2010 4:25 AM
I understand all your efforts focusing on the B-Rad at the moment, but are there any plans for other, perhaps lower cost, models? Or how about a B-Rad chromatic?
What about distribution - will Harrison Harps ever be available from other retailers? (Reducing all those nasty import taxes for us non US players)
Last Edited by on Jul 29, 2010 5:37 AM
Myverylong... All those are obviously, things any company would be well advised to do. Especially the chromatic. That would be awesome. Obviously the immediate things on our plate are to catch up and get the rest of the 12 keys on the market.
@Lipripper: I love that merc. Thanks for posting those. That is one sweet ride.
Dave
---------- www.harrisonharmonicas.com
"There are only two things money can't buy - true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Lewis Grizzard
I love watching Brad in shop evaluating reeds. He'll put some reeds on a plate, you'll hear "plink, plink, plink" then you hear "nah!" and next thing you know, there's more reeds on the floor. It's awesome.
David ---------- www.harrisonharmonicas.com
"There are only two things money can't buy - true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Lewis Grizzard
It finally came home on Saturday. A fine instrument. The fit and finish is wonderful. The tone is unique to it's design. I took it to a Jam sat. night and I've played it all weekend. I will lower the reed height a bit to better suit me but I wanted to break it in first. Great playing harp right out of the box or bag as it is. ;<} My thanks to you Dave and of course to Brad. Brad has followed up with me and offered his assistance should I need it. I really appreciate that.
13 and counting..the months...the weeks...the days...the seconds. But I ordered two! Ha! Soon I will have them both in my hands and I can caress their curvy covers, lovingly wrap my lips around them...slide my tongue against their magnificent combs and...and... Oops! Time to go check the mailbox!
