bazzzzou
45 posts
Dec 12, 2010
2:36 PM
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The B-radical by brad harrison harmonicas. I heard some litle demos on the net and it seems to be an awesome harp.. did someone know something about this harp??
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Todd Parrott
220 posts
Dec 12, 2010
2:45 PM
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I have one, but it was customized by Joe Spiers. It was really good out of the box, and I hear that they have even improved since then.
I don't think I would ever stop using Golden Melodies though. I just love the GM tone.
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bazzzzou
46 posts
Dec 12, 2010
2:47 PM
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ha ha ok =P!!
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bigd
257 posts
Dec 12, 2010
4:01 PM
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Brad and I talked the other day: The reed material has changed since it's genesis. 3 things I'd like to exploit about Brad Not Relative to B-Rad wait times: He's got a terrific sense of humor; he's a terrific harp player; and he can be a very generous guy! p.s Like Todd I seem to be married to GM's although I think they are not the warmest choice for octaves. d
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LIP RIPPER
349 posts
Dec 13, 2010
4:28 AM
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I had one, it's Chris's now, Nuff said.
LR
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BigBlindRay
30 posts
Dec 13, 2010
4:56 AM
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I own a B-Rad in C and A and they are the most beautiful harps i have played to date
I will second bigd about Brad - he is a generous guy and a really nice dude.
I had to send my A harp back for repair after a friend of mine took my B-Rad out of my harp case, played it and dropped it on concrete without my permission, the fall misaligned some of the reeds. Brad happily fixed it at no charge, covered the return shipping and even fitted it with a red comb as opposed to the stock black comb and boy does it play as good as it looks.
Draw and blow bends are very easy to obtain on the instrument and control over note separation is better than any stock harp ive played.
The instrument does a good job of maintaining a stable pitch when bending be it normal or overbends.
One thing i noticed was that initially it felt really weird trying to play interval or chord bends. At first i thought to myself that the harps had a major flaw in their design but i eventually changed my playing approach and can bend intervals/chords fine.
It will not make you a good player - what i have discovered is that it does a great job of pointing out flaws in my technique. But i suppose im reiterating what any person would say should they be accustomed to playing a high end harp.
They are very comfortable to play - the instrument has a similar coverplate style to a GM or Masterclass or Suzuki Promaster - basically any harp with full length coverplates, however they more tapered in the style of the Hohner CX-12 Jazz harps but on a smaller scale. In fact, i feel that the B-Rad is heavily inspired both my the GM and CX-12 as far as design goes. Did I mention they're really comfortable to play?
The vented coverplates and body sticks to the tradition of the MB however the ergonomic design allows for the player to be able to easily seal off the vents allowing for more choice as to how the player would like to shape their sound. I dont know about anyone else, but I've tried to see if i can easily seal the coverplates vents of an MB with my hands when playing and its just not doable unless you are double jointed - or have really fat hands with loose skin?
Wait time - its long. No doubt about it. I accepted that when i ordered these harps well over a year ago that it might take a year or longer to get them. It was a no brainer really. I dont really understand all the nay sayers out there complaining about the turnaround time. If history is any indicator than.
a) Custom harp orders can take weeks/months/year or two to get from the initial order to your hands
b) The more reputed the customiser, the longer the wait.
c) its a revolutionary product representing a massive cornerstone in the history of the harmonica.
So i took a hunch - "Ray, think these bad boys gonna take a while dude, dont think the turn around theyre advising is realistic - think they be worth it but - history in the making here"
And now Brad Harrison has Richard Sleigh AND Joe Spiers helping out on the production line?
**EDIT**
I forgot to mention the Black Nickel plating. It looks HOT. but can be a bitch to keep clean. It marks real easily. They supply the harps with a polishing cloth bag for a reason.
I did speak to David Payne some time back about weather or not Harrison Harmonicas will be releasing their own Harp cases to go with the B-Rads. I for one wish they do. I'd particularly love it if they could strike a deal with Hiscock cases to make a harp case that custom fits the B-Rads. But maybe im dreaming...
I'd also like to add to that wishlist, White finish coverplates. Would look damn sexy and stick out unlike anything else.
Big Blind Ray's YouTube Channel
Mavis and her China Pigs
Last Edited by on Dec 13, 2010 5:23 AM
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snakes
603 posts
Dec 13, 2010
12:21 PM
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I'm no pro, but I do get to play out a little. I have a B-Rad in the key of Bb. If you don't mind waiting for an awesome harp and can spare the dough, I say buy one. It is close in quality to the three custom harps I own (from three different customizers).
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