Re: [Harp-L] XB-40 Extreme Bender Pros and Cons query

["Don Neal" <donkneal@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nate taiapa wrote:
Hi people,Keith from www.jt30.com gives the pros and cons for the XB40 
ExtremeBender harmonica...is he on the button? Are there any other pros 
andcons you would add. I'm thinking of getting me one.

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Let me start by saying that I am not an advanced player, just a fairly good 
intermediate, not into overbends and overblows, and play mainly blues, 
country, and a little gospel.  I live in the Richmond area where Hohner's 
main U.S. office is also located.  But I live on one side of town and Hohner 
is on the other side, some 40 miles for a one way drive.

I purchased an XB-40 at the Virginia Harmonica Fest(?) in Williamsburg last 
spring.  When I got home and had a little time to try it out, I discovered 
that every time a played 2-hole draw, there was extra noise coming from 
inside the harp, something like a rattling/vibrating sound.  Not wanting to 
take apart a new $70 harp, I decided to drive to Hohner one afternoon to 
discuss the problem with them, hoping for a quick fix.  After checking in at 
the front desk, a technician came to the front desk, discussed my problem, 
then took the harp with him to his work area.  He reappeared in 15-20 
minutes with the news that there was nothing wrong with the harp, that my 
playing style was the problem and I needed to adapt my playing style to the 
XB-40.

I was a little surprised at the diagnosis, but thanked him for his time and 
returned home to see what I was doing wrong to cause the problem.  After 
several hours trying to find my problem, I decided again that it was a harp 
problem and not my style of playing.  No matter how hard or soft, quick or 
slow, or any other way I tried to draw through the 2-hole, the harp 
continued to make the same noise.  Not really playing, but simply drawing 
air through the harp at different volume levels caused the problem too.  I 
intended to make a return trip to Hohner to readdress the problem, but time 
passed quickly and I eventually decided that I had owned the harp too long 
to expect any action by Hohner.

I am convinced that the harp does have a problem (probably a very minor one) 
and Hohner did nothing to stand behind it, especially considering my time, 
trouble and expense to return the harp to them (although they may have if I 
had been more persistent at the time).  I've read other posts on harp-l that 
acknowledge problems with certain keys and certain reeds.  So at $70-$80 per 
harp, I don't intend to purchase the XB-40 in other keys.  Having said all 
that, it is an interesting harp and I think I would have liked playing it 
(or playing with it) if it had not been for the irritating rattle.  Maybe 
I'll tear it apart some day and add a little sticky stuff to the thingomabob 
to see if that'll fix her.

I'm not convinced Hohner has a total commitment to customer satisfaction, 
considering my problem and other problems discussed on harp-l (with the 
XB-40 and other new models).  I'll probably continue to buy certain model 
Hohner harps (I like the MM and SP20), but I'll also look at other brands 
before buying.  I've found Lee Oskars to be my favorite harp, but understand 
that others don't like Asian harps because of difficulty with 
overdraws/bends

Hope this helps.