Re: : [Harp-L] Re: Suzuki Pure Harp review (long)



Bending the OBs up is a true problem because of the short reeds.  There are so few people that can 1.) actually do it or 2.) hit the correct pitch or 3) can do it but can't use it musically that I thought it wasn't necessary to mention.

The versions of the harp I had played EXTREMELY well and in fact were so close to my custom harps I am considering getting a full set to use as practice harps so I don't wear out my Filiskos which BTW are still easily better than anything else out there.

BUT, for a mass produced harp the Suzuki is the way to go. I like the response and tone of the harps. I hated cover plates but got used to them after a while.

These harps will get better because Suzuki is switching over to the long reed design.  There is also another "killer" suzuki harp that will be coming out next year.  It will easily be the best thing available that is not produced by Joe Filisko.



>-----Original Message-----
>From: Winslow Yerxa [mailto:winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx]
>Sent: Friday, August 4, 2006 09:34 AM
>To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Fwd:  [Harp-L] Re: Suzuki Pure Harp review (long)
>
>I noticed the same chokiness in the 3 draw when trying out the Fire
>Breath and Pure harps recently. The overall feel was one of tightness.
>Overall, nice, responsive instruments. The steepness of the front of
>the wood comb was brought to my attention as a potential negative. I
>didn't have a problem with that, but I did notice som friction drag
>from the rosewood - perhaps some further finishing, or application of
>either a varnish or a lubricant might help with this.
>
>The environment was noisy where I tried these harps so I didn't get
>the opportunity to focus on tonal colors.
>
>While the notes in the middle range responded well to overblows, the
>OBs did not bend up in pitch much, and the Hole 1 OB was not well set
>up. The instrument I tried had not been embossed or otherwise tweaked,
>so it could be that a little trewking could extend these capabilities.
>
>Winslow
>
>--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Richard Hunter
><turtlehill@...> wrote:
>
>Spschndr@... wrote (regarding the Suzuki Pure Harp):
>
><Now, my 3 hole played way too tight initially, too tight to play out
>with 
><frankly; but a close look showed the 3D reed to be gapped way low,
>and one quick
><tweak got the 3 hole playing as well as the others.  
>
>I bought a Fire Breath in C from Coast 2 Coast a couple of weeks ago
>and have played it frequently since.  My harp had the same issue with
>the 3D reed.  I also found the action initially to be a bit stiff.  I
>did my usual setup routine -- emboss the reed slots with a penny
>turned sideways, then gap the reeds -- and the result was a very
>playable instrument, though I find the 3D reed still to be a little
>soft.  I may re-gap at some point to get a little more volume out of
>the instrument.
>
>I did a side by side comparison of the Fire Breath with a Lee Oskar C
>diatonic.  The Oskar seems to be a slightly louder instrument.  (Note
>that the Oskar has had the same setup treatment, i.e. embossing and
>gapping.) The Oskar's tone is brighter and "edgier" than the Fire
>Breath; the Fire Breath's tone is noticeably darker, although it has a
>lot more edge in it than I'm accustomed to hearing from wooden harps.
> Whether this difference in tone is "better" or "worse" depends
>entirely on the player and the material.  I would describe the tone of
>both these harps as attractive, and the tuning scheme used in both is
>apparently the same (i.e. equal temperament, designed for single note
>playing above all).     
>
>The Fire Breath overblows easily in the middle register -- more easily
>than any harp I've owned.  It also bends VERY deeply on every note
>where a bend is available -- down to within a few cents of the lower
>note in a given hole.  This might make absolute pitch control on bends
>more difficult, but it certainly makes for an expressive instrument.
>
>I don't know yet whether the Fire Breath will be anything like as
>durable as an Oskar.  It's held up well so far under hard playing.  In
>particular, it's gratifying to see that the rosewood comb doesn't
>apparently swell at all.  A wooden comb that doesn't swell -- now
>that's better living through engineering, chemistry, or whatever
>technical arts were applied to the problem.  (Certainly not
>electronics...)
>
>My next step will be to acquire a pair of these instruments in G and
>A, two keys where customized harps tend to rule, and see what they
>sound like.  I could see my case eventually holding a set of these to
>go with my Oskars -- it would certainly be nice to have those
>different tone colors.
>
>Regards, Richard Hunter
>hunterharp.com
>
> 
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>  
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