X-REED HARMONICAS

Many diatonic players these days have adopted the overblow/overdraw style as a way to augment note bending to achieve full chromatic scales on the traditional Richter-tuned 10-hole diatonic. However, the hole #1 overblow is very challenging to achieve as a stable, sustained note, even on a highly customised harmonica.

André came up the concept of creating a special accessory part that could be retro-fitted to diatonics to overcome this problem. He mentioned the idea to Brendan, but wasn't sure how to make it into a workable part.

After giving it some thought, Brendan came up with a simple solution: a U-shaped piece of foam that can be fitted under the coverplate, enclosing the hole 1 blow reed with an outlet to the rear. In regular use the harp plays as normal. However, when the player wants a stable, strong overblow on hole 1 to get the missing note between hole 1 draw and hole 2 blow, they only need to cover the rear outlet of the foam enclosure with a finger.

This stops the player's breath from escaping through the hole 1 blow slot, so that all the force is directed to hole 1 draw. Suddenly, hey presto: a strong stable overblow pops out on hole 1! It works as well on stock out-of-the-box models as customised harps.

Our Hole 1 OBB is a universal part that can be added to any brand diatonic harp or model. It's super easy to install, and can be fitted by anyone to their harp within a couple of minutes. Check out the Fitting video to see how.

Although the effect of our Hole 1 OBB is amazing, because it's such a simple part the price is very affordable. Most players have a bunch of harps in different keys, which would all benefit from having it installed. That's why there's a good discount for buying a bunch of them!