I'm not sure what's going on with this technology now, but I gotta say, I love the idea. Sure it's not going to be the same as an acoustic harmonica, but that doesn't make the idea not awesome! I don't suppose these are on the market anywhere... but I really hope that they will be soon! I want one. Would totally use it in my band.
Hey Doc, I just moved to the 'burgh and I'm really interested in your work. Only problem is, your website is down! I perform a blues happy hour from 6-8 on Fridays at Frankie and Georgie's in Squirrel Hill. I have some interesting ideas for your ELX and I'd love to try out some of your acoustic harps as well. Please contact me, come by the show or both. Thanks, Wammo
Good job, though I'm confused. How can this invention produce an amplified sound that sounds like the acoustic sound from the harmonica? The vibration of the free reed itself is very close to a sinusoid, and since you are picking up the reed motion, your electrical signal should also be close to a pure sinusoid, which when amplified should sound something like a tuning fork. How are we hearing the acoustic sound of the harmonica? Thanks.
with all the respect isn't it quite the same like sticking the mike in front to the harp and then sticking the mike into multieffect machine? i heard the harps quite successfully "competing" (playing along) guitars in this simple (but quintessentially the same) way.
I use a lapel radio mike on a strip of aluminium bolted sat a right angle on to the top plate. It sends he signal to a sender and on to a base station and into an effects board from there to the amp.
The benefit, you’re independent of a mike stand and you can have what ever sounds you want.
You guys with your smart ass comments... do yourself a favor go to his website and check out his Background... I could spend the rest of the afternoon telling you that he's no(insert your favorite here) dummy... but i think that you guys are satisfied with your comments... I tried to get into one of the schools that he graduated from.. and even with a 4.0 I was not smart enough to do the lines on the parking lot.
Thanks - cutting edge for mouth harp technology, for sure. / Input - How about with (1.) the wah-wah and with (2.) some fuzz (!). Some off-edge commentary - (1.) The electric guitar is not alone in the world of music. (2.) Some folks that go ballistic at stuff they never heard of before should not offer public commentary. (3.) The 'Chicago'-whatever stuff sure ain't "dirty".
You're so right, Mr. Fhhuck. You are so right. That corny line actually came from a famous episode of the Honeymooners, "Chef of the Future." You should check it out, Fhhuck, you will certainly find its really hillarious.
@harpzila Believe me, Harpzilla, I did really try! We circulated five prototypes like the one in the video to professional harp player test pilots. About ten in total. Of these only one, Harmonica John came through for us. Others were very gracious but either too busy or too set in their ways to lay down any tracks for us. We are still looking a few willing collaborators.
@TurboHarp .I’m surprised and disappointed by some of the negative comments from this video. This is a company that’s pushing the boundary and developing innovative and different products that will take the harmonica into new and exciting areas. I would like to see a video of a good blues player using the ELX to duplicate/mimic an electric guitar – particularly the slide if this is possible. This would appeal to people like me who can't play the guitar for one reason or another. Great product
If I had that, I'd turn the distortion all the way up, raise the low and high tones, and kill the mid tones with a flange and chorus effect. Then I'd rape the very concept of music.
As a semiprofessional Harpplayer I have a question:
Is the player with your harp able to "cup" the sound? Please get me right: when I am holding a mic behind my harp inside my hands I can use several handtechniques to perform my sound. How is it with your invention?
So sorry for delayed reply. You are absolutely correct, the ELX does not support cupping. Think of it though like an electric guitar: you lose some acoustic expression, but you gain so much versatility. Thanks for your interest.
@TurboHarp Dr. Jim, I can't help but appreciate people that have their technical chops together, know how to laugh & have their feet near the ground. This is really cool. Makes my heart flutter.
For Cupping what about adding a cup feature that uses an optical sensor as a feedback mechanism for the cupped hand & how the musician likes to work it. I'll bet if you internalize a light source for their cupped hand to reflect, the harp players will figure it out within a semiquaver.
thanks for your response. the surface mount technology optical device saves you from drilling holes in the harp for lights. good idea ,however .the predistorted sound disturbs me. How did the piezoribbon sound? I would like to discuss ferromagnetically treated harp reeds ,condensor mic, and ribbon mic.methodsi c.I made a ribbon mic style harp. also a vacuum powered can with a reed cut into it and a guitar pickup .its loud HOOOOOOOO. ha ha. thanks, your feedback is the good kind.
Good job, though I'm confused. How can this invention produce an amplified sound that sounds like the acoustic sound from the harmonica? The vibration of the free reed itself is very close to a sinusoid, and since you are picking up the reed motion, your electrical signal should also be close to a pure sinusoid, which when amplified should sound something like a tuning fork. How are we hearing the acoustic sound of the harmonica? Thanks.
zomg i love how you started the video with the stereotypical advertising phrases...didnt know ppl still did it o.o in fact you remind me of troy mcclure who starred in movies such as...
made some optically transduced harmonicas in 1996 .they sound like yours,wierd distorted but truly electric.tapping on them makes reeds sound. the edison photophone patent shows how. my electronics teacher suggested phototransistors that worked. can it sound like a harmonica?. thanks for doing this important work.
Thank you. Believe it or not, this all started back in 1990 or thereabouts. It was the result of an experiment on the physics of the harmonica. At the time, I used eddy current proximity sensors to measure their motion. Then I suddenly realized that the same sensors could be used to transduce the motion to audio. The next incarnation involved piezo polymer (PVDF) painstakingly bonded to each reed. Finally, circa 2001, the introduction of inexpensive SMT sensors made the optics feasible.
owwww I was just thinking of building something like that, but i thoght of strain gages, or litle coil for each reed... hahah just ten years late. Congratulations! ah.. I want wanna those!
sounds nice, but I didn't hear any bending and twisting. I invest in the future of my craft. Would like to know if bends and twists are possible, as I'm not to interested in how to change the effects electronically as much as knowing if the bends and twists are possible. If you hear how I play you would understand. Oh, and plz sub back, thank you!
Thanks for your interest, Ray. The short answer is "yes" you can bend and twist. The ELX is actually based on a regular diatonic harmonica. We did this on purpose to give you the same "touch and feel" of the harp you are used to playing.
@ProfTurbodog --- I am very interested in your sets on your websites. If you could let me know which one most closely relates to the Golden Melody harps, I will take a set, with some covers, etc, I have Steven Tyler sized lips, and even his artist series harps I own don't cut it, the Golden Melody harps best fit how I play basically lol.
@raymorriss Thanks for your interest, and sorry for delay in replying. The core of the ELX is an actual acoustic garden-variety diatonic harp. So you can do everything you could normally do, with one exception: hand cupping is not effective. It was my intention to provide the "touch and feel" that we are all familiar with.. think of a pickup for a violin, piano, saxophone, acoustic guitar... you get the idea. Thanks again.
@raymorriss Thanks for your interest, and sorry for delay in replying. The core of the ELX is an actual acoustic garden-variety diatonic harp. So you can do everything you could normally do, with one exception: hand cupping is not effective. It was my intention to provide the "touch and feel" that we are all familiar with.. think of a pickup for a violin, piano, saxophone, acoustic guitar... you get the idea. Thanks again.
Very sorry I missed your posting, Dynan. The answer is "yes" and "no." I'll start with "no".... because the ELX uses an *actual* diatonic harmonica, it makes the most sense to simply amplify it without shifting the key. Think of an acoustic guitar with pickup: if the tune coming out of the soundhole was in a different key than the amplfied version, it might not sound so great. On the other hand... if we think on an *electric* guitar, in which case the amplified sound overpowers the acoustic...
@Dynan2008 then yes! In which case.... they make effects boxes for that. Finally, if we were to convert the output to midi, then the options would be virtually limitless. Thanks again for your ideas!
Thanks for your question, and sorry for the tardy response. Yes, it is possible to transpose or shift the pitch of the output signal. Its easy in fact. The only problem is.... that the instrument also puts out an acoustic sound -- since its actually real-life harmonica with pickups. So the combined sound would not sound so good. Unless, that is, you're playing REALLY loud, in which case you would drown out the acoustic. If I get a chance I'll post an example. Thanks again for stopping by!
Is there a way to send the signal through some kind of transposer so you don't need to carry around a gigantic satchel of harmonicas and change keys in real time?
You should get some videos of people playing this. It's sensitivity is impressive based upon your blowing at a distance. What's the digital interface for this?
Thanks for the suggestion. There are a couple of videos on youtube of Harmonica Dave playing the ELX. We have sent out some of the prototypes for road testing, and are hoping to have more sample tracks to share with you all.
Thanks for your interest. The harmonica body itself is a Hohner Special-20. To change keys, you just drop a different harp into the case. It currently takes about a minute; but we're working on a snap-in/out feature to make this easier.
Thanks for your interest. These harps are not actually on the market. We're looking for a partner to help commercialize them. We're anticipating a retail price in the range of a high-end microphone. Which I guess is also in the range of an electric guitar (of the non-Walmart variety.)
whoa! this is amazing! can't wait to see get one when i can! & i looked at the website, too. i love the little cupping mic you've got, i know where my next paycheck is going! keep up the good work!
so, you sell these systems? I play a special 20 and this whole concept just blows my mind. Ive done a similar thing with just a mic and an equalizer, but this...this is amazing.
Thanks for asking, Railrunner. We're actually not selling them; but we do have a small fleet of them that are being test-driven by prospective customers. Give us a call, or drop us a line.
Thanks for your question. The general principle would work on any harmonica. But this particular design is built around the Hohner Special-20 body. It allows you to swap harps in and out, as long as they are the same form factor. IFFFF we can gain some traction with this product, I would love to develop a chromatic version. Thanks again.
James, I am very happy you've put a movie of the Turboharp ELX on Youtube and hope you will find an way of producing this great machine soon. Sure will buy one. I use turbolids now on both a special tuned Lee Oskar and a special 20 in circular tuning from Harponline, great stuff.
Thanks for looking us up, Gary. There are only six of these in existence, and I've been looking for a manufacturer to license it so that the rest of the world could have one too. I'm just not equipped to mass produce them in our lab. If you know of anyone, send them our way. Wishing you all the best..
Its real cool, but it does it give a different sound if you cup it? Since it works with light, I assume it won't. That would be the only complaint for me because then you would not be able to change the tone instantaneously like you can with a mic. I hope I'm wrong though!
You make an astute observation - adding a pickup is much like an acoustic guitar pickup. You still get the touch-and-feel of the instrument but the hand cupping does not transmit to the amp. It does, however, project acoustically since the harp itself is just like any other. Thanks for your interest.
But you don't pick up any acoustic projection, which is an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on what one is looking for. If you can get the price down I'm sure a few folks mwould want them, unless you can't really get an authentic sound, I can see interst in mixing both the acoustic mic and "optical pickup". I heard a friend of mine was having some electronics fabbed in Russia. Come up with a catchy name would help too ...optoharp...and a celebrity endorsement.
Thanks! We tried all sorts of effects. The second to last sample on the video is extreme fuzz. The instrument is truly analogous to the electric guitar... the possibility are endless.
I'm not sure what's going on with this technology now, but I gotta say, I love the idea. Sure it's not going to be the same as an acoustic harmonica, but that doesn't make the idea not awesome! I don't suppose these are on the market anywhere... but I really hope that they will be soon! I want one. Would totally use it in my band.
jumpy1752 2 months ago
Hey Doc, I just moved to the 'burgh and I'm really interested in your work. Only problem is, your website is down! I perform a blues happy hour from 6-8 on Fridays at Frankie and Georgie's in Squirrel Hill. I have some interesting ideas for your ELX and I'd love to try out some of your acoustic harps as well. Please contact me, come by the show or both. Thanks, Wammo
wammster 2 months ago
Good job, though I'm confused. How can this invention produce an amplified sound that sounds like the acoustic sound from the harmonica? The vibration of the free reed itself is very close to a sinusoid, and since you are picking up the reed motion, your electrical signal should also be close to a pure sinusoid, which when amplified should sound something like a tuning fork. How are we hearing the acoustic sound of the harmonica? Thanks.
beingsentient 3 months ago
I want one!=)
mburl100 3 months ago
I SEEK POLE SHIFT SURVIVAL GROUP
sexypoetry 3 months ago
with all the respect isn't it quite the same like sticking the mike in front to the harp and then sticking the mike into multieffect machine? i heard the harps quite successfully "competing" (playing along) guitars in this simple (but quintessentially the same) way.
sexypoetry 3 months ago
yes you did know you had company
lilbabymama123p 3 months ago
YOU DID SO KNOW YOU HAD COMPANY
Crxspybacon 4 months ago 4
Comment removed
lolbartek00097 4 months ago
He wasted 20 years... can't beat a bullet mic and a good harp player...keep your technology!
phonedok2004fl 4 months ago
what does he play just before 2:44?
I used to be able to play that!
i don't know what it's called please help. Shenandoah or something else?
jakisnot 4 months ago
@jakisnot The song he was playing B4 2:44 is called "Ole Suzanna" It is an old song from early american southern music.
harmonicamanjack 2 months ago
can you change its key? that would be awesome
jakisnot 4 months ago
why does this only have 50 thou views... this is amazing
colinpuff 4 months ago
I use a lapel radio mike on a strip of aluminium bolted sat a right angle on to the top plate. It sends he signal to a sender and on to a base station and into an effects board from there to the amp.
The benefit, you’re independent of a mike stand and you can have what ever sounds you want.
Have a look at my web site harmonicashow.co.uk
I’ll attach a video of me playing if that’s ok?
Take care,
Derek
Karvindon 5 months ago
A little 2 pricey for my taste...sorry man but ill stick with my Marine Bands, and my chromatics.
unklbuk1 5 months ago
I'd like to get one of these.
paulienebz 5 months ago
You guys with your smart ass comments... do yourself a favor go to his website and check out his Background... I could spend the rest of the afternoon telling you that he's no(insert your favorite here) dummy... but i think that you guys are satisfied with your comments... I tried to get into one of the schools that he graduated from.. and even with a 4.0 I was not smart enough to do the lines on the parking lot.
think before engaging mouth
gewglesux 5 months ago 2
Pleasingly dealing with nasty comments. Good for you
lakepalmer 5 months ago
lmfao...this guys introduction made me laugh...
MichaelJohn5570 5 months ago
is there anywhere in Canada where i can buy this?
YAAAAAWWWWPP 5 months ago
i didnt realize i had company.you had! can i fuck off now.ive got paint drying i have to look at.
dubman75 5 months ago
Dear Santa...
burningthunder19 6 months ago
Hey, I didnt realise you where there, I am john mclure, you may remember me from such... hahahahahaha
TheBBoyJmE 6 months ago
clicked on ths cause the title didn't seem loke a good idea
oONemoOo 7 months ago
I want one of these!!! Boy, What I can do with an electronic harp!!!!!!!
ShadowManPr0ductions 7 months ago
I'm an amazing harp player and salesman. I f anyone can sell theese it's me. I live in Miami let me know.
harpzila 7 months ago
Thanks - cutting edge for mouth harp technology, for sure. / Input - How about with (1.) the wah-wah and with (2.) some fuzz (!). Some off-edge commentary - (1.) The electric guitar is not alone in the world of music. (2.) Some folks that go ballistic at stuff they never heard of before should not offer public commentary. (3.) The 'Chicago'-whatever stuff sure ain't "dirty".
RaintreeLDS 7 months ago
You're so right, Mr. Fhhuck. You are so right. That corny line actually came from a famous episode of the Honeymooners, "Chef of the Future." You should check it out, Fhhuck, you will certainly find its really hillarious.
TurboHarp 8 months ago 10
Why didn't they get someone who actually knows how to play harp. The demo would be much more impresive.
harpzila 8 months ago
@harpzila Believe me, Harpzilla, I did really try! We circulated five prototypes like the one in the video to professional harp player test pilots. About ten in total. Of these only one, Harmonica John came through for us. Others were very gracious but either too busy or too set in their ways to lay down any tracks for us. We are still looking a few willing collaborators.
TurboHarp 8 months ago
Where have you been all my life, Harpzila? Please contact me through our website.
TurboHarp 7 months ago
@TurboHarp .I’m surprised and disappointed by some of the negative comments from this video. This is a company that’s pushing the boundary and developing innovative and different products that will take the harmonica into new and exciting areas. I would like to see a video of a good blues player using the ELX to duplicate/mimic an electric guitar – particularly the slide if this is possible. This would appeal to people like me who can't play the guitar for one reason or another. Great product
gregbondable 5 months ago
Sweet !!!
hydraIX 8 months ago
Whats the song at 2.34?
olsalvatore 8 months ago
If I had that, I'd turn the distortion all the way up, raise the low and high tones, and kill the mid tones with a flange and chorus effect. Then I'd rape the very concept of music.
AlmightyScubba 9 months ago
As a semiprofessional Harpplayer I have a question:
Is the player with your harp able to "cup" the sound? Please get me right: when I am holding a mic behind my harp inside my hands I can use several handtechniques to perform my sound. How is it with your invention?
IvoryPhil 9 months ago
So sorry for delayed reply. You are absolutely correct, the ELX does not support cupping. Think of it though like an electric guitar: you lose some acoustic expression, but you gain so much versatility. Thanks for your interest.
TurboHarp 8 months ago
@TurboHarp Dr. Jim, I can't help but appreciate people that have their technical chops together, know how to laugh & have their feet near the ground. This is really cool. Makes my heart flutter.
For Cupping what about adding a cup feature that uses an optical sensor as a feedback mechanism for the cupped hand & how the musician likes to work it. I'll bet if you internalize a light source for their cupped hand to reflect, the harp players will figure it out within a semiquaver.
honor51 6 months ago
WHY DIDN"T I KNOW THIS EXISTED?!?!
Doganharp 9 months ago
First time I hear a TurboHarp. Fascinating!
baillar100 9 months ago
sounds great, how much? email me
SHADOWMAN296 10 months ago
lol they should make harmonica hero
tangypasta 10 months ago
thanks for your response. the surface mount technology optical device saves you from drilling holes in the harp for lights. good idea ,however .the predistorted sound disturbs me. How did the piezoribbon sound? I would like to discuss ferromagnetically treated harp reeds ,condensor mic, and ribbon mic.methodsi c.I made a ribbon mic style harp. also a vacuum powered can with a reed cut into it and a guitar pickup .its loud HOOOOOOOO. ha ha. thanks, your feedback is the good kind.
rytekelectronics 11 months ago
TIME FOR SLAYER ON HARMONICA!
defert92 11 months ago
Good job, though I'm confused. How can this invention produce an amplified sound that sounds like the acoustic sound from the harmonica? The vibration of the free reed itself is very close to a sinusoid, and since you are picking up the reed motion, your electrical signal should also be close to a pure sinusoid, which when amplified should sound something like a tuning fork. How are we hearing the acoustic sound of the harmonica? Thanks.
hectorbarro 11 months ago
You ar too kind! Thank you. If I could just approximate 1% of Les Paul's success, my life would have been worthwhile.
TurboHarp 11 months ago
do you have an email address, I have a harmonic I would like to discuss with you, mine is pdiglin@hotmail.com
thanks peter
peterDiglin 11 months ago
@peterDiglin fill out a contact us form on our website!
TurboHarp 11 months ago
Dog, I want one :) nice work
TKoorn 1 year ago
zomg i love how you started the video with the stereotypical advertising phrases...didnt know ppl still did it o.o in fact you remind me of troy mcclure who starred in movies such as...
foursuitsofmeat 1 year ago 10
I must confess, I stole the idea from the "Chef of the Future" episode of the Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. One of my favorites.
TurboHarp 11 months ago
I must confess, I stole the idea from the "Chef of the Future" episode of the Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. One of my favorites.
TurboHarp 11 months ago 2
@TurboHarp Lol I'll be sure to check it out...sounds funny :)
foursuitsofmeat 11 months ago
made some optically transduced harmonicas in 1996 .they sound like yours,wierd distorted but truly electric.tapping on them makes reeds sound. the edison photophone patent shows how. my electronics teacher suggested phototransistors that worked. can it sound like a harmonica?. thanks for doing this important work.
rytekelectronics 1 year ago
Thank you. Believe it or not, this all started back in 1990 or thereabouts. It was the result of an experiment on the physics of the harmonica. At the time, I used eddy current proximity sensors to measure their motion. Then I suddenly realized that the same sensors could be used to transduce the motion to audio. The next incarnation involved piezo polymer (PVDF) painstakingly bonded to each reed. Finally, circa 2001, the introduction of inexpensive SMT sensors made the optics feasible.
TurboHarp 11 months ago
@TurboHarp SWEEET!
bluesharmonicaplaya 8 months ago
owwww I was just thinking of building something like that, but i thoght of strain gages, or litle coil for each reed... hahah just ten years late. Congratulations! ah.. I want wanna those!
marcofognog 1 year ago
I want one that will plug into my USB port. I think it would catch on because people often practice at the computer.
WolfsburgWarehouse 1 year ago
its nice but why would you make an electric hamonica when you could have a normal one but still nice work.
PBanimation 1 year ago
@PBanimation NO FEEDBACK AT ALL!!! thats enough reason
marcofognog 1 year ago
superb
geetarxist 1 year ago
really nice
geetarxist 1 year ago
Blackfoot used a electric harmonica for their song "Train,Train" and was a top hit song for rock'n'roll in 1979. Youtube it, it sounds epic.
Chrisspy704 1 year ago
Thanks very much for this tip, Chris. I tried looking for it, but there are many Train Train videos. Could you send me (us) a link?
ProfTurbodog 1 year ago
@ProfTurbodog of course; just youtube "train train blackfoot". The video with the picture of a cobra is the one with the song.
Chrisspy704 1 year ago
sounds nice, but I didn't hear any bending and twisting. I invest in the future of my craft. Would like to know if bends and twists are possible, as I'm not to interested in how to change the effects electronically as much as knowing if the bends and twists are possible. If you hear how I play you would understand. Oh, and plz sub back, thank you!
raymorriss 1 year ago
Thanks for your interest, Ray. The short answer is "yes" you can bend and twist. The ELX is actually based on a regular diatonic harmonica. We did this on purpose to give you the same "touch and feel" of the harp you are used to playing.
ProfTurbodog 1 year ago
Comment removed
raymorriss 1 year ago
@ProfTurbodog --- I am very interested in your sets on your websites. If you could let me know which one most closely relates to the Golden Melody harps, I will take a set, with some covers, etc, I have Steven Tyler sized lips, and even his artist series harps I own don't cut it, the Golden Melody harps best fit how I play basically lol.
raymorriss 1 year ago
@raymorriss Thanks for your interest, and sorry for delay in replying. The core of the ELX is an actual acoustic garden-variety diatonic harp. So you can do everything you could normally do, with one exception: hand cupping is not effective. It was my intention to provide the "touch and feel" that we are all familiar with.. think of a pickup for a violin, piano, saxophone, acoustic guitar... you get the idea. Thanks again.
TurboHarp 11 months ago
@raymorriss Thanks for your interest, and sorry for delay in replying. The core of the ELX is an actual acoustic garden-variety diatonic harp. So you can do everything you could normally do, with one exception: hand cupping is not effective. It was my intention to provide the "touch and feel" that we are all familiar with.. think of a pickup for a violin, piano, saxophone, acoustic guitar... you get the idea. Thanks again.
TurboHarp 11 months ago
amazing instrument!
jamierourketen 1 year ago
you should call it the harmonica electronica.
ishouldplayzelda 1 year ago 2
very clever, thanks for the suggestion... and your interes!
ProfTurbodog 1 year ago
Would there be a potential to get this technology to the point where you could play all keys with the same harmonica?
Dynan2008 1 year ago
Very sorry I missed your posting, Dynan. The answer is "yes" and "no." I'll start with "no".... because the ELX uses an *actual* diatonic harmonica, it makes the most sense to simply amplify it without shifting the key. Think of an acoustic guitar with pickup: if the tune coming out of the soundhole was in a different key than the amplfied version, it might not sound so great. On the other hand... if we think on an *electric* guitar, in which case the amplified sound overpowers the acoustic...
ProfTurbodog 1 year ago
@Dynan2008 then yes! In which case.... they make effects boxes for that. Finally, if we were to convert the output to midi, then the options would be virtually limitless. Thanks again for your ideas!
ProfTurbodog 1 year ago
I had this idea. I'm sad it's been done already...
Muzikman127 1 year ago
Thanks for your question, and sorry for the tardy response. Yes, it is possible to transpose or shift the pitch of the output signal. Its easy in fact. The only problem is.... that the instrument also puts out an acoustic sound -- since its actually real-life harmonica with pickups. So the combined sound would not sound so good. Unless, that is, you're playing REALLY loud, in which case you would drown out the acoustic. If I get a chance I'll post an example. Thanks again for stopping by!
ProfTurbodog 1 year ago
Is there a way to send the signal through some kind of transposer so you don't need to carry around a gigantic satchel of harmonicas and change keys in real time?
AxxBluntforcetrauma 1 year ago
You should get some videos of people playing this. It's sensitivity is impressive based upon your blowing at a distance. What's the digital interface for this?
scasey1960 1 year ago
Thanks for the suggestion. There are a couple of videos on youtube of Harmonica Dave playing the ELX. We have sent out some of the prototypes for road testing, and are hoping to have more sample tracks to share with you all.
ProfTurbodog 1 year ago
can it change keys?
guitargeek624 2 years ago
Thanks for your interest. The harmonica body itself is a Hohner Special-20. To change keys, you just drop a different harp into the case. It currently takes about a minute; but we're working on a snap-in/out feature to make this easier.
ProfTurbodog 2 years ago
so do these harp's cost as much as an electric guitar ?
MrCooterbruzer 2 years ago
Thanks for your interest. These harps are not actually on the market. We're looking for a partner to help commercialize them. We're anticipating a retail price in the range of a high-end microphone. Which I guess is also in the range of an electric guitar (of the non-Walmart variety.)
Thanks again.
Turbodog
ProfTurbodog 2 years ago
whoa! this is amazing! can't wait to see get one when i can! & i looked at the website, too. i love the little cupping mic you've got, i know where my next paycheck is going! keep up the good work!
richiownsasia 2 years ago
Thanks so much for your kind words of support. We thrive on them.
ProfTurbodog 2 years ago
so, you sell these systems? I play a special 20 and this whole concept just blows my mind. Ive done a similar thing with just a mic and an equalizer, but this...this is amazing.
railrunner18 2 years ago
Thanks for asking, Railrunner. We're actually not selling them; but we do have a small fleet of them that are being test-driven by prospective customers. Give us a call, or drop us a line.
Turbodog
ProfTurbodog 2 years ago
Does it work as well on chromatic harmonicas?
jocardm 2 years ago
Thanks for your question. The general principle would work on any harmonica. But this particular design is built around the Hohner Special-20 body. It allows you to swap harps in and out, as long as they are the same form factor. IFFFF we can gain some traction with this product, I would love to develop a chromatic version. Thanks again.
TurboHarp 2 years ago
James, I am very happy you've put a movie of the Turboharp ELX on Youtube and hope you will find an way of producing this great machine soon. Sure will buy one. I use turbolids now on both a special tuned Lee Oskar and a special 20 in circular tuning from Harponline, great stuff.
dolphinsdaydreams 2 years ago 2
VARY COOL!!! NEED TO GET ONE
CURLYTONE 2 years ago 2
Very interesting...I never thought of this before but I'm interested in learning more about it.
pathoftruth1 2 years ago 2
Great seeing this video online, Jim!
bresslau 2 years ago 3
Ah, so this is what you've been up to!
Looks good, when is it shipping?
GaryLehmann 2 years ago 3
Thanks for looking us up, Gary. There are only six of these in existence, and I've been looking for a manufacturer to license it so that the rest of the world could have one too. I'm just not equipped to mass produce them in our lab. If you know of anyone, send them our way. Wishing you all the best..
TurboHarp 2 years ago
Its real cool, but it does it give a different sound if you cup it? Since it works with light, I assume it won't. That would be the only complaint for me because then you would not be able to change the tone instantaneously like you can with a mic. I hope I'm wrong though!
andrenighthound 2 years ago 3
You make an astute observation - adding a pickup is much like an acoustic guitar pickup. You still get the touch-and-feel of the instrument but the hand cupping does not transmit to the amp. It does, however, project acoustically since the harp itself is just like any other. Thanks for your interest.
TurboHarp 2 years ago
But you don't pick up any acoustic projection, which is an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on what one is looking for. If you can get the price down I'm sure a few folks mwould want them, unless you can't really get an authentic sound, I can see interst in mixing both the acoustic mic and "optical pickup". I heard a friend of mine was having some electronics fabbed in Russia. Come up with a catchy name would help too ...optoharp...and a celebrity endorsement.
fathompin 2 years ago
I am a celebrity LOL
harmonicajohn 2 years ago
that looks like fun. have you tried messing around with distortion with it?
xtremlpfan 2 years ago 2
Thanks! We tried all sorts of effects. The second to last sample on the video is extreme fuzz. The instrument is truly analogous to the electric guitar... the possibility are endless.
TurboHarp 2 years ago