
INSTRUCTIONMANUALSUZUKISUB30“UltraBend”
ThankyouforpurchasingtheexcitingnewSUB30UltraBend10holeharmonica!
Pleasereadthefollowingplayingandmaintenanceinstructionscarefully,toensuretrouble-freeuseformanyyearstocome.
HOWTOPLAYANDBENDNOTES
UltraBendNOTELAYOUT
7106
-
3B
-
APR
-
MM
-
181
-
B
00457
-
10091v2.0
2-25-12RyokeNaka-KuHamamatsuJapan
【C key】
BEND BLOWBLOW DRAW BEND DRAW
Blow, Draw and Bent notes
BD# F# BD# F# A# C# E G#
C# F G# C# G# D# F# A#
F# A B
A#
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
CE G CE G BD F A
FC
D D A E G
GC
B
The SUB 30 UltraBend
gives you lots more
available notes by simple
bending technique alone.
When your skills are
developed you can use it
to play fully chromatically!
②IfbendingwiththeSympatheticReedisdifficult
③ValveNoise
Adjustthesetting.
It may be cleared by curving the valve edge upward.
The SUB30 UltraBend has three types of reeds: 10 Active Blow reeds, 10 Active
Draw reeds, and 10 ‘Sympathetic’ Reeds for extra bending. The Sympathetic
Reeds don’t sound under normal play, but activate when the player wants to
bend down the low-pitched Active note in each hole to create the bend.
SETTINGTHEREEDGAPS
The SUB30 is adjusted before shipment so each reed will work properly. But
as time goes by, the setting of some reeds can alter slightly and sometimes
cause problems. If that happens, the reeds have to be readjusted to their
correct setting. That is easy to do if you understand the principles involved!
Please refer to the trouble shooting list below.
(Note : How you play is important for the long life of your harmonica. As with any
harp, you should be careful not to bend any notes too low so the pitch is flat.
Just bend to the note you want, to stay in tune and not over stress the reeds.)
The Active and Sympathetic Reeds interact with each other. By playing both
and adjusting as necessary you can find the right setting. It takes a little
patience but you will soon learn.
It happens when the Sympathetic Reed sits above the reedplate. That means
it will sound in normal play, which you don’t want.
*The noise may be caused by the reed touching the plate, not a valve problem at all. Check!
*The noise may not be cleared if the valve is completely bent. Be careful: valves are delicate.
This can happen when the Sympathetic Reed is pushed too far into the reed
slot. Gently lift it out a little and test.
If you blow very hard on a reed that is opposite a valve, there is a possibility
of valve noise.
④Stickingvalve
If the harmonica is cold condensation may cause the valves to stick to the
reed plate after (or during) playing. This may be prevented by warming the
harmonica in your hands before playing.
THEEXTRAREEDSandHOWTHEYWORK
TROUBLE-SHOOTING
Hole No.
Reed No.
(upper level)
Reed No.
(lower level)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hole No.
Reed plate assembly (upper level)
Reed plate assembly (lower level) Valve : 1 to 6 for inside, 7 to 10 for outside
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 98 10
Blow Reeds Draw Reeds Sympathetic Reeds
①Ifanunwantedchordshouldsound AdjusttheSympatheticReedgap.
If a chord sounds, gently press the Sympathetic Reed further down into its reed slot.
OK NG
Point
plate
Lower the reed in the slot.
Raise the reed in the slot.
PictureoftheSympatheticReedadjustment.
▼Adjusting the Sympathetic Reed
▼Valve Adjustment
(These instructions relate to a C harmonica, but the rules are the same for other keys)
If you are a beginner, first simply try to blow and draw freely over all holes.
You should hear that the notes are harmonious. That is because they are
arranged in the Richter Tuning, the common tuning for 10 hole harmonicas. It
gives you rich C (blow) and G (draw) chords in holes 1-4, but also means
there are no F and A notes in the first octave. However, the standard
harmonica draw bending technique allows you to get these notes by bending
down the draw notes in holes 2 and 3. To bend, you lower the pitch of the
note by altering the position of your jaw and tongue. It takes some practice,
but mastering it will allow you to sound Bluesy and get new notes that are not
built into the harp. On a normal harmonica, holes 1,2,3,4 and 6 can be
draw-bent, and holes 8,9,10 can be blow-bent. That’s 8 reeds altogether.
Work on your technique on a normal 10 hole harp to master them.
But the new Suzuki UltraBend is different! It has 30 reeds instead of the
usual 20 (hence the model name SUB-30). It includes an extra 10 Sympathetic
Reeds that enable bending of the low-pitched reed in each hole. That means
you can now easily bend 18 reeds instead of 8! Check the chart below in Fig.
to see the available bent notes.
*All the Active Reeds can be tuned in the same way as the common 10-hole reeds other than the
ones in the row. These are the Sympathetic Reeds
【Example】 In drawing with the hole No. 5, the chord sounds because the Sympathetic
Reed resonates.
【Example】 A buzzing noise rises from the hole No. 3.
NOTE: When adjusting, it is important to understand
that the setting of the Sympathetic Reeds differs
from normal reeds. The ends of the Sympathetic
Reeds are flush or below the level of the reedplate.
The ends of the normal Active Reeds are always
raised above the reedplate.
Make an
adjustment
within the
thickness of
the reedplate.
The Sympathetic Reed is too high A chord sounds but bending is easy.
The Sympathetic Reed is too low No chord sounds but bending sound is harder.
Adjust carefully to find the optimum setting for your playing style.
NOTE:
*
Please keep to the caution to protect from damage of your harmonica.
CAUTION
Beforeplaying
Wash your hands and rinse your mouth thoroughly. Also, play the each note slowly
and carefully, and check if it is out of tune. When there is the tone which is tuned
down drastically, the reed might be broken. Please stop playing in such case.
Don'tletanysmallobjectgetaccidentallyinsideyour
harmonica.
This could cause damage to the harmonica.
Don'tgripthecovertootightly.
You may bend the covers and damage the harmonica.
Forprotection
In order to keep your harmonica protected, make a habit of storing it in its case
when not in use.
Don'tthrowordropyourharmonica.
This could cause damage to the harmonica or hurt yourself.
Keepyourharmonicaawayfromheat.
Don't leave your harmonica near a source of heat such as an oven, or under
intense sunlight. This could cause damage to the harmonica.
Generalcare
After playing, tap out the harmonica in the palm of your hand, and then wipe it with
a soft, lint-free cloth. For more thorough cleaning, wipe with a cloth dampened with
HAC-01 (Suzuki Harmonica Sterilization Cleaner) or ethanol for disinfection. Please
never use any other chemicals or solvents not listed here to clean your harmonica,
as they may damage it.
Notedconcerningthereeds
Thereedscanbecomebreak
The harmonica is sounded by ‘reeds’, the small plates of metal inside. It vibrates
to sound the notes. The reeds can become tuned down, crack or break due to the
metal fatigue caused by the frequency of use or blowing strength of breath. This
phenomenon is possible to happen to all of the reed instruments.
Donotplaylookingupward
Do not play the harmonica looking upward. In case that the reeds become break,
you can get the reeds into your mouth or inhale it. If you inhale the reeds, please
consult to the nearest medical facility.
Asignofthereedbreakage
When your harmonica is tuned down drastically, it is a sign of reed breakage. Please
stop playing in such case. If you keep playing, you can get the reeds into your
mouth or inhale it.
Thereedsarerequiredregularmaintenancesinceitis
consumablegoods
As the strings of the string instruments are broken due to the consumption, the
reeds can become out of tune or break as well. The lifetime of the reeds is depends
on your playing style or how often you use your harmonica. Requesting regular
maintenance to our company is recommended to use your harmonica safely for a
long term.