TurboHarp: The First Electric Harmonica
Posted by: John
Here’s something for those of you who occasionally (or often) have to compete with the electric guitar player to be heard. Those of us who have been in amplified bands know that can be a challenge at times due to feedback issues because we’re limited to playing through microphones which were intended for lower volume applications.
The folks at TurboHarp have been innovating for years making improvements to our humble instrument and now have created an actual electric harmonica which isn’t subject to feedback and the other limitations we’re all used to. Check out this video for details:
Imagine being able to plug your harp into an amp and/or a rack of effects pedals just like the guitar gods and not have to worry about feeding back, fiddling with mic volume knobs, and all those other little quirks we’ve learned to live with on stage.
The TurboHarp has reeds just like a normal harmonica, but the reeds are tracked with light sensors that provide the analog-to-digital conversion necessary to amplify the signal. This essentially eliminates feedback because there’s no acoustic feedback loop! You can literally hold the harp inches away from the amp speaker with the volume and gain cranked and hear blessed silence instead of paint-peeling squeals.
The TurboHarp inventors are in the process of seeking investor funding to further develop and produce the TurboHarp. You can help sponsor the TurboHarp project through the Kickstarter website whether you have big money or milk money and be part of this new chapter in the history of amplified harmonica. That’s a pretty cool concept in itself.
- Tags: electric harmonica, turboharp
