Built to Order
 Customized Suzuki SUB-30

The Suzuki SUB-30 is a revolutionary harmonica featuring 30 reeds on a chassis the same size as a standard 20-reed diatonic harmonica.  In addition to the standard 10 blow and 10 draw reeds, Suzuki has incorporated 6 additional blow and 4 additional draw “Sympathetic Reeds” which provide the “missing notes” not found on a Richter Tuned Harmonica. The extra reeds enable full chromatic playing via the use of draw bends and blow bends (no overblows or overdraws required).

The SUB-30 was introduced at the annual SPAH Convention in 2012.  Blue Moon Harmonicas has been involved in the efforts to customize and improve the performance of the SUB-30 since the very beginning.  At that SPAH Convention in 2012, we were commissioned by Brendan Power, the inventor of the SUB-30, to build a custom comb for it. Fast forward to today and we have upgraded and re-designed the Custom SUB-30 Comb and have developed a second custom component - the External Valve Plate.  The External Valve Plate (EVP) is simple to install and adds 10 valves to the SUB-30, making it a 30-Reed/20-Valve Harmonica.  Our Custom Comb and EVP make the SUB-30 far more airtight and responsive than the stock version.  In addition, we do an extensive amount of reed work to our Custom SUB-30s to further enhance the performance. Our precision components and expert reed work serve to unlock the potential of the SUB-30 and make it the harmonica its inventors dreamed of when they created it.

We offer Custom SUB-30s in the Keys of A, C and D built wtih our Custom Combs and External Valve Plate.  The Custom Combs and Valve Plates are also available as stand-alone components or as a complete SUB-30 Customization Kit.

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE ORDERING

The SUB-30 was developed to enable diatonic harmonica players to play “Chromatically” without the use of Overblows or Overdraws, or Specialty Tuning, which would require you to learn a new breath pattern (as compared to the standard Richter Tuned layout). It is an ingenious instrument. However, it is not a panacea. If you are a beginner and think that buying a SUB-30 will enable you to play the “extra notes” as easily as pushing the slide on a chromatic harmonica, you are mistaken. If you have not mastered the skills of Draw Bending and Blow Bending on a standard 20-reed diatonic harmonica, the SUB-30 is not the harp for you. You are better off developing those skills on a harp like a Marine Band, Special 20 or Manji. If this has not scared you off, please keep reading.

Our Custom SUB-30 Combs are available in a wide array of Anodized Aluminum, Corian and Fancy Acrylic.

Black and Clear Anozided Alumium

Corian - from left to right - Graphic Clue, Hunter Green, Black, Hot Red, Glacier White

Fancy Acrylic - from left to right - Patriot, Blue Topaz Water, Lava, Orange Tuscan Sun, Margarita Swirl, Citrine Water.

Suzuki offers the SUB-30 in three keys - A, C and D.

The External Valve Plate (EVP) was introduced in December 2013 and is a revolutionary component that dramatically improves the playability of the SUB-30.  We have just finished upgrading the EVP to improve the performance of the component.

The SUB-30 is a 30 reed harmonica built on a standard 10-hole diatonic chassis. There are 3 reeds in each chamber. The 1 thru 6 chambers have two blow reeds and one draw reed. The 7 thru 10 chambers have two draw reeds and one blow reed. A logical question is, "How do you make the right reed play when you want it to"? The answer is valves. Valves seal off individual reed slots and prevent air from reaching the reeds thereby preventing them from playing when they are not supposed to. A stock SUB-30 comes equipped with 10 factory installed valves. The Blue Moon EVP adds 10 more valves. Each chamber then has two valves - one that opens when you blow and closes when you draw and the other does the opposite - it opens when you draw and closes when you blow. This enables you to isolate two of the three reeds in each chamber. By using standard draw-bend and blow-bend techniques you now have 10 additional notes available. This enables you to play chromatically on a diatonic harmonica without having to master over-blowing and over-bending.

Important Note: If you have never played a SUB-30 before here's something that you may not know. One of the most ingenious aspects of the SUB-30's design is that it is set up like a standard Richter Tuned Harmonica. The breath pattern for the standard notes, including traditional draw bends and blow bends is the same as a Marine Band or a Manji. So you do not have to learn a new breath pattern to play the SUB-30. The difference is that now you have blow-bends available on 1 thru 6 and draw-bends available on 7 thru10. It takes a little getting used to having those extra notes but it is far easier than learning how to over-blow and over-draw.

The custom components developed by Blue Moon deliver dramatic improvement to the SUB-30.  However, in addition to the components, expert reed work is also necessary to bring out the full potential of the SUB-30.  Over the past 4+ years, I have built over 100 Custom SUB-30s using our components. There are less than five custom harmonica builders in the world who work with the SUB-30 and Blue Moon is the only company that makes the External Valve Plate.  

Expected Delivery Date

Please note that the turnaround time on Built-to-Order Custom Harmonicas is currently running 6 months, or perhaps longer. Unless a harmonica is listed as a “Ready-to-Go” harp, all custom harps are built to order, per the customer’s specifications. We keep an inventory of over 1,500 combs and about 400 new Hohner and/or Suzuki harmonicas on hand at all times. If it is listed on the website, we have it in stock. The wait time is not due to us making the combs or ordering the stock harp. It is simply that we are very, very busy and custom harps take time to build. Thank you in advance for your patience.

100 % Satisfaction Guarantee

Blue Moon Harmonicas LLC stands behind everything we offer with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.  If, for ANY REASON, you are not completely satisfied, please speak up.  We will do everything in our power to make things right.  That might include making adjustments to your custom harmonica, exchanging the product for something else or refunding your money.  That is your call.  We just want you to be happy.  So, please do not hesitate to communicate with us.

One Year Comprehensive Warranty

Every Custom Harmonica comes with a Top to Bottom One Year Warranty.  If ANYTHING goes wrong with your harp in the first year, we will fix it at NO CHARGE.  This includes blown out reeds or anything else that can go wrong with a harp.  After one year, we will service your harp for a flat rate of $25.00.  That would include cleaning, tuning, replacing any blown out reeds and in general, making the harp look and play like the day you got it.