[Harp-L] Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol 26, Issue 40

[MilwHarmonica@xxxxxxx]

To Ross MacDonald, from HOJO: I have a modern (re-issue) Hohner Trumpet  Call 
harp. It's identical to the Hohner Auto-Valve Harp, but the Auto-Valve has  
no trumpets, no wood case, and the Auto-Valve is less expensive, but of the  
same great sound.
 
The Trumpet Call or Auto Valve are great harps. I use them for church  music, 
gospel, or bombastic marches, because the trumpet call sounds like a  brass 
ensemble. I would think that you might want to try the Trumpet Call. I've  
received compliments on my playing with it, because it's a novelty, and it looks  
cool, not because I'm a virtuoso.
 
I bought both Auto-Valve and Trumpet Call harps. I use the Auto-Valve in C  
for practice, and the Trumpet call in C for performances. The Auto-Valve is  
available in 7 keys (A, Bb, C, D, F, G), and as far as I know, the Trumpet Call  
is only available in C. The Auto-Valve costs about $60 list price, and I've  
heard that the Trumpet Call lists at between $90-$100  (my Trumpet Call was  a 
gift from a friend). Discounts are available on both harps, of course.
 
Here's some historical background on the original Hohner #220 Trumpet Call  
harmonica (manufactured circa 1907-1931): It was identical to the re-issue  
Trumpet Call, but the original TC had solid brass trumpets, and the re-issue has  
what I think are plastic trumpets plated in brass. 
 
The original TC weighed 15 ounces, the re-issue is about 5.5 ounces. The  
1925 Hohner catalog lists the trumpet length at 3.5 inches each, the re-issue is  
3 inches each trumpet.
Both original and re-issue harps are 4.75 inches long. The original sold  for 
89 cents in 1927.
According to Hohner, the Trumpet Call had "tonal qualities like an organ,  
powerful and harmonious." That certainly fits the re-issue's sound, and the  
Auto-Valve.
 
Hohner made at least 4 models in the Trumpet Call series, but the #220 is  
the only one known to have trumpets. It's a favorite among harmonica collectors, 
 but it isn't very rare.
 
The model #426 Trumpet Call, also called the "Oriental Beauty," was 2-sided  
(a different key on each side of the harp), with nymphs blowing trumpets on 
the  covers, 32 double reeds on each side, probably a tremolo harp. It had 2 
models,  one was 7 inches long, the other was 6 and 1/4th inches long. 
 
Another Hohner Trumpet call is extremely rare, only pictured in a Sears  
catalog, made from 1906-1915. It had 24 double reeds,and was 7.5 inches long.  The 
information given here is from many sources, and is not always reliable. If  
you need more information about the Trumpet call, contact Harley Crain at  
Harmonica Collectors International: e-mail:
_hcrain@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:hcrain@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) 
 
That's all for now. I hope the information is useful. Howlin' John  (HOJO).