LEE OSKAR'S RESPONSE

[BassHarper@xxxxxxx]

The following is an official statement offered by Lee Oskar Enterprises,
Inc.,
in response to several questions regarding availability of the complete line
of
Tombo harmonicas in the U.S.  It will be my only dissertation on the subject,
and I hope it clears any misconceptions or misunderstandings.  

A little insight into the business of manufacturing and sales, as it relates
to
the harmonica industry in general, and specifically to Lee Oskar Enterprises,
Inc. and Tombo:  

There have been a few posts to the effect that "Lee Oskar designs harmonicas
for Tombo" and similar statements of near-truths that should be clarified.
 In
reality, it goes much deeper than that:  Lee Oskar collaborated with Tombo in
the design of the harmonicas bearing Lee's name, and he and Mr. Yasuharo
Mano,
owner and president of Tombo Musical Instrument Co., Japan, are partners in
the manufacturing of Lee Oskar Harmonicas. 

Lee Oskar is a player -  a musician - first, and a harmonica manufacturer
second.  It was his dissatisfaction with the quality and design of harmonicas
available that led him to enter the manufacturing field.  While on tour in
Japan, he was introduced to Mr. Mano, and the mutual respect and desire to
offer a quality 10-hole diatonic soon led to serious negotiations and
eventually the production of Lee Oskar Harmonicas.

Lee Oskar Harmonicas are produced to a very exacting specification, with
production quality control directed by Lee, according to agreement with the
Tombo company.  This agreement also awarded exclusivity of Tombo distribution
rights within the U.S. and Canada to Lee Oskar Enterprises, Inc., in order to
avoid a conflict of product distribution by either party.

Some have asked, "In addition to Lee Oskar Harmonicas, why aren't Ultimos and
other Tombo-manufactured harmonicas sold in the U.S.?"

Mr. Mano and Lee Oskar are very proud of their harmonicas, and the reputation
they have earned around the world as first-choice top quality products,
preferred by pros and novices alike.  The presence of Lee Oskar Harmonicas in
the U.S. preempts the need for making available another line of diatonic
harmonicas that would cover basically the same needs already served by major
diatonics produced by Lee Oskar / Tombo.  It is interesting to note that Lee
Oskar has become a leader in the design of harmonicas - many of his
revolutionary ideas have been incorporated in the products of other
manufacturers in their quest to remain competitive.

For a period of time, Lee Oskar Enterprises, Inc. imported the complete line
of
Tombo orchestral harmonicas, i.e. chords, basses and tremolos, as well as the
S50 slideless/valveless chromatic model.  These orchestral instruments,
though very high in quality, unfortunately proved less popular in North
America than we had hoped.  Without a consumer demand in the numbers that
attract the attention of wholesale distributors and retailers, Lee Oskar
Enterprises continued to fill orders and ship to individuals for over two
years -
 a very time-consuming process.  In the end, the cost of importing, stocking,
tracking and warehousing exceeded the value of making them available.  Thus
the decision to temporarily discontinue importing them for U.S. distribution.
 

Without a "Peg O' My Heart" or a Harmonicats-type group grabbing the
attention
of the music world, orchestral type instruments are not enjoying the
popularity they once did.  They are not seen on MTV or VH-1 music channels,
or
any other mass media format, which is what it would take to bring them to the
attention of the general public.  And obviously paid TV, radio, and
newspaper/magazine advertising is out of the question.  So the greatest
exposure they receive are at SPAH or other similar harmonica conventions,
where with some luck, a few seconds of air time may be devoted to local TV
news coverage, or with even a lot more luck, they have been seen on Peter
Jennings' World News Tonight on the ABC network.  It should be noted also
that Lee personally devoted a lot of time and effort
to introduce the orchestral instruments, together with Mr. Mano, at their
booth at the 1991 International Competition at SPAH, Detroit.  This debut 
caused little response from the attendees, which was of some disappointment
to both of them.  Also many Tombo harmonicas have been donated at Lee Oskar
Harmonicas' expense to the various harmonica conventions and festivals
throughout the U.S., and much advertising has been paid for, also at LOH
expense, in the several harmonica publications, such as Harmonica Happenings
(SPAH), American Harmonica Newsletter, Harmonica World (NHL -  England),
International Harmonica Organisation (Holland) and Harmonica Dispatch
(Buckeye
State Harmonica Club) of Columbus, OH.  Two of those publications - AHN and
Harmonica Dispatch - even carried the ads for an extended period at no cost
to us, for which we are deeply grateful.  Other expenses incurred by Lee
Oskar
Enterprises, Inc. and Tombo included the printing of thousands of color
brochures describing the Tombo line of orchestral instruments, which were
included in all mailings, and provided in quantity to festivals and
conventions. 
However  all this effort failed to inspire the volume of sales necessary to
continue making them available.

As Lee Oskar Enterprises, Inc. grows, and our efforts to promote harmonicas
open new opportunities, the future will provide a better market interest for
all types of harmonicas manufactured by Tombo.  Lee's vision for the future
of
harmonicas includes Harmonica Departments in music stores, similar to guitar
departments, with a variety of accessories to make our instrument more
exciting and versatile.  The realization of that vision will incorporate new
varieties of products and directions, and as the demand grows, all types of
orchestral and tremolo harmonicas will be available.  Lee is currently
concentrating his efforts on the release of his newest music compositions
which will showcase the Melody Maker, Natural Minor and Harmonic Minor
tunings,
in addition to the Major tuning.  This will stir much interest in those
tunings,
and will in turn generate more sales.

As any manufacturer knows, the introduction of a new product line requires an
incredible amount of groundwork to become a success.  Harmonica players
should be aware that, in general, wholesale musical instrument distributors
and
retailers categorize harmonicas and related products as accessories, and
treat them as such.  No matter the quality or the design of a new product,
suppliers and retailers will not be interested in handling it until a need
and
demand has been established.  To date, we have not received any inquiries
from
full-line musical instrument stores or wholesalers interested in carrying the
line.

In part, players can take some credit for the phenomenal growth of Lee Oskar
Enterprises, Inc. over the last 11 years - when they became aware of our
quality products, they demanded that their local retailers stock them.  In
turn, the retailers began ordering them from the wholesale suppliers, who
eventually picked up the line.  Lee Oskar products are now distributed by 18
of
the largest musical instrument wholesalers (who supply the retail stores) in
the U.S. and Canada, in addition to another 24 wholesalers worldwide.

Bottom line - Lee feels the market in the U.S. will be much better in the
future
for all kinds of harmonica products made by Tombo.