Re: Valves/Windsavers from Hohner

[Mike Curtis <wd6ehr@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> Called Hohner Tuesday morning to ask about valves.  They are not free. 
> They will sell you a set for a 260 chromatic for $6. That's enough for 
> two diatonics. Customer service told me they do not sell valves at $12 a 
> gross. I guess you could call it gross information. :)

They didn't seem to have a specific policy a while back when I ordered 
mine.  The first time I called, I was asked what type of harp they were 
being used on.  I gave a list of the various and sundry Hohner harps in 
my collection and requested valves enough for the whole 12 harp kit.  I 
received enough to do 2-1/2 harps.

I called back again and asked if I could order a larger quantity, even if
I had to pay for them, and requested gross quantity pricing.  They had me
on hold for several minutes when I insisted on ordering them by the gross. 
Nonetheless, I have two little envelopes jam-packed full of Hohner
windsavers. 

With their new "valve" policy, I'm glad I did order 2 gross of the little
rascals. 

Re: June being peeved at me for "Advertising", I can understand this, and
am sorry to her personally if it's causing her problems, but don't
apologize for it in a business sense.  It's a problem with Hohners
marketing, and needs to be addressed at that level.  They're the only
source I know of for windsavers, and they're going to be in high demand. 
They've probably handled this in a haphazard manner up until now because
the demand was little and sporadic.  As more "name" players "discover" the
incredible flexibility and power of valved harps, they'll be in high
demand for people who demand the most out of their diatonics. 

Hohner should sieze the golden opportunity here and offer valved harps
and/or valve kits through their retailers.  Otherwise, Suzuki is going to
end up with an awful lot of Hohners business because they had the
foresight to see an incredible innovation that makes "serious" music on
diatonic harmonica much simpler.  ("SERIOUS"= all notes readily available
in a polished and pleasant sounding form.)

 	
 -- mike