more on civil war harps

[rainbowjimmy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

There's a good article on Hohner's business located here:
http://es.oupjournals.org/cgi/reprint/2/2/338

According to the article, Hohner made 700 harmonicas in 1857, by 1867 they were
were making 22,000 harmonicas. Apparently Hohner gave emigrants boxes full of
harmonicas. When they landed in America, they sold them to their compatriots
and mailed Hohner the money. The article states there were no American
harmonica manufactures then-the reeds had to be hand cut and hand tuned, it was
specialized labor and there were only so many people that knew how to do this.

So chances are, there weren't a lot of Civil War harmonicas, they were mostly
played by German immigrants, and they were most likely Hohner harmonicas.

Rainbow Jimmy
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