Re: [Harp-L] Advice on a First Chromatic

["Ken Wolman" <kwolman@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nicolas Fouquet wrote:

> Actually, Huang harmonicas can be nice or hell. That's the main prob.
> They are cheap. I like their sound. But today you will get one which
> plays perfectly and tommorrow you will buy another one which is a
> piece of s...t! Meanwhile, I have several friends (John Broecker,
> Milwaukee Harmonica Club President) who bought a 1248 directly to Mr
> Huang. The harmonica was not so good and John told it to Mr Huang.
> Then Chamber Huang took back the harmonica. Then He sent two (instead
> of one) whith a letter to apologize. These two harmonicas are perfect:
> well set, well tuned... I have few tales like this one, and it appears
> that Mr Huang is a really nice guy doing his best to satisfie the
> customer

Left this out of  your posting, but I'd love to have the skills to
disassemble that Suzuki I mentioned and see if I can adjust it.  I don't
have a clue what I'm doing, however, and I suppose I could make it even
worse.

I was in shock when I called the contact number on the Coast2Coast
website and Cham Ber Huang answered his own phone.  I gather he's not
even active in the business anymore but he likes to be around there.  He
told me about the "hot" copies but never told me whether the harmonica
he fixed and returned to me a week later was one of them.  It just plays
well.  I wonder what will happen to the business when he is either too
old to be a part of it (I gather he's 75) or just doesn't want to be
actively involved.  It would be a shame if the customer service
component fades because, as you say, that's Huang's long suit.  When the
harps are good, they're very very good; and when they aren't, someone
makes them work well.  And the fact that the instrument he designed for
Hohner years ago is worth a nice sum on the used market--if you can find
one--suggests he certainly knows what he's doing.

ken
--
Kenneth Wolman
Proposal Development Department
Room SW334
Sarnoff Corporation
609-734-2538