On Oct 14, 2006, at 3:50 PM, Fernando Bresslau wrote:
> Older harmonicas often had reedplates of aluminium. That's why they > are thicker. Aluminium is lighter than brass, and Hohner could save on > import tax, which was based on weight for some time. > Cheers, > Fernando
I think they used alum because it was easier to punch and the dies would last longer. The savings in die prices would have offset the import taxes somewhat even though aluminum (at the time) was MORE expensive than brass. smo-joe
Hi Joe, that was what I was told by one than one person at the factory and at the museum. Martin Häffner has it quite well documented. If it were a technical reason, it would still be in use nowadays. Cheers, Fernando