Re: [Harp-L] My how things have changed, R.I.P. Seydel post from 2004

[David Payne <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Stan, good evening. I don't care.
Thanks
 Dave
 _________________________________
Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 




________________________________
From: Stan Walters <stanleywalters2003@xxxxxxxxx>
To: David Payne <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 8:45:31 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] My how things have changed, R.I.P. Seydel post from 2004


Seydel is still for shit in my book.

--- On Wed, 12/10/08, David Payne <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: David Payne <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] My how things have changed, R.I.P. Seydel post from 2004
To: "Harp L Harp L" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2008, 3:48 PM


I found this R.I.P. Seydel post from 2004 in the archives. This was just four
years ago. Y'all have come a long way, baby. 
________________________________



On Dec 19, 2004, at 8:24 PM, Snaruhn@xxxxxxx wrote:


Hi all,

I´ve just learned that the oldest harp factory of the world, Seydel &
Söhne
in Klingenthal, Germany, is bankruptcy. I´m from Germany and therefore,
this report touches me, of course. Some details:   

Seydel & Söhne was founded in 1849 = 10 years before Hohner started
the harp production. Though Seydel & Söhne never could compete with
Hohner the firm made excellent music instruments.

In all fairness, Seydel slipping behind the iron curtain during the 
"Re-birth" of harmonica playing (1944-1994) didn't help. IF they
could have shipped to the west, I think things might have been different.
Years ago I had the
opportunity to visit the factory in Klingenthal, Saxony. One have to know
that Saxony was a province of the communistic governed East-Germany
before the German reunification in 1990 with all the consequences of a
totalitarian regime. 


When I visited the firm I was already busy in customizing chromatics
and so I bought a 12-hole Seydel Chromatic de Luxe and took it apart
to examine the construction. Huuuh, I felt compassion as a citizen of
West-Germany to learn all these problems an East-German firm had to
master during this dark time.

I can imagine. While Germany (in general) is known for fine craftsmanship, the
east wound up in a slump and the products I have seen from eastern bloc
countries tended (at least at one time) to be on the structurally massive and
very robust but somewhat "clunky" side. I mean really, a 2 1/4 lb (I
kilo) alarm clock which ticks louder than a torpedo...for goodness sakes, how
DOES one get to sleep? 

The outer finish of the harp wasn´t bad but the constructional details of
the model, comparable with Hohner´s former Chromonica II, revealed
questionable economy measures. So, the reedplates were of course
nailed and one nail simultaneously served as an axle for the slide spring. 

The chamber walls of the comb of peer wood were so thin that the plate
nails had hardly place enough etc.
At my visit the firm, still working with machines driven by transmission
belts!,
had 20 employees shrinking to 8 nowadays. 


RIP Seydel & Söhne 


Siegfried


_________________________________
Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com
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