[Harp-L] Hohner Orchestra.. Please Bring Back a Champ

[PETER GOLDING <goldingpeter@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ok lads my first time coming in from the london touch line but really enjoy all the knowledgeable banter.

Now the mention of the Hohner Orchestra 10 hole diatonic set off the explosion in my heart's memory chamber as for me the best basic mouth organ ever..!!

After all it was an old fashioned wooden comb marine band with the slippery rounded metal coverings at the front over the holes so playing and sliding around was effortless..built for comfort and speed you could say..and still a marine band at heart and very versatile.

Of course the heroes of customising improved things alot with shrunken treated combs and richard sleigh also made me through time some Orchestra inspired resin treated combs Marine Bands with curved front edges  which i christened "Slippery Sleigh"s and am forever eternally grateful.

I note in many of the Harp-L exchanges considerable enthusiasm for SP20s which I appreciate is a good choice but I cant help thinking its as much for the feel in the mouth as anything else without wanting to open a closed hornets nest.LOng live again the Hohner Orchestra (or similar!!)

Maybe one day if the Orchestra is not brought back in all its original glory we could envisage the ultimate customised wooden comb Marine Band working straight out of the box with a modern version of the Orchestra featuring a plastic or similar front edge..Comfort..Speed..Perfect Sound to please everybody..Bends galore..Long Life Pitch..but then what would there be to converse about on Harp.L.

KEEP ON HARPIN,
Peter Golding
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Forwarded Message: [Harp-L] Re: Blues Harp, Lancer, Orchester, Sp20, MeisterK, Weltmesiter.
[Harp-L] Re: Blues Harp, Lancer, Orchester, Sp20, MeisterK, Weltmesiter.
Friday, 11 July, 2008 3:53 AM
From:
MilwHarmonica@xxxxxxx
To:
harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Hello, Hohner and Seydel fans.

John Walden:

Please educate us on the UK Hohner harmonica chronology. I've seen Hohner  
#HH535 Lancer 10-hole Richter system harmonicas made in Ireland, that are  
presumably Marine Band harps with Blues Harp-looking covers. Keys of C and G  only.

The Hohner Orchester series harmonicas were made in Trossingen, Germany  
since the mid 1930s, maybe earlier. A German Hohner catalog from the mid 1930s  
shows an Orchester I (10-hole Richter system diatonic); an Orchester II  (with 
octave tuning, 40 reeds, Knittlinger system); and an Orchester III (40  
reeds,octave).Source: "Die Hohner Mundharmonika" booklet, mid-1930s.

The 1971 Hohner catalog shows Orchester I-major keys; Hohner Orchester  
II-minor keys. The Orch.I was available in 12 major keys; the Orch.II in 9  
different minor keys.They didn't have a metal comb, but a wood comb, with the  reed 
chamber walls covered in a wavy metal strip. (source: 1971 Hohner USA  catalog, 
Hicksville, New York).

The Hohner #Special 20 was not shown nor listed in the 1971 Hohner catalog  
(Johnny Cash on the catalog cover, Published by M. Hohner, Inc., Hicksville, 
New  York, 1971). The Blues Harp is shown in the 1971 catalog, 

The oldest Hohner 10-hole diatonic Richter system harp that I've heard of  is 
the mid 1950s Hohner U.S. Navy Band harmonica. It looked identical to the  
present day 10-hole Hohner Golden Melody, with only the model name and color of  
the plastic comb (navy blue)being different. The US Navy Band harp had brass  
covers, and equal temperament tuning.

Steve Baker:

The Meisterklasse Richter 10-hole diatonic and the Meisterklasse slide  
chromatic are both shown in the 1983 Hohner USA catalog, (Ashland Virginia).They  
are displayed in a full-page picture on the front cover of the 1983 catalog,  
"Hohner Harmonicas,Melodicas,Accordions."

David Brown:

Seydel makes the Weltmeister harmonicas for the Weltmeister accordion  
company. Could you please list the Weltmeister website address in this Harp-l  
forum? Thanks.

John Broecker. Please excuse this long posting.


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