Re: [Harp-L] Seydel design ripped off!

[David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wow! My world has been rocked, Jim. Rocked to its foundations. From the condition that harp was in, I could believe it was made in 1638. I did some further research, that harp was to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of Shakespeare's death. 

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


----- Original Message ----
From: Jim Greenwald <staggerin@xxxxxxxxx>
To: David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, June 1, 2008 11:35:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Seydel design ripped off!


Hi David and all historical elitists
 
I hate to break the news to you re: your beloved Bandmaster, but amidst all this 'rip-off' commotion, there's one bit of research that's been overlooked. That research was contributed by the ebay seller hisself, katnuts8.
 
   >quote<
 
I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE 'NET ABOUT JOHANN AND BESIDES MAKING HARMONICAS, IT SAID HE WAS A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL IN 1638 IN RODACH, GERMANY!
 
   >end-quote<
 
Case closed - Two hundred freakin' years before harmonicas were even a twinkle in the eye of Herr Seydel !!!
 
yours in jest,
Staggerin' Jim
Listen to Roots Harmonica at http://www.live365.com/stations/staggerinjim
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: David Payne 
To: Harp L Harp L 
Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 4:38 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Seydel design ripped off!


Well, the crime I'm reporting happened probably 90 years ago;)  This 1923 Seydel catalog I've seen talks about all these Bandmaster rip-offs, with the megaphone side vent and whatnot... Catalog makes such a huge deal out of it, there must have been a serious problem. Well, here's one of them, first I've seen on the web, a blatant rip-off of the original Seydel Bandmaster from Johann Schunk. In addition to the side vent megaphone, it rips the five-hole design of the mini-bandmaster... 

http://cgi.ebay.com/MINIATURE-JOHANN-SCHUNK-GERMAN-HARMONICA-WORKS-5-NOTES_W0QQitemZ310054072549QQihZ021QQcategoryZ119095QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Ripping off other people's harmonica designs was, as Hank Williams would say "used to be high tone" back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Seydel probably copied the occasional design from somebody, pretty much everybody did. Hohner was the worst offender, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Hohner with that technology. 

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