[Harp-L] Re: Chord Layouts on Inexpensive Chord harps

[MilwHarmonica@xxxxxxx]

Hello, Mike Meehan.
 
As far as I know, the inexpensive chord harmonicas of which you describe  
are all made in the Shanghai General Harmonica Plant in Shanghai, China.
 
They are sold under different names, including Huang, Swan, Victory,  etc.
 
Other inexpensive chord harps are made by the Golden Cup harmonica company, 
 also in China (city unknown). Those include Leo Shi, and a few other less  
familiar brands. The Golden Cup chord harps offer a variety of chord 
placements  not found in the other Chinese, Japanese and German chord harps.
 
The Huang, Swan and Victory chord harps are of two types: with a separate  
bass note for each chord (listed as "Chordet"), and without a separate bass  
note (listed as "48," or "Compact 48").
 
All of the Shanghai GHP chord harps have plastic combs, screws hold the  
reed plates to the combs, and have nickel- or chrome-plated brass covers.They  
are unvalved.
 
The "48" type have 4 reeds each chord. The "Chordets" have 4 reeds each  
chord, and an additional 2 reeds (Octave-tuned) for the separate bass  notes.
 
The 48-type (no bass notes) harps have the identical chord placements as on 
 the more expensive Hohner and Suzuki 48 chord harps, but are about half 
the  length (left-to-right) of the Hohner and Suzuki models, with only half 
the reeds  of the Hohner and Suzuki 48 chord harps. The Hohner and Suzuki 48s 
are  octave-tuned for each chord note, and each reed is valved. The Hohner 
and Suzuki  48s have no separate bass notes.
 
The Chordets, Hohner Vineta (6 chords) and Suzuki SCH-24 (24 chords) have  
separate bass notes for each chord.
 
The separate bass note on a chord harp has two purposes: to be played  
together with the chord; and to be played as a separate bass note, before the  
chord (such as the "oom-pa-oom-pa," where the bass note is the "oom," and the 
 chord is the "pa."
 
John Broecker
 
 
 
 
**************An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy 
Steps! 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222585010x1201462743/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=May
Excfooter51109NO62)