I can well understand how the variable quality of stock harmonicas annoys purchasers, it annoys me too. I'd like to provide some background on Hohner harmonicas, which may help people understand how these things happen and may also also be relevant for other brands:
Hohner harmonicas are not manufactured mechanically, they are made by hand. This exacting work involves extremely close tolerances which have to be judged very rapidly by eye during the manufacturing process. There is a clear possibility of human error here and this is reflected in a degree of variation in quality. Diatonic harps are produced in very large numbers at Hohner and quality control consists of blowing them mechanically. Anything else is technically illegal due to hygiene laws
- do you even want to buy a harp some unknown person has played previously? With the extremely tight tolerances used in the current Hohner production it's not always possible to assess whether an instrument is defective or not by simply looking at it or blowing it on a mechanical bellows. Really you need to play it to find out. If the tolerances were not so tight, tiny variations would have a less noticeable effect on quality, but the overall level of playability would suffer. Sorting instruments into various different categories of quality is impossible in a production context, as it would require a highly qualified player to play every single one from top to bottom and compare it with a bunch of other harps. Sorry, but you can't do this in a factory making tens of thousands of instruments every month.
I completely agree with all those who've stressed the importance of learning to set up your own harps. This is definitely not comparable with tuning a guitar, however, it's comparable with setting up a guitar (adjusting the action, bridge position, neck, pick-ups etc.), which is a much more exacting task and requires a certain degree of knowledge and practise. It's something which manufacturers in both cases don't do in the factory, but in my view it's essential if you want to have harps (or guitars) that play something like how you want them to. I set up and tune all my own harps before playing them for the first time and repeat the process regularly. I sympathise with anyone who for whatever reason is unable to do this themselves, but I honestly don't believe that it's work which a manufacturer can realistically carry out in a mass production situation. Even if qualified staff could be found to do the job, the additional labour costs would add considerably to the price of the instruments and selling different set-ups to suit the different playing styles would create a retailer's nightmare. Then they'd really hate us. This is a major reason for the emergence of harp techs and customizers, bless them all.
Regarding price, Hohner USA has always been the single biggest customer of the Hohner company in Germany, where the instruments are manufactured, buying over half the annual production. This gave them a lot of leverage regarding price, so though you probably never knew it, you lucky people in the USA were accustomed to paying considerably less for your harps then players elsewhere. I recall only a year or two ago seeing a US online retailer offering Marine Bands for $17.65, which at the time (and exchange rate) was less than the German wholesale price. Fortunately for the survival of the company this is no longer the case and the change in the value of the dollar relative to the euro has also led to higher US prices (though by no means just for Hohner harmonicas). Now you pay almost as much as we do for your harps.
It's sad that players appear only too ready to believe that manufacturers don't care about their interests and are only interested in gouging them.
I would have thought that the fact that harmonica manufacturers routinely employ dedicated players such as myself or Brendan Power is a clear indication that across the board they place a very high value on the wishes and needs of their customers and are prepared to spend considerable sums on improving both their products and their communication with players.
Many recent comments in this forum have testified to the improved quality of production instruments in the last few years, which would seem to me to indicate we're moving in the right direction even if it takes time,
Steve Baker www.stevebaker.de www.bluesculture.com
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