[Harp-L] Hohner Educator I Harmonica and gasket on a 64

["Robsheils ." <robsheils@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The harp in question that I was rambling on about is called an "Educator I".

First post from me here in about 5-10 years, and I´ve just drunk a beer and I want everyone to know about this harmonica having scored a backup on ebay last night.

 

The Hohner Educator I.  Haven´t bothered to look at its history, but one VERY cool harp.  I think I got tipped off by a Harpsucker video.  Anyway, the reason this harp is so cool is:


1) HUGE sound due to the enclosed construction.  Bigger than a 64, but similar tonal characteristics when chording / chomping.
2) Not much bigger than a marine band in the hand and mouth.  Spacing between the holes feels the same.
3) You can hit the notes fairly hard / aggressively like a diatonic (but can also play soft with a huge amplified tone due to point 1).  You can bend (almost) all the important notes with power, like a standard diatonic.
4) Here is the clincher.  The range of the harp is perfect... It is tuned in C and like a chromatic.  However, the bottom (suck) note is an A and the top (suck) note is an F, which is the precisely the range you need for George Smith / Rod Piazza style playing.

The harp does not have a slide.  I think it is the only harp ever made and tuned like this.  The 364 is different so far as I know.

I recommend everyone to try to get hold of one.  They aren´t very common in good condition.  I got both of mine from ebay Deutschland (search "mundharmonika educator").  I don´t think anyone would regret snaffling one.

 

Whilst I am here, and apologies if this has been discussed to death in the past here on harp-l, but stretching a gasket around the gap between cover plates and mouthpiece on a chromatic 64 can make a very significant difference to air-tightness.

 

OK, that´s probably it for another few years...

 		 	   		  
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