Re: [Harp-L] Vermona Bandmaster Chromatic

[joe leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Oct 16, 2010, at 11:57 AM, Harvey Berman wrote:

> A local player was given an old Vermona Chromatic 16 hole  
> Bandmaster by a
> relative.  It seems to be in good condition, with leather valves.   
> It has a red
> plasic comb and is nailed together by rather large pins.

Escutcheon pins (or drift pins)

>   It has a sticker on
> the back that says Germany/East.

Seydel

>   It comes in a plastic case that has Chromatic
> on the clear plastic cover.  I have not played it, because it is  
> pretty dirty
> and smells bad.

The smell is probably the leather. It will have leached any odors  
that were put into the chromo in great amounts. (smoking, halitosis)   
lol

> So, does anyone know if this was a good Chromatic, and if it
> has any special value.

It has no intrinsic value. I had one back in the mid 50s. It is not a  
knock off of a Hohner 270 (as many chromatics are) inasmuch as Seydel  
is an older company and made most of their products before Hohner  
did. Two points. #1: The danger lies in whether the chromatic was  
made BEFORE the communist takeover. In that case, it 's quality  
doesn't match up to neither BEFORE the takeover nor AFTER the re- 
unification. In other words, if it was made from about 1945 till 1991  
(plus a few years to recoup), it should suck. #2: The red plastic  
comb should be brittle and all the esthers in the original resin  
dried out to the point where it can shatter or (more likely) crumble.
I had several collectable model cars with wheels made of that plastic  
and they all disintegrated, leaving me with miniature cars sitting on  
miniature concrete blocks giving all the appearance of a typical  
Western Pennsylvania Hillbilly back yard scenario.

> He wants to trade it to me for a couple of Diatonics,
> which I always underprice to him, because he has on money

I think you mean 'no' money, so in that case, you could give him a  
break. But you will be making a donation. It may not be advantageous  
to get that chromatic back into any acceptable condition.
> From what I can find, I think it is a Seydel from East Germany, and  
> I would
> assume that it is prewar, but I do not kow if they used plastic  
> combs back
> then.  Can anyone help?

Yes, maybe not, and yes. Plastic was first used in products in Italy.  
It was developed by the Montecatini chemical company. The U.S.  
received much of their patents at the end of the war as war  
reparations. This left several U.S. companies wealthy and Montecatini  
went into oblivion.
> Does anyone want to buy it, before I take it apart.  I really don't  
> work on  or
> play chromatics very much because I hate valves, those seem to be  
> leather and in
> good shape.  I am concerned that when I know the pins out that I  
> will break or
> chip the comb.

When you knock the pins out, don't whack away at it too hard.
smo-joe
> Harvey Berman