Re: [Harp-L] Hohner Chromonika III

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

If the instrument is as old as claimed you got a great deal!

The Chromonika III is the same instrument as the Hohner 64 (what Little Walter 
played) but with different stamping on the covers. Some claim that the 
Chromonika III (marketed only in Germany?) is a better quality instrument, but 
I'm skeptical.

Look through the round holes in the mouthpiece. With the slide open, you'll see 
one of two different  patterns of internal upper and lower half-holes within 
each round hole:

1) all the upper halves are open with the slide out, and all the lower halves 
are open with the slide in. This is straight tuning and dates from earlier 
times, before approximately 1955.

2) Upper and lower open half-holes alternate from one hole to the next. This is 
called cross tuning and started in the latter part of the 1950s and continues to 
the present.

If the instrument is straight tuned, it will have a wood comb with reedplates 
nailed on. Depending on when it was made, it may also have leather valves 
(earlier) instead of plastic ones (later) unless it's been re-valved at some 
point.

Another thing to look for is the reedplate thickness. If the reedplates appear 
to be about the same thickness as diatonic reedplates, that's normal. However, 
if the reedplates are about twice as thick as diatonic reedplates, really fat 
thickness, then they are made of aluminum and date from the immediate postwar 
period, when brass was too scarce for making reedplates. These instrument are 
less well regarded due to leakiness and differ slightly in construction in the 
mouthpiece area due to the thickness of the reedplates but often have reeds in 
excellent condition.

If you want to spruce the instrument up, the very best thing to do is to send it 
to an experienced and knowledgeable chromatic harmonica technician such as Mike 
Easton or Steve Malerbi. However, if it's just a musty smell that concerns you, 
fresh air is your best ally. Leave the instrument out of the box with the slide 
held halfway open with a toothpick in one of the holes, in an area that is in 
fresh air but protected from the elements. A few days' exposure may take care of 
the problem.

Winslow
 Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
Columnist, harmonicasessions.com




________________________________
From: Ken Banks <edits@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, March 1, 2011 3:29:21 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Hohner Chromonika III

Aloha Everybody,

I just got back from a Craigslist rendezvous at which I bought a 16-hole Hohner 
Chromonika III. It's in great shape; all the reeds seem to work, and the slide 
moves as it should. Really, it hardly looks used. Even the case us in good 
shape, though worn, and the woman who sold it said that it's about 70 years old. 
Her father played it, she said. It cost me $40, and I don't know what kind of 
deal that was. Seems like a good price to me, and I'm psyched to get on it. I've 
never played chromatic, and I'm looking forward to the challenge. My thing is 
blues, and I don't know how well-suited this harp is for blues.

Now, my question is how to refurbish it. As I said, it looks great, hardly a 
scratch on it, but when I blow it, it has that dusty, grody feel of a harp that 
hasn't been played for a while and should probably be cleaned inside. I've never 
opened up a harp, and I sure don't want to screw up this thing. What do people 
suggest?

Best wishes,
Ken

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