[Harp-L] Re: Low Hohner harps

[Grant Walters <grant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Correction regarding low harps:

Sorry I misspoke in my email…regarding low Harps…I said the new low harps were Big River…oops…not true
i did see the video regarding the "Thunderbird"…which sounded very convincing…..( correct name of the new low harps..)
and wanted one right away… 
however…could not find one on my short deadline…
my real question was to merely "had anyone tried these out because I was thinking of getting one"
and how could I get one in a hurry.

My apologies to anyone who makes or markets these harps…I just had the name mixed up…
your response makes it sound as if I was questioning Joe Filisko's word…."calling his signature harp substandard"
Quite the contrary…I am a die hard Hohner player…and am often frustrated as the stores eliminate the Harmonica section.

My Harmonica mentor, Ralph Shine ( a Hohner endorsee) died young in the middle of a brilliant harmonica career.
Following his death, I went on a backpacking trip (1986) on my own to the Hohner plant. ( don't know why)
I was not sponsored or marketed to….and at that time there were no "masterclass", Harp_L's , harp forums….only Spah
which was more like the Harmonicats…..etc…( which I liked)…and attended in San Jose...

Once in Germany, it was surprisingly hard to find Trossingen….where the factory was…I speak some German…but it is out of the way...
After getting off the train and hiking in the snow…I finally arrived at the gate…of the Hohner factory
and they would not let me in….( suspicious of my motive and my poorly spoken German)
( imagine the wizard of Oz at the gate…."go away".)

Prior to leaving town I played for a gentleman at the the local music store ( who also stocked Lee Oskar)
He immediately called the factory and got me a royal tour of the plant where I observed the women in one room, tuning the the harps by ear…really.
I was later told that there was a scientist who had studied the population of Trossingen  who believed :
After generations of tuning harmonicas by ear ( hand) The people of this isolated berg had developed a higher propensity toward perfect pitch than the rest of the population…
Is this true…who knows?

The fine people at Hohner gave me a gift bag with harmonica parts…as I headed toward the rear door…there was an employee area and there they hung one poster…
It a picture of my friend  late friend and mentor Ralph Shine…I had a huge lump in my throat and could not explain fully why I had tears in my eyes 
the poignancy if the moment to my German Speaking tour guide….They did not seem to know he had passed but they dug the guy…he was a great promoter …player and singer…( Blue rockit label)
My guide then took me to the Accordion building and museum…..next door…

I may have mixed up the names of the harmonicas….…and my facts may not be exactly right…
however...I do believe they make great products…I saw this for myself…
and nobody has ever given me a free harmonica (from any brand)…other than on that day…to say this…
rock on Hohner...

Maybe another day I will tell you another whopper about how Brendan Power came and stayed the night  at my house ( sat in with my band) and showed me how they put the Suzuki's together…

good luck with the new harps…oh yeah…where do I get them?

Grant Walters

On Aug 6, 2012, at 8:22 AM, Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> The new low key harp from Hohner is the Marine Band Thunderbird. It is a Hohner classic model and has little in common with the low Big River Harps, which are from the MS series. The Thunderbird is the loudest and best sounding low key stock harp I've personally played and the new covers, based on a design by Joe Filisko, eliminate reed rattle very effectively. Joe endorses this model and the covers bear his signature;  he is not likely to lend his name to anything sub-standard.
> 
> Steve Baker
> www.stevebaker.de
> www.european-music-workshops.com
> www.harmonica-masters.de
> 
> 
> 
>