[Harp-L] Re: Chromatic Repair

[Michael Easton <diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I may have to correct you a bit on stocking 60 year old parts Winslow.

Hohner Germany still carries parts for many of their outdated line  
including wood combs and straight slides  for the older 16 holers   
From what I recently read you can also purchase NOS discontinued models
at the factory.  There is a good chance they also fix them since the  
parts are still available.

Now comes the hard part.  Me not cursing every profanity in the book  
about the the arrangement H-USA has with H-Germany to NOT SELL  new or  
discontinued parts to US citizens.

EU players and techs can get the parts but we can't.   I salivated  
when I went on the German site and saw all the vintage parts listed,  
including the much needed
straight slides for the wood comb 64's.

1/2 of my business deals in restoring the prewar chromatics. The parts  
are out there but I can't get to them and that sucks big time.

I still have respect for Hohner Germany. The actions of the US  
distributor should not reflect on  the mother company though. If I  
could,  I'd bypass HohmerUSA  altogether but for now I have to keep  
ordering what I can
from them. <sigh>




On Dec 3, 2012, at 11:50 AM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Message: 10
> Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2012 09:30:50 -0800 (PST)
> From: Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Chromatic Repair
> To: Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Message-ID:
> 	<1354555850.77749.YahooMailNeo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> The modern 280 is a completely different beast from the 1955 one:
>
> -- Plastic comb, screwed together with reedplates vs. wood comb nailed
>
> -- Cross tuned vs. straight tuned
>
> -- Different slide
>
> -- Different mouthpiece with screw holes in a different place
>
> -- 2-piece slide assembly (back ing plate and slide) vs. 3-piece  
> slide assembly (backplate, slide, cage aka U-channel)
>
> And the recent (2005 and later) reeds are different as well.
>
> Again, no manufacturer is going to stock parts for something they  
> stopped making over 60 years ago. That's where custom repair guys  
> (like you) fill the void.
>
> During the 1960s if you sent a wood-combed 280 to Hohner for repair,  
> they would just throw it away and send you a new plastic-combed 280.
>
> Winslow

Take Care
Mike
www.harmonicarepair.com