[Harp-L] Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol 105, Issue 51

[Michael Easton <diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Winslow you may be partially right about the time frame the aluminum  
plates were made  but I've come across faux wood comb 280's and  
Chromonika III's with the aluminum plates which means they were
made at least into the early 1960's. after Hohner transitioned from  
wood to plastic.
My Cm 280 with aluminum plates is faux wood.  I also have one of Steve  
Guyger's in my shop.  I forget which 16 hole model but it does have  
the faux wood comb.

Now Stevie playing a 280 with aluminum plates is still questionable  
but not out of the question. :)



On May 26, 2012, at 7:11 PM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Message: 10
> Date: Sat, 26 May 2012 17:14:20 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Re: Steve play'n Burt...
> To: "harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Message-ID:
> 	<1338077660.39696.YahooMailNeo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> The thick aluminum reedplates were only produced in the post-WWII  
> period when brass was scarce, and not in the 1960s or '70s. The 280  
> that Stevie is playing is cross-tuned (you can see the slider  
> clearly at 3:45) and has the plastic comb with the faux-wood grain  
> that was current from the mid-1950s through approximately 1980. The  
> aluminum reedplates that Ive' seen were always on wood combs and  
> straight-tuned.
>
>
> Could Stevie have had the thick aluminum plates from new old stock  
> re-reeded (or re-tuned) from straight to cross, re-drilled for the  
> brad fasteners that replaced nails on the plastic combs, and  
> installed on a 64 body current to the period (1970s). Possible, but  
> why? Those plates were leaky and were simply not as good as even the  
> 64s from from the 1970s.
>
> Also, the reedplates in the clip do not appear to be as thick as the  
> aluminum reedplates, which were really fat. (I know; I own one of  
> the aluminum-plate models and comparison with the harmonica in the  
> video indicates that Stevie's plates are too thin to be the aluminum  
> ones.)
>
> Winslow

Take Care
Mike
www.harmonicarepair.net