Re: [Harp-L] Re: Defective Harps

[Steve Webb <swebb@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

So basically, Hohner fixed something that wasn't broken. They also lost customers.
Steve Webb

Sent from my iPad

> On Apr 27, 2015, at 7:44 AM, Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Phylis wrote:
> Someone on the list sent a post recently stating that Hohner has been  
> bought out and I believe the new manufacturer is in China, but I'm not  
> positive.  This might explain why the harps are being made differently or  not of 
> the same quality. 
> 
> Steve Webb wrote;
> It is my  uneducated opinion that Hohner is doing something differently in 
> the  manufacturing process. I lean heavily on 3 draw in my country type of 
> playing  and newer Special 20s are not so good out of the box 
> 
> Steve Baker responds:
> Hohner has not been bought out and there is no new manufacturer, the instruments are still made in Trossingen, Germany. KHS USA recently bought Hohner Inc. from Hohner in Trossingen, but this has no bearing on harmonica manufacture or quality. The harps are not being made any differently than they have been for the past 15 years.
> 
> Not everybody plays with the same breath pressure. In response to complaints from some players that reeds tended to stick when played hard, Hohner raised the offsets. It isn't easy to find a "one size fits all" solution here and we found that the new offsets, while preventing reeds from sticking, made the harmonica less responsive for those playing at lower pressure. A compromise solution was introduced into current production late last year, though it may take a while to trickle through the supply chain. Reed offset adjustment is fairly straightforward and many players set up their instruments to suit their playing styles. Detailed information on how to perform this operation can be found here: 
> 
> http://www.playhohner.com/service/hohner-service/service-harmonica/#video_23
> 
> Steve Baker
> www.stevebaker.de
> www.european-music-workshops.com
> www.harmonica-masters.de
> 
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