[Harp-L] Who manufactures harmonicas in the USA ?

Vern jevern@xxxxx
Sun Apr 26 17:21:10 EDT 2020


The Hands-Free Chromatic is a stock Seydel Chromatic Deluxe with the slide assembly replaced by a vertically movable mouthpiece assembly.  About 60% is US value-added. 

The Harrison b-radical was a US startup that tried to make diatonics.   Apparently, poor management and difficulty making reeds caused them to fail.

No recent US manufacturer has made the large investment in machinery and process knowledge to make reeds.  Cutting tiny reeds of thin, flexible materials to very close tolerances  requires expensive special machinery,   The foreign manufacturers have spent many years working out their machines and processes for cutting, mounting, and tuning reeds.  Seydel deserves credit  for offering reeds made of stainless steel, a tougher material than the usual copper-alloy, (brass/bronze) with a much longer fatigue life.

Because of low labor costs, recent chromatic startups have been in Asia.

Vern

> On Apr 25, 2020, at 6:04 PM, Gary Lehmann <gnarlyheman at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Well, nobody, from scratch. 
> But Phil Sardo puts together chromatic harps under the Psardo brand, and there is a Hands Free Chromatic Harmonica invented by Vern Smith being made by Mike Easton. 
> Then there is the TurboHarp by Jim Antaki. 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 25, 2020, at 5:10 PM, Opus314 . <opus314 at xxxxx> wrote:
>> 
>> Just wondering who actually manufactures harmonicas in the USA?
>> Either Diatonic or Chromatic?
>> Thanks!
> 




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