[Harp-L] New Hohner Golden Melody

[Tom Halchak]

Regarding the new Golden Melody, a lot of people have quipped, "If it ain't
broke, why fix it?"  Apparently, that is exactly the point.  The equipment
that made the components for the Golden Melody was broken, so Hohner was
forced with the decision of discontinuing the Golden Melody all together,
recreating identical equipment or redesigning the harmonica and building
new equipment with which to manufacture it.  Obviously, they chose the last
option.  Jason posted a video stating he didn't like it.  OK - that is one
man's opinion.   Hohner's live online launch last week was very well done
and is available for everyone to watch.  Of course Hohner  featured artists
and spokespeople who praised the new design.  What do you expect them to
do? They are not fools.

Personally, I have not seen or played one of the new models, so I can't
offer an opinion.  One would assume that, after 150 years, Hohner knows
what it is doing.  It takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, planning
and money to launch a new product from scratch, such as the new Golden
Melody.  Perhaps we should give them the benefit of the doubt.  It does not
mean that they are infallible, but they do have a pretty good track
record.

You can tell from the scuttlebut that a lot of the died-in-the-wool Golden
Melody fans are unhappy that their beloved instrument has been changed.
That is understandable.  If they reject the new design and decide to keep
playing the original model, that is a choice that I am sure many will
make.  So what?  There are millions of Golden Melodys in circulation.
There are still thousands of them on the shelves in various music stores
around the world. Nobody is making you turn in your old Golden Melodys.
There are dozens of Harp Techs who are capable of repairing them when need
be and keep them in good working order, or you can do it yourself.  There
are guys like me who make custom combs for the Golden Melody, so getting
combs for them will not be an issue.  If one is inclined to keep playing
their favorite original Golden Melodys, it won't be hard to do.   It is an
interesting topic of conversation because we harp nerds need something to
talk about, but I don't consider this to be life altering.

Just my two cents.

Tom

-- 
*Tom Halchak*
*Blue Moon Harmonicas LLC*
*P.O. Box 14401 Clearwater, FL 33766*