This is a very cool find. You\'re looking at a 1937 German made, not intended for export 32 hole m.hohner glockenreine stimmung high-end harmonica.
What\'s especially cool about this is that it was the version sold in Germany, so the box and harmonica are labeled differently than those sold outside of Germany. It is also a historical reminder of the dark period Germany went through under the reign of Adolf Hitler, culminating in the defeat of the regime at the end of WWII.
Unlike Echo Harps intended for international sales, this German (in-county, not intended for export) version has a different inside label that promotes Hohner Harmonikas. The orange label features a black and white side profile of M. Hohner, the creator of the Echo Harp. It also mentions three dates. Philadelphia 1928. Gent 1927. Paris 1937. Lovely gold border and gold accents on the label set against the blue of the underside of the lid. A nice piece of early advertising! :)
Schutz-marke (meaning trademark) Sport Weltruf durch qualität(International reputation through quality)
The label also reads...
sind ein musterbeispiel deutscher Qualitätsarbeit.Sie sind klangschon, tonrein und aus dem besten Material hergestellt.Jahresproduktion über 20,000,000 Stück. Man achte (sp) beim Kauf auf dem namen Hohner
Rough Translation...
Hohner Harmonikasare a prime example of German quality work.They are tuned, sound pure and made from the best material. Annual output is over 20,000,000 pieces. One pays attention when purchasing the name Hohner.
By looking at the hands and circles trademark on the bottom metal cover plates, you see the6-pointed (hexagon) star in the center of the circle. This symbol -- similar to the Jewish star, was used up to1938. The German government ordered Hohner to remove the star from the logo after 1937. From 1938 through today, there is no star in the centerof the circles.
This a very expensive -- especially considering how much it sold for in the early 1930\'s -- Hohner Echo tremolo harmonica. The two-sided style is called a \"Wender\" (pronounced: vender) type. This is the 64 hole model. Hohner produced 4 models (64, 80, 896 and 120 reed models).The model54/64 (two rows of 16 holes oneach side for 64 total holes) are the most popular. The harmonica is embossed with the words \"Glockenreine Stimmung\" which means \"bell metal reeds\". Since that\'s in Germaninstead of English it signifies that this particular echo harp was intended for sale in Germany.
The C and Gare the keys of this harp. One side is in C, the other in G . You essentially get twoharmonicas in one package.This allows for greater flexibility in the performance of amusical pieces requiring irregular/less predictable key changes.For more than a century, these double-sided harmonicas have been a playerfavorite. Two keys are available on each individual instrument. The Echo’sprecision tuned reeds create a beautifully blended vibrato tone.The double row of holes on Tremolo Harmonicas creates music with adistinctive vibrating (vibrato) effect. This is produced by the bottom rowof holes and the top row of holes being played at the same time and tunedto the same note, with the top row tuned just slightly higher. Thisspecial tuning enables the player to make the tremolo sound which isespecially popular for ballads, gospel and folk music.Harmonica features:
These models aren\'t a \"blues harp\" and aren\'t so great for blues harp styleplaying. These are for playing folk andAlpine ethnic music and they\'re very good for that. You can\'t bend oneeasily (because there are two reeds for every note) and the scale is justa little different from a 10-hole diatonic harmonica. The scale on theseis called \"Wiener System\" (\"Vienna System\" pronounced: veener and notweener) so the notes are in slightly different place than on a RichterSystem blues harp. Weiner System harps are usually not numbered - you playby feel of the position relative to the other holes.
Brass reed plates 0.9mm Comb: Wood (Maple) Stainless steelcovers Length: 4-3/4 inches. Width 2 inches. C/G MAJOR. This is used, but is in wonderful condition, fully functional. Box shows wear and previous owner applied clear tape over the edges of the box. Colors and graphics are good and the label on the inside is wonderful. It hasbeen stored securely.
Thanks for your business!
