[Harp-L] Re: Hohner Unsere Lieblinge Harmonicas

[Helmuth2849@xxxxxxx]

Hello, Eric Schaller
 
The Unsere Lieblinge ("Little Darlings") harmonicas were made by Hohner  
from before World War 2 to the present, for the German and French markets. 
They  are just intonation-tuned, 
 
The German harps are named Unsere Lieblinge, the French are labeled Modele  
Alsacien. They are the same model numbers, with different names.
 
They all have wood combs, and they are octave-tuned harmonicas, with brass  
reeds and .9mm thick brass reed plates. 
 
Once the note placement setup is learned, they could be very useful as rock 
 or blues harps, for their octave playing, producing more resonance and 
more  volume than the single reed per note diatonic 10-hole blues harps. They 
are  similar to the Hohner Comet harps sold in the USA.
 
Bending and overblowing are possible, by playing either the top horizontal  
row of reeds, or the bottom horizontal row of reeds. The octave harps may 
be  played two notes together, vertically, one row separately, or a mouthful 
of  reeds, either melodically horizontal) or vertically (harmonically).
 
Catalog # 6194 has 12 double holes, 24 reeds, 4" long, and is in C  only.
 
#6195 has 16 double holes, 32 reeds, 5" long, in C or G.
 
#6196 has 14 double holes, 28 reeds, 4.5" long, in C.
 
#7330 has 20 double holes, 40 reeds, is 7" long, in C, F or G.
 
#7331 has 40 double holes, 80 reeds (it's double-sided), 7" long, in C and  
G. It was discontinued around 1994 (a guess).
 
#7332 has 24 double holes, 48 reeds, is 7" long, in C or G.
 
The case of the Unsere Lieblinges is a cardboard material, with the model  
name and pictures of 2 ladies on the case cover.
 
In the past, during the era of USA President Ronald Reagan and  Soviet 
Union President Brezhnev, the two ladies were changed to the two  countries' 
president's pictures. Why, it's a mystery, but it may be to  commemorate the 
presidents' signing of the nuclear weapons reduction  treaty.
 
Or, Hohner may have had a sense of humor by naming the two presidents  
"Little Darlings." 
 
Happy New Year
 
John Broecker