n 1830, Christian Messner, a cloth maker and weaver from Trossingen, copied a harmonica his neighbour had brought from Vienna. He had such success that eventually his brother and some relatives also started to make harmonicas. From 1840, his nephew Christian Weiss was also involved in the business. By 1855, there were at least three harmonica-making businesses: C. A. Seydel Söhne, Christian Messner & Co., and Württ. Harmonikafabrik Ch. Weiss. (Currently, only C.A. Seydel is still in business (1847).) Owing to competition between the harmonica factories in Trossingen and Klingenthal, machines were invented to punch the covers for the reeds.
9 May 2022
Since 1857, HOHNER has been crafting the highest quality musical instruments in the World. We make harmonicas, accordions, melodicas, recorders, guitars and ukuleles to name a few. The German Harmonica and Accordion Museum in Trossingen, which houses the famous HOHNER collection, is quite simply unique and tells the HOHNER history like no one else. More than 25000 different harmonicas, lovingly preserved by curator Martin Häffner, make up the largest single collection on the world.
Portuguese cabinet makers from the Madeira Islands emigrated to Hawaii in the 1880's and are thought to have made the first Ukuleles. A cross between a guitar and a banjo, the four stringed Madeiran guitar or machete, would eventually become known as the Ukulele. Suzuki Ukuleles feature top quality materials and precise assembly techniques that produce an instrument of exceptional quality regardless of the style and price range.
The Seydel family were originally miners in Saxony. When this activity ceased to be cost effective, the brothers Johaan and Christian Seydel began to make musical instruments, eventually leading to their being approved by the court of Untersachsenberg as harmonica manufacturers (these being the days when doing anything other than scraping a living in subsistence agriculture seemed to require official approval from some court or other).
Known worldwide for innovation and consistent excellence in harmonica making, Lee Oskar Harmonicas was founded in 1983 by harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar, in collaboration with Tombo Manufacturing of Japan, a multi-generational harmonica manufacturer known for excellence since 1917.
The Bushman brand was created in January, 1996 by John Hall. John’s love for the harmonica started when he was 5 years old and his grandpa gave him one. A music loving family made it easy to stick with the instrument allowing him to play it at church and family reunions. On a summer’s evening in 1990, he walked by the Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis and heard a harmonica player wailing the blues, and it was love at first sound!
Since 1857, HOHNER has been crafting the highest quality musical instruments in the World. We make harmonicas, accordions, melodicas, recorders, guitars and ukuleles to name a few. The German Harmonica and Accordion Museum in Trossingen, which houses the famous HOHNER collection, is quite simply unique and tells the HOHNER history like no one else. More than 25000 different harmonicas, lovingly preserved by curator Martin Häffner, make up the largest single collection on the world.
Portuguese cabinet makers from the Madeira Islands emigrated to Hawaii in the 1880's and are thought to have made the first Ukuleles. A cross between a guitar and a banjo, the four stringed Madeiran guitar or machete, would eventually become known as the Ukulele. Suzuki Ukuleles feature top quality materials and precise assembly techniques that produce an instrument of exceptional quality regardless of the style and price range.
The Seydel family were originally miners in Saxony. When this activity ceased to be cost effective, the brothers Johaan and Christian Seydel began to make musical instruments, eventually leading to their being approved by the court of Untersachsenberg as harmonica manufacturers (these being the days when doing anything other than scraping a living in subsistence agriculture seemed to require official approval from some court or other).
Known worldwide for innovation and consistent excellence in harmonica making, Lee Oskar Harmonicas was founded in 1983 by harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar, in collaboration with Tombo Manufacturing of Japan, a multi-generational harmonica manufacturer known for excellence since 1917.
The Bushman brand was created in January, 1996 by John Hall. John’s love for the harmonica started when he was 5 years old and his grandpa gave him one. A music loving family made it easy to stick with the instrument allowing him to play it at church and family reunions. On a summer’s evening in 1990, he walked by the Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis and heard a harmonica player wailing the blues, and it was love at first sound!
- R. Sleigh's Hot Rod Harmonica •
- R. Sleigh's Harmonica Mastery Tools (USA) • 35 years of experience playing the harmonica, including studio work on films, TV shows, radio, and performing with a wide variety of acts from Bo Diddley to the Bridgeton Symphony Orchestra. I have also spent quite a few of these years tweaking harmonicas or building high end custom harmonicas.
- Ben Bouman Harmonicas (Netherlands) • Any out of the box harmonica can be transformed into a quality instrument. After I’ve checked the instrument and carefully worked on the set-up of the reeds they will respond quicker, the sound will be richer, and all bends will be easier to play.
- The Due Harp, Custom Harmonicas, Steve Grimm, Ohio, USA •
- Spiers Custom Harmonicas, Joe Spiers, Gallatin, MO •
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