Hohner Harmonetta

[Theo]

 

Here's a picture showing the size. I wonder how it looks when being played?

 

Like this:

 

 

 

If you've not heard Svang you've missed a treat

[Graham Collicutt]

 

Video of stills showing one being dismantled with a harmonetta soundtrack. I hope it got put back together!

 

Graham

 

There are none on ebay at present.

Edited September 18, 2009 by Graham Collicutt

[Michael Marino]

 

Video of stills showing one being dismantled with a harmonetta soundtrack. I hope it got put back together!

 

Graham

 

There are none on ebay at present.

 

Just acquired one from Germany via Ebay and unfortunately the wife has pretty much absconded with it and after only two hours of practice can keep up with most of the music that we play at the church in chords. Now she does have a very strong back ground in music (plays multiple instruments including the English, won't touch the Anglo), but it still boggles me on how fast she can pick up a new instrument and be playing it at a moderate level of skill quickly. I hope to get pictures up shortly and let you know how it plays. So far it is wonderful to have her playing the Harmonetta and I the Anglo; though I could see the need for setting up the Pignose amp for the Harmonetta if we where playing in public as you loose a good bit of it's voice in the Anglo.

 

Michael

Back to work.

[Anil]

Interesting discussion! I first saw this amazing instrument in the late sixties ('68 to be exact) when I was in the ninth grade. One of our teachers who had returned from Germany at the time, picked up a Hohner Harmonetta, but felt so overwhelmed by its novelty and complexity that he decided he would sell it to anyone who was willing to pay INR (Indian rupees) 750.00 for it, which is the equivalent of 1000 US dollars or more, today. I instantly fell in love with it, but could not afford it.  I nurtured that love for decades, until I accidentally stumbled upon this marvel on Ebay last year. As a serious collector of novel/vintage/antique Hohner harmonicas, I just had to pick it up. I know I paid a bit too much for it ($650.00), but it was in mint condition. I even have the original Harmonetta tutor that came with it. I have tried to produce some chords on it; one in particular sounds like the church organ which was the hallmark of the Iron Butterfly sound (In-A-Gada-Da-Vida). Now that I have more time in my retirement years, I plan to experiment with the Harmonetta some more. Thanks a lot for sharing some very useful information in this thread.