Hans Rolz - The Embassy As many of you are probably aware I do love a fluted harp and I was happy to place Hans Rolz’s The Embassy into my humble fluted harp collection. I located this gem in a quaint antique emporium just a torpedo punt over the Victorian border in the town of … Continue reading Morovian Embassy
Left: Queen Victoria Building of George Street where D Davis & Co operated out of in the 1920’s. Right: D Davis & Co True Tone advertisement from 1939. Here we go again. Why? Why? This author has unearthed another Aussie harp the True Tone and the fact it was produced for the Oz market is … Continue reading World’s Best
Sing a songSing a song of songsSing it out, Sing it strongYeah! Yeah! Neil Diamond Music Trade Review November 1914 Colouring added by author. Nice Christmas pressie. Anyone have one in their collection? The Great War may be a reason for their scarcity. Advertising DEVICE FOR PREVENTING SORENESS. A Canadian inventor is on record with … Continue reading Holly Holy Harmonica
770 notes (8 feet long) demonstrated in Michigan, Detroit 1932 Left - 320 notes (41 inches long) designed for duets on display Michigan Illinois 1938 and Right - Ah ha! That’s what’s going on. A Blue Bird (F A Bohm) built for two. 1938 - Two more sharing a Blue Bird (F A Bohm) The … Continue reading The Big One (Pictorial #1)
World Chromatic authority (and collector) Mark Weber has managed to obtain the Boomerang Grand Chromorgan (12 hole - 3 Octaves) produced by Swiss manufacturer Thorens. You may remember that I unearthed the ten hole little brother a few months ago - see Suisse Piece. If you haven’t checked out Mark’s blog, then you should do … Continue reading Big Brother
Very interesting (but not very practical) mouth organs. Koch eight hole mouth organs in the shape of animals (1927 Catalogue) All quiet on the home front with no new additions (vintage ‘Oz’ harmonicas) to the fish tank. So, in keeping with the theme of the cartoons that follow, I opted to include a few obscure … Continue reading Walking On Air
Latest edition to collection with gifted programs of the great man. I had no intention of purchasing a harmonica of this kind, but for thirty five Aussie bucks (fair bit of harp for that price) I just had to as there’s been nothing in my wheelhouse for sometime now. I had been gifted Larry’s programs … Continue reading Harpo (Moviestar)
Mouth Organ Ephemera Left: Albert’s Boomerang Mouth Organ Tricks & Effects Booklet (1928) Right: One of the tricks inside. Picked up this booklet for a song the other day. Playing the Blues was a bit of a novelty trick back in 1928. Why is it so? Henry Whitter was playing cross harp blues back in … Continue reading Choke the Tone
Here It Is! Doug Dawson, Canadian super collector, has done it again! He has discovered the Jazz Master Chromatic - it exists! There folks in all of its glory - in a lovely blue container. Where would you think Doug picked up this late 1930’s rare Aussie classic? You’d be wrong, ‘twas Sweden. For more … Continue reading Jazzamatazz
Pretty pleased to have stumbled over this beauty - a pretty slick Suisse Boomerang Chromorgan. This model and the Grand Chromorgan (there was no De Luxe model) were briefly produced in Switzerland after WWII. Albert’s Boomerang mouth organs were manufactured by Seydel, who were under occupation by communist Russia after WWII - so briefly Albert’s … Continue reading Suisse Piece
Harmonica Riff Raff 