First 5 holes od Harmonica don't work (appears to be vintage)?

Question

I found an harmonica in my grandfathers house (he passed away) I asked all my family members if I could keep it and they all said yes.
So when I got home i just cleaned the outside a little bit to put my mouth on it (with alcohol) and blew in it a few times but the first 5 holes did not work when not pressing the bar on the right.
PS: there is a sponge on the top layer at the back, is that supposed to be there?
So I searched the model on the internet and it seems to be an vintage 1930 H.Hohner Super Chromonica and is not very cheap nowadays. So my question is how do I fix those first five holes (When I push the little iron handle/button it switches to the lower holes and those work perfectly)?

Answer 1

There's no sponge in a chromatic harmonica. There are some windsavers in there but you shouldn't be seeing those from the back of the cover plates looking like a sponge. Take the sponge out - grandpa kept it in there as a dehumidifier. [send me a good photo if you'd like to be sure]



Dating it to pre-war is as simple as looking at the logo on it. If there's a star inside the circle that the two hands are holding - it's pre-war (30's) and if that circle is empty, it's not. There's no disadvantage to playing a pre-war vintage harp - some are outstanding instruments. It just might require some servicing to get it in top shape.



"Switches to lower notes" - not exactly, it actually switches a half-step higher when you push in the slide.



It's grandpa's harp and it's an important part of your family possessions. Run by your local music store and ask them if they know a good harmonica player. Contact that person and tell him/her the situation. I'm betting any harp player anywhere worth a salt would be more than happy to meet you somewhere and take a look at it for you. In fact, someone in the music store may well be a player.

Answer 2

it should be easy to get it repaired, but you don't want to start on a chromatic. I got a harmonica from my grandfather, who also passed away. I got the diatonic, but I remember he also had a chromatic somewhere. the one I have is just about as old, and it has the same problem. another thing to do, however, is probably to go and get a new one. compared to other instruments, harmonicas are very cheap. oh, and the sponge shouldn't be there.

Answer 3

Hohner's design hasn't changed much over the years, so yes it can be repaired, basically someone with the skill to change the reeds and tune it will be more than happy to fix it for you, and it shouldn't cost too much. there not rocket science and the parts are inexpensive, should be a good investment to repair it. however learning on a chromatic might not be the best idea, might want to buy a inexpensive diatonic to practice on before trying to master that beauty.

Answer 4

A person who has never used a harmonica is NOT going to be able to fix one. You can easily send it to someone for repair. However, that harmonica will likely not be worth anything, and you would be better off simply buying a new one to play.

Answer 5

challenging problem. look into on yahoo and bing. this will help!