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Gig Savers: First Harmonica Gig
by; David Barrett

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WARNING: SUCKING ON THIS
Jelly Bean Can Be Habit Forming!

Monster Harmonica Workbench

by Kinya Pollard

It was during a particularly long Bay Area commute that I found one of my favorite "jelly beans" stuck between the maps of San Francisco and Monterey Bay. Thanks to its slippery design, I was able to dislodge my prize and shove it in my mouth.

Halfway through "Walter's Boogie," with both knees firmly pressed against the steering wheel, I realized how enjoyable playing the jellybean shaped Hohner Golden Melody (GM) can be.

Never completely satisfied with stock harmonicas, I thought it would be fun to Hot Rod the vintage Golden Melody-distinctly different from the new GM, which Hohner now assembles the reed plates to the comb with bolts rather than the "old school" nails. In addition, nickel cover plates have been replaced with non-tarnishing chrome.

So rummage through your collection of retired harmonicas, find a Golden Melody and prepare your workbench (or kitchen table). "Its time for: MONSTER HARMONICA WORKBENCH!"

Distinctive "jelly bean" shape of the Hohner Golden Melody

The vintage (top) Hohner Golden Melody assembles the reed plates to the comb with nails, while the present day GM uses threaded reed plates and brass bolts (similar to the Hohner Special 20 harmonica).

For Hohner's Richter Classic "hand made" Harmonicas, all three models share identical reeds (only the plate size varies). Golden Melody on the left. Special 20 in the middle. Marine Band on the right.

Place the reed plate/comb assembly over a steady surface with a hole (for the nail head to pass through). Using a nail set punch, carefully knock the pointed side of the nails loose. Flip the harmonica over and pull the nail through with pliers.

Using soft jaws with your bench vise is a terrific way to protect the soft brass of the reed plates and keep your work true while you "over size" all indexing holes on both blow and draw reed plates with 9/32" drill bit.

This will enable you to customize your mouthpiece adjustment during the assembly process. Eliminate that "bite" that occurs when the reed plates hang over the comb once and for all!

Using either a ratchet-type tap holder (shown) or drill tap holder, chuck up a 0-80 size tap and thread the draw plate holes left behind by the removed nails. With a 1/16" drill bit (not shown), carefully drill the holes left behind by the removed nails on the blow reed plate. This will allow clearance of the 0-80 x 3/8" brass bolts.

Next, adjust the offsets (gapping) for all reeds. In the picture we are applying the reed curvature method (refer to my April 2004 back issue, "The Tao of Harmonica Customizing" for greater details) Regarding tuning, please refer to my December 2003 and February 2004 back issues "Stop Those Dogs from Barking" parts one and two.

Fans of the Hohner Special 20 harmonica have discovered that by removing the unnecessary sprues from the comb, increase air volume becomes possible. Unfortunately, the Golden Melody uses fragile acrylic rather than the soft ABS combs found on the Special 20 harmonicas. Do not attempt to remove or you will crack the comb.

Use 0-80 x 3/8" brass bolts to assemble the reed plates onto the comb. Before locking down the bolts, slide the reed plate towards or away the mouthpiece, eyeballing the desirable amount of reed plate over the edge of the comb. This will avoid the annoying mouthpiece bite. This little adjustment will make a remarkable difference in playing comfort.

Finally, install the cover plates.

Background Checker
Hohner developed numerous models incorporating round and curved shaped harmonicas. Notably, the Comet Octave, the Chrometta Series, Harmonetta, Educator 1, and the Rhythm and Blues Chord harmonicas.

A picture of a 1957 Hohner Centennial harmonica, looking strikingly similar to the Golden Melody appeared on page 34 of Martin Haffner's book: "Harmonica"

During 1959-60, Hohner offered the Navy Band harmonica, the precursor to the Golden Melody. Collectors will notice the similar model numbers: #542, #543 (gold anodized alloy covers), #2416 (tremolo tuned version).

With little cosmetic alteration and name change, the Golden Melody (M542) became available in the early 1970's. The GM continues to be apart of Hohner's Richter Classic "hand made" group, along with the Marine Band (M1896), and Special 20 (M560). As mentioned earlier, the current GM has reed plates that are bolted onto the comb rather than nails, and non-tarnishing chrome replaced the nickel cover plates.

Tuning: Equal Temperament
Keys: Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G

Player List
Current high profile players who prefer Golden Melody as their instrument of choice include Carlos del Junco www.carlosdeljunco.com and Jason Ricci www.jasonricci.com.

Howard Levy used them initially, before switching to Filisko's (www.joefilisko.com) customized Marine Bands approximately 10 years ago. Gary Onofrio, a.k.a. Sonny Jr., mentioned to me that the late great Sonny Terry played Golden Melody as well.

Although Hohner installs identical reeds for the three Richter Classic "hand made" harmonicas, including Marine Band, Special 20 and Golden Melody, many players-possibly inspired by Howard Levy-prefer the Golden Melody for the "over blowing" type of harmonica playing.

Acknowledgements
I wish to extend my gratitude to Joe Filisko (www.joefilisko.com) and Pat Missin (www.patmissin.com) for contributing their historical research and insights to this issue.

Till next time, stay "tuned!"

Kinya Pollard
The Harpsmith

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