Re: Impressions, Hohner Echo Celeste

Jonathan,
 
What am I missing here? Why are the numbers marking 4 holes?
 
Russ

"Jonathan E. Brickman" <[email protected]> wrote:
Well, my Hohner Echo Celeste in E arrived yesterday.  I'll be writing a formal review for the web shortly.  This is for now:  

1.  This is a magnificent instrument.  

2.  It is solo-tuned!!!!  Full-scale-tuned !!!!!!!!   God is good, and the Hohner people have listened!!!  My E major came with a paper insert which is probably sent with all Hohner Echo Celestes, and the following diagram appears:



This diagram is an exact match for the solo-tuning diagram in the middle of Pat Missin's missive on tremolo tuning, which is here:

http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q15.html

Hooray!  Three cheers for Hohner!!!!!!!



3.  I find it to be generally superior to all other tremolos I have used, including Tombo 3121, Tombo 1521, Suzuki Humming, Huang Musette, and even my sweet little Brelli.  I am shocked and amazed and delighted.  It is built well, with visibly greater precision and care than Suzuki Humming and 3121.  It is aesthetically pleasing in all respects. 

4.  It is also a 24-note instrument, and is therefore (to my knowledge) the only 24-note tremolo on the market today available in all of the 12 major keys.  

5.  Its tonal response on the low end is truly beautiful: it is far and wide the best in tremolo tone quality I have ever heard of in the low end, and in fact, I am going to have to revise all of the reviews on the web site to reflect this simple fact.  Its tone quality in the middle and high ends is excellent too.  

6.  It was shipped in a very durable and useful case, looks like strong nylon fabric reinforced, and closes with a good zipper, which reminds my wife of certain kinds of cell-phone cases.  

7.  There is only one item which may be a minor downside for some: although it is capable of substantially more volume than Merano, it is not as loud as anything I have used from Tombo, Suzuki, Huang, or Brelli.  But I like it better this way.  I can control the loudness far, far more than any other tremolo I have used.  Thus it ends up being a better instrument both for individual play and practice and for performance, which these days is just about always amplified, in which case I want maximum control and to be not limited to the range of medium-to-very-loud volume.

8.  It is probably made of less thick metal than the Tombo 1521: it is not as heavy than the 1521, which is quite unexpectedly heavy for its size.  But this may end up being a plus.  Heavier weight is often greater fragility in a precision-made metal object.

9.  It has a new hole-numbering system which I don't understand yet, represented by the topmost row of numbers in the diagram above, which does partly refer to the holes on a regular Hohner Blues Band.  There is also some hole-number-based music packaged with the instrument.  So I think that this is, more or less, a reinvention of the harmonica number system for solo-tuned tremolo.

-- 
Jonathan E. Brickman
America!  Bless God!!!


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Russ Gaippe 
http://www.geocities.com/[email protected]
http://www.geocities.com/harpin_russ
Visit the Coast to Coast Music Harmonica Store at:
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