"Private label" harmonicas ??

[dddeon]

Does anyone know about the "Beaver Brand" or "Pioneer Brand" harmonicas??

Were these "private label" harmonicas made by a contracted harmonica manufacturer for a mail-order catalog company or retailer?

Anyone know of any others?

These questions came up while looking around Ebay. I've also seen a "Silvertone" that was for Sears (and Roebuck), not the one made by Huang (or made for Huang). Sears used the private label "Silvertone" for awhile for their musical instruments. I believe that the Weltmeister and Bushman Soul's Voice harmonicas were made by Seydel. There has been some question whether the Bushman Delta Frost is made by Suzuki.

[John Broecker]

Hello, Dddeon.

Many major harmonica companies have made second brands (less expensive models of their main products) for sale, under another company name, to compete with the smaller companies' less expensive products.

It's a business strategy used world-wide by most manufacturers, as an attempt to crowd the low price competitors out of the business, to get a higher percentage of the low-priced market sales, or for other reasons.

Today's "Hohnica" Educator valveless slide chromatic harmonica is an example of this business practice. The Hohnica is made in China for Hohner, to compete with the low-price chromatic harmonica companies of China and Korea.

According to Lindenmuller and Haffner's book, "Harmonica Makers of Germany and Austria," published by the Deutsches Harmonika Museum, Trossingen, Germany, the Beaver Brand and Spear Brand harmonicas were made by Hohner. The Beaver Brand was featured in the 1927 Sears catalog, pg. 677.

After a quick page-through of many harmonica books, catalogs and magazine ads, the Pioneer Brand was not found, but I think it's another Hohner brand. A more in-depth investigation is needed.

The Regulation Band, another Hohner product, was a Hohner product (1905-1920), posibly in co-operation with the F.A. Bohm company; and the Registration Band, possibly made by Seydel, was a copy of the Hohner-Bohm product, according to the Haffner-Lindenmuller book.

F.A. Bohm also made the Steamer Brand harmonicas, as listed in a mid-1930s F.A. Bohm catalog.

Seydel might be responsible for the "Savoy Band" harmonicas, but that's a guess.

Sears Silvertone harmonicas were made from the 1950s to about 1970(?), using the name of the Sears Silvertone phonographs (record players) and musical instruments of the day. The Huang Silvertone is a company model made by Huang, not a second brand.

John Broecker

[OldDog]

Silvertone harmonicas, at least the older ones, were made by Harmonic Reed in Phila. PA. F.A. Boom also made thejohn Philip Sousa harmonica.

[OldDog]

I can spell, but I can't type. It's supposed to be Boehm and John.

[dddeon]

Thanks for all the info!!

I had run across an import/export company that sells a "generic" version of the Huang Silvertone and the Huang Star Performer(or at least looks incredibly similar , but without the Huang name). They are even referred to by the same model numbers (Type 103 or Type 102). The cases shown even look identical apart from the fact that they do not have the Huang proprietary printing on them. Could these possibly be from the actual manufacturer of the product in China?

http://www.virtualvillage.com/10-hole-c-tuned-key-diatonic-harmonica-type-103/sku009009-002

http://www.virtualvillage.com/silver-tone-harmonica-e-music-blues-&-jazz-103/sku009009-010

http://www.virtualvillage.com/10-hole-c-tuned-key-diatonic-harmonica-type-102/sku009009-004

On Ebay, this company lists these products as shipping from Shanghai, China.

(I have no affiliation with this manufacturer or the importer/exporter)

[jim]

I know that Seydel make parts for the Weltmeister brand...

[elkriverharmonicas]

Hohner made most of these unheard of labels. There was one, Helvetia, where they set up a dummy company to export harmonicas to the enemy (us) in World War I. There were a lot of instances where they bought out companies, like Weiss, Messner, Koch, Kalbe, Hotz, Pohl, and either shut down those companies immediately and used their trademarks on the cheaper harps, or used them to make the cheaper harps. Beaver, I think, was just made up by Hohner, but the point was they stamped these non-existant company names on the cheap lines. Thus they could benefit financially from the inexpensive lines without tainting this reputation for quality they were asserting.
Once the other makers had gone under or been bought out, only then did Hohner start using its name on these lines. One example would be the American Ace. Originally, it was supposedly an F.R. Hotz that Hohner made in this factory it had in Ireland. Later, it dropped Hotz and used its own name, the reputation for quality was less important, because all the other makers in Germany were gone and there wasn't much anywhere after Hohner bought out Hering. As a sign of the times, Hohner wound up selling Hering some years after they'd bought it, instead of shutting it down immediately like they did before WWII. Those years of Hohner ownership is the major reason so many Hering and Hohner parts are interchangeable.

Dave

[John Broecker]

Hello, Dddeon & The Searchers.

The Pioneer Brand harmonicas were found in a 1922 Montgomery Ward (Chicago) products catalog, on the same page with Hohner harmonicas.

The Pioneer 10-hole diatonic had rounded comb corners (|"Pioneer"|). There's a good chance that Hohner made these harmonicas.

The #102 and #103 Huang Silvertone and Star Performer clones shipped from Shanghai are products of the Shanghai General Harmonica Plant:

http://beijing.ndodo.com/detailed/30612.html

That's the most recent web address that I have.

John Broecker

[dddeon]

Thanks for all the info (and research)!

I know that Seydel make parts for the Weltmeister brand...

Jim (and others),
There is this harmonica called the "Soul's Voice" (used to be Bushman, but now Buckeye Trading (Harp Depot)) that looks like the Weltmeister Blackbird, (old) Seydel Blues Session. Claims to be made in the oldest harmonica factory in Germany... (quote):  "The Soul's Voice is handmade by the oldest harmonica factory in the world and the only harmonica factory that still makes all of their harmonicas in Germany."

Could this be the "carrying-on" of an older Seydel style? I wonder if the parts are interchangeable between the older Seydel, Weltmeister and Soul's Voice?

[elkriverharmonicas]

The Weltmeister Black Bird style, Soul's Voice and the Seydel Session, Seydel 1847 Silver plus are all interchangeable. That's how I have a Weltmeister Blackbird with Stainless Steel reeds, I put 1847 Silver Plus reedplates on it.

[wjombat]

You need to put some video up of my old Welty.  That thing has kind of gotten the royal treatment since I found it with a blown reed in a Goodwill.  It is on its third set of reeds.

[elkriverharmonicas]

I would consider Jim's True Chromatic as a private label....

[jim]

haha:)
Considering that Seydel does the "hardware"))

[elkriverharmonicas]

I would love to when I get video capabilities again.

I think of Jim's true Chromatic a lot like Borrah Minnevitch's line of harmonicas. They were essentially Rauner harmonicas, but with a twist, it was the only external spring chromatic available in the 1930s and 1940s I know of. It's good to have extra options.