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Author Topic: Helicon Harmonika ID help? And, other questions...  (Read 801 times)

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David Colpitts

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Helicon Harmonika ID help? And, other questions...
« on: November 30, 2018, 01:53:27 PM »

Hello, Folks.

I am a long-time watcher who finally joined (after giving up years ago due to technical difficulty) and I am in some projects.  One is trying to figure out what is (and what to do with) my very old Helikon Harmonika.  It’s big, three rows, wooden levers, mother-of-pearl round buttons, beautiful marquetry case, zinc-looking bells for the basses, domed/mushroom ((celluloid?) base buttons.
Badge is small cast (bronze?) reads like:

Fr. Taborsky
Zhotovitel hudebnich Astro just
V PRAZE
Soukenicka ulice cislo 28

Any ideas?  I can’t figure out keys yet (since it’s mechanics are all warped out place and pads don’t cover holes, etc.......

BUT OTHER QUESTION:

This may be off the wall, but is it ever (was it ever) a design choice to make one row of pads push up the next row if pushed hard enough?  It’s almost like the inner row of wire and pad is meant to do that, and thence create a “two note chord” when pushed hard.  Or, could be just so out of whack that the levers do what they shouldn’t.  I can probably figure out pix, if nobody can understand my ramble, but might be willing to ID with more information.

I have no illusions about putting it back into peak condition, but it is all there.  I might want to make a bass box, or if I can figure out the notes, maybe scavenge the reeds and make a one-row out of them, with an old German (Hohner factory?) “Beaver” brand, in H/E (Which I think is B and E?)

Anyway, I appreciate any help anyone might offer.

Thanks, and regards,

David
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Winston Smith

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Re: Helicon Harmonika ID help? And, other questions...
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2018, 02:10:52 PM »

David, it sounds like a really lovely thing. But could be a real headache, eh?
Good luck with it, if nothing else it would make a cracking wall-hanger, by the sounds of it!
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