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Author Topic: Hohner-esque?  (Read 982 times)

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Scotty Gring

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Hohner-esque?
« on: December 05, 2019, 06:22:18 PM »

This is currently up for sale on Ebay US and is a 19 treble key.  Seller is calling it a CF Hohner (C & F emblem in one of the images).  I was looking through the Hohner model list here on the forum and see nothing with 19 treble buttons but it does "appear" Hohner-esque.  Thoughts?  Unless bidding takes off, this one is going to go for less than I'd spend on beer for one night.
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Peadar

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Re: Hohner-esque?
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2019, 07:01:26 PM »

I don't believe it is a Hohner.
Hohner started making mouthorgans in 1857. They went into precision enginered mass production from an early stage and plastered their name over all their products.
They didn't go into accordeons until 1903 and their early models are charachterised by bellows corner plates stamped Hohner. In 1904 they won a medal at the St. Louis Trade Fair nd after that with charachteristic modesty they stamped their Corner plates "Best Made in the World". The casework carried a paint Branding M.HOHNER- though the lettering style changed significantly. Hohner also went in for really beefy side hooks, that look as though they could hold a locomotive smoke box door shut.
The one you are looking at has  rather pretty open work stamped metal corner plates but they are a Generic pattern.
Lastly there is a peeling label which I think says "Made in Germany", that and the varnish finish suggest a manufacture date in the 1920's...but not by Hohner. If nobody gets conned and it goes really cheap it may be worth it just to play with and find out what an old Klingenthal box feels and sounds like and see how they are built inside. Just don't get hooked on aquiring them!!!!
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Graham Spencer

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Re: Hohner-esque?
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2019, 07:11:57 PM »

I bought one of those (for £10 Sterling, IIRC) in my early days of tinkering with boxes, reckoning that I might not end up with a playable box, but I'd get my money's worth in experience. I was right - it was never going to be playable in a month of Sundays, and eventually ended up as kindling, but I learned an awful lot just from taking it apart, finding out how it worked and how it was put together, and discovering what was and what wasn't likely to be an easy fix.  There are loads of old boxes like this one, and who knows, you might be lucky and drop on one that turns out to be usable in the long term. However, I'm pretty sure it's not a Hohner - middle European, yes, and almost certainly Saxon or Bohemian; it has the usual generic mass-produced fittings, and I'm guessing the innards will be low-end mass-produced as well. Just my two penn'orth........

Graham
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Peadar

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Re: Hohner-esque?
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2019, 07:13:31 PM »

Having said that Vienna boxes with only two basses per treble row do have their attractions >:E
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ursamyna

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Re: Hohner-esque?
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2019, 09:58:03 PM »

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-C-F-Hohner-2-Row-Accordion-Button-Box-Made-In-Germany-No-Reserve/333420191641?hash=item4da1645f99:g:towAAOSwep1d5COp

I suspect the "C & F" badge is the manufacturer or retailer, not the key of the box.  How common is that style of air button, is it a clue to the origin of the box?
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Winston Smith

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Re: Hohner-esque?
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2019, 12:05:52 AM »

The C & F plate is almost certainly the key signature. I've had quite a few through my hands with this type of plate on, also A & D, and they tend to be the nicest part of the instrument!
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Peadar

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Re: Hohner-esque?
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2019, 12:26:37 AM »

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-C-F-Hohner-2-Row-Accordion-Button-Box-Made-In-Germany-No-Reserve/333420191641?hash=item4da1645f99:g:towAAOSwep1d5COp

I suspect the "C & F" badge is the manufacturer or retailer, not the key of the box.  How common is that style of air button, is it a clue to the origin of the box?
That type of air button:  a wooden push rod with amother of pearl button on the end is a cue to the age of the box rather than it's manufacture. Looking at my own herd, Hohners with wooden actions have them, so do Internationals  and generic Klingenthaal boxes.
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Scotty Gring

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Re: Hohner-esque?
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2019, 03:22:33 AM »

I've got a couple of old 1920s Hohner Italiennes that have either that round "floating" air button or the old bar style.  The grille looked a little like a Hohner, but just the number of treble buttons really had me suspicious.  The price on this one is much less than the pocket change for shipping at this point.  I've had enough practice boxes to get my fill (mostly ill-advised purchases of one-row 1040s) but I wouldn't mind a cheap investment to make some reed blocks for using on the tuning table.  thanks everyone for the input!
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Proving each day that, just like golf, merely possessing the equipment
in no way guarantees you have any idea what the hell you're doing.      ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hohner 1040C, 2815G/C (pre-Pokerwork), Hohner A/D 21/12 Italienne. Titano Titan Piano Accordion (with apologies).
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