Paul Durham

  • Paul Durham posted an update 2 weeks, 6 days ago

    Got the mugig melodica today. I had seen it rating very highly on the internet. I have to agree. It has smooth tone throughout the 37 note range. At 30.99 it is providing some real competition to the Hohner performer.

  • Paul Durham posted a new activity comment 2 weeks, 6 days ago

    I too follow sales of melodicas on ebay. Most of ebay sllers find a bargain ay yard sales and estate sales and are flipping Hohners just because of their knowledge of the market, not the instrument. A few wiill check to see that every key works but that is really no guarantee the condition is good.

    View Conversation

  • Paul Durham posted a new activity comment 4 weeks, 1 day ago

    Wasn’t impressed. The lower register was nice but the upper notes were shrill and the last 2 didn’t play well. The Do Re Mi and note numerals mark it as a beginner instrumentt.

    View Conversation

  • Paul Durham posted a new activity comment 1 month, 1 week ago

    Thanks. Great Information.

    View Conversation

  • Paul Durham posted a new activity comment 1 month, 1 week ago

    The one I have is in good shape so I’m not in the market. I have my collectibles set aside and most of what I buy now are entry level pieces just to see low end improvements. My conclusion has been most of them are really quite remarkable for the price. Hopefully this will bring more enthusiast to the melodica.

    View Conversation
    • Profile picture of Alan Brinton
      Alan Brinton replied 1 month, 1 week ago

      Oh, I was assuming that you didn’t already have one.

      You’ve carved out a niche for your investigations, Paul, that nobody else is filling.

  • Paul Durham posted a new activity comment 1 month, 1 week ago

    Thanks, Alan. The dealer is trying to unload a lot of 40 so we’ll be seeing them for awhile. I got mine used quite some time ago so I wasn’t inclined to spend $49 right now.

    View Conversation
    • Profile picture of Alan Brinton
      Alan Brinton replied 1 month, 1 week ago

      If I were you, I’d buy it now, regardless of how many he says he has in stock. That’s a bargain price for a new HM-26, and at that price somebody may buy out his stock.

      • Paul Durham replied 1 month, 1 week ago

        The one I have is in good shape so I’m not in the market. I have my collectibles set aside and most of what I buy now are entry level pieces just to see low end improvements. My conclusion has been most of them are really quite remarkable for the price. Hopefully this will bring more enthusiast to the melodica.

        • Profile picture of Alan Brinton
          Alan Brinton replied 1 month, 1 week ago

          Oh, I was assuming that you didn’t already have one.

          You’ve carved out a niche for your investigations, Paul, that nobody else is filling.

  • Paul Durham posted an update 1 month, 1 week ago

    Bought an ammoon melodica through a make offer auction on Ebay for $11.50. Been seeing good ratings on this brand. Has anyone here tried one?

    • Paul Durham replied 4 weeks, 1 day ago

      Wasn’t impressed. The lower register was nice but the upper notes were shrill and the last 2 didn’t play well. The Do Re Mi and note numerals mark it as a beginner instrumentt.

  • Paul Durham posted an update 1 month, 2 weeks ago

    A Michigan music dealer is selling Hohner HM-26 as made in Europe. Is this a change or did the dealer find some old stock and buy it up ?

    • Profile picture of Alan Brinton
      Alan Brinton replied 1 month, 1 week ago

      There was some stock still out there a few years ago, Paul. I believe it was last made in 2011 and Hohner USA was selling some for a few years after that.

      • Paul Durham replied 1 month, 1 week ago

        Thanks, Alan. The dealer is trying to unload a lot of 40 so we’ll be seeing them for awhile. I got mine used quite some time ago so I wasn’t inclined to spend $49 right now.

        • Profile picture of Alan Brinton
          Alan Brinton replied 1 month, 1 week ago

          If I were you, I’d buy it now, regardless of how many he says he has in stock. That’s a bargain price for a new HM-26, and at that price somebody may buy out his stock.

          • Paul Durham replied 1 month, 1 week ago

            The one I have is in good shape so I’m not in the market. I have my collectibles set aside and most of what I buy now are entry level pieces just to see low end improvements. My conclusion has been most of them are really quite remarkable for the price. Hopefully this will bring more enthusiast to the melodica.

            • Profile picture of Alan Brinton
              Alan Brinton replied 1 month, 1 week ago

              Oh, I was assuming that you didn’t already have one.

              You’ve carved out a niche for your investigations, Paul, that nobody else is filling.

    • Profile picture of Lowboy
      Lowboy replied 1 month, 1 week ago

      Hi Paul,

      I know the point is moot given you are not in the market, but for the edification of others, made in Europe may not mean made in Germany. Alan probably knows where Hohner moved production of the HM series to lower costs.

      Based on my experience with many HM series melodicas, I prefer the “Made in Germany” variety. They seem to have a…[Read more]

  • Paul Durham posted an update 1 month, 4 weeks ago

    Mark, I’m one of those who has the M37 and finds it a great instrument.

  • Paul Durham posted an update 4 months ago

    Dez, would you believe after my stroke when I could no longer play right handed I gave away my Piano 26. I’d owned almost 30 years and it was still like new.

  • Paul Durham posted an update 4 months, 3 weeks ago

    Awesome, Daren. Sweet tone. That was your own build, was it not?

  • Paul Durham posted an update 5 months ago

    @dezb1 Dez, bet there will be more. It is fascinating to see players catch the “BUG” for the melodica.

  • Paul Durham posted a new activity comment 5 months, 3 weeks ago

    Got the Piano36 today and really thrilled !

    View Conversation

  • Paul Durham posted a new activity comment 5 months, 3 weeks ago

    Thanks for letting me know. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be able to work around the flaw and the seller assures me the reeds and keys all still work fine.

    View Conversation

  • Paul Durham posted an update 5 months, 3 weeks ago

    Finally sprang for a piano 36. Has a broken mouthpiece connector but I hope to work around that with a hose mouthpiece since my disability make holding a melodica upright impossible. I have a vintage piano 26 I tested the idea on and it worked. I am jumping on this because of the low price — just under $34 delivered. I’ll have it late next…[Read more]

    • Profile picture of Lowboy
      Lowboy replied 5 months, 3 weeks ago

      Hi Paul,

      Having owned several Hohner Melodica-Piano 36s, and having researched buying them for a long time, I can say that the older (and better) models made in Germany have a thin-walled mouthpiece connector. Eight out of ten of them have cracked or broken mouthpiece connectors. Eventually, Hohner realized this problem and initiated an…[Read more]

  • Paul Durham posted an update 6 months ago

    In reply to David and Lowboy, a great vintage melodica that you can try before you buy is a rare opportunity. And as Lowboy has said in earlier posts, Suzuki is a great make and the M37 is a beautiful instrument.

    • Profile picture of Alan Brinton
      Alan Brinton replied 6 months ago

      The big Suzukis are among the louder melodicas played acoustically, the Pro 37v2 in particular, but also older M-36 models that are not hard to find.

  • Paul Durham posted an update 8 months, 1 week ago

    Frances, no I haven’t. But I’ve always suspected these are very generic chinese models rebadged for the specific market, See my comments a few weeks ago about chinese sourcing,

  • Paul Durham posted an update 8 months, 4 weeks ago

    To learn more about China sourcing sss https://www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/Melodica.html.

  • Paul Durham posted an update 8 months, 4 weeks ago

    Hi, Dee. As far as I know the Melodica Men are sourcing their melodicas from china..

  • Paul Durham posted an update 9 months ago

    Got my Eastar 37 Fantastic. If you should disguise the names, no one can tall the difference with the Performer that cost me 85 dollars.

  • Load More