Reply To: Suzuki Button Melodion – 1960

#5817
Alan Brinton
Participant

This model is a close copy of the the very first Hohner Melodica, the HM-900, except that the key range is different, an octave up from its alto sibling, which has the same range as the Hohner HM-901. It is known that Suzuki honcho Manji Suzuki obtained a Hohner HM-900 in 1959.

Ranges of Hohner 900 Soprano and 1961 Suzuki Soprano

The Suzuki has a brighter, less muted sound than the Hohner. This one is in playing condition, though not as good playing condition as my Hohner button models — though those were almost certainly produced much later, as the Hohner button models were still being sold until at least the mid-1970s.

For those who are not familiar with the Hohner button models, it is clear from how the buttons work that they were designed to be played with both hands, black keys with the left hand. The same is true of the Suzuki.

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