Reply To: Hohner Cassotto 26 Made in Germany
Nice melodica Pam.
Yes, these P26/27/32s, including the cassottos, are not very refined instruments. They are clanky and feel and sound rough from a players standpoint. They feel/sound/play rough compared to say the super precise Yamaha professional models. A good analogy for those of us in the USA who are over 50 is that a Yamaha is like a brand new Honda Accord with 10 miles on it and a Hohner P26/27/32 is like a 1965 Chevy Nova with 80,000 miles on it. But as Alan points out, there is a charm about them that some people appreciate. For me it is the sound and the ability to further mute the sound by holding the sound holes against my body.
The first thing I do when I get a new (used) melodica is to play octaves up the keyboard to check the relative tuning of the instrument.
By the way, I am going to be trying a vinegar/water soak followed by a dishwasher cycle on several of my P26/27/32s. I will document the process and results.
Have you tried holding the Hohners against your body to mute the sound when you play? Usually a short tube is needed to do this easily.
Lowboy