[Lowboy]

I never noticed the hole size difference Alan. However, no air flows through these holes. Kevin, you are warm. One reed plate is brass and one is stainless steel.

However, the real surprise for me was this: every HM-26/27/32 I ever opened up had a brass reed plate. This Piano 26 has a stainless steel reed plate. Likewise in what could only be called an astounding coincidence, every Cassotto I have ever opened up had a stainless steel reed plate. This cassotto had a brass reed plate.

So it would appear that the design and/or manufacturing back in the early days was pretty loose. Don’t have any stainless steel reed plates to make cassottos? Heck just use some brass reed plates. Or maybe these were the product of a manufacturing error. Why throw away a 1,000 bodies with steel reed plates that were erroneously marked as Piano 26? Just use them. Or maybe these differences were just the result of ongoing product evolution. I do believe these two instruments were pretty old based on their condition.

Over the last two years, I have found several anomalies in the design/manufacturing of some vintage Hohner 26/27/32s.

Alan. Do you have any evidence of when the first HM-26/27/32s were made?

Regards,

Lowboy