[Andrew Morse]

Thanks for the advice!!

You are right on the Pianica 32A It has the same shape and the soft rubber outer skirt that mine does. Looks like a good fit. I will do some searching around for one of those. I will give the no mouthpiece thing a try too. That could work with a vertical orientation.

Interestingly, mine are branded “Artist Ltd. Pianica” but are exactly the same. The case is the same blue and white scheme and are marked P-34

[Andrew Morse]

I just aquired two of these via shopgoodwill for $15 each shipped. One came in very good condition apart from some nasty tape residue and other assorted crud. The other had a seriously cracked mouthpiece hole but fortunately no missing bits so I was able to easily glue and clamp it back together with some epoxy and smooth it out with fine sandpaper.

I took them both apart, cleaned the keys and outer case with hot water and a mild abrasive cleanser and a 3m sponge which removed the tape and other crud. They both play well and in tune too! The more damaged one actually had better tuning but they both are acceptable.

I was impressed with the simple design and how easy they were to take apart, remove the keys, clean and access the reed plates for tuning. The angled strap is very comfortable to hold when playing in a more vertical orientation. The reeds respond well to choking / bending and vibrato type air effects.

The valves are metal disks and posts with a rubber gasket. Spring tension on the key keeps them closed. There was some black dampening material on the square end of the posts which feed into slots on the underside of each key. When the square valve head is aligned parallel to the slot, the key slides off the valve post freely. A small floating washer and a felt disk between the valve stem and the entrance to the valve chamber provides cushioning and damping of key noise.

Underneath the felt disk, the post passes through a small washer which is glued to the top of the keybed. The valve side of the reed chamber is a disk with a serrated edge. It might be that this can be unscrewed but I was afraid to attempt this and break one.

They both came with tube mouthpieces, but only one had the hard plastic one. I am on the hunt for a suitable sized replacement. I will take a inner and outer diameter measurement and report back. If anyone has one of the current yamaha mouthpieces, perhaps they could check diameter measurement and let me know?

[Andrew Morse]

Thanks Alan, I will experiment some more with alternatives. Lowboy, I haven’t checked out the trade/swap/sell section yet but I will! There’s plenty of great info here on the site.

[Andrew Morse]

Hey Alan,

I’m first time poster here. I have begun to collect some vintage Hohners. I have a Cassotto , a Piano 26,27 and two 36’s. The 36s need a little work but one of them is missing its valve cap and the other one is cracked from age, so I am seeking two replacements.

Your post about finding the cap from a tube of Costco Kirkland brand hydrogen cortizone. intrigued me. Was it a good fit. Could you offer any more details on that or did you eventually find the part? I am struggling to find one anywhere.

Thanks Alan!

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