{"product_id":"twenty-four-hole-tremolo-harmonica-chrome-covers-engraved-special-black-comb-marked-japan-c-1960-1985","title":"Twenty-Four Hole Tremolo Harmonica, Chrome Covers Engraved “Special”, Black Comb Marked Japan, c. 1960–1985","description":"  \u003ch3\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA long tremolo harmonica in bright chrome, the covers engraved in ornate \u003cstrong\u003eblackletter script\u003c\/strong\u003e with the single word \u003cstrong\u003eSpecial\u003c\/strong\u003e, and marked \u003cstrong\u003e24 HOLE\u003c\/strong\u003e at the right-hand end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLook at the mouthpiece edge and you find the feature that defines the instrument: the holes run in \u003cstrong\u003etwo parallel rows, paired one above the other\u003c\/strong\u003e, so each note you play is actually two.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe comb — the body the covers sit on — is \u003cstrong\u003emoulded black plastic\u003c\/strong\u003e, and along one long face it is stamped \u003cstrong\u003eJAPAN\u003c\/strong\u003e. The \u003cstrong\u003ebrass reed plates\u003c\/strong\u003e show as a warm gold line where they sandwich between comb and cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach end is closed by a shaped chrome cap held by a single screw.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chrome has clouded and darkened with handling, and the engraving reads clearly through it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe double row of holes is the whole instrument, and it explains the sound.\u003c\/strong\u003e A tremolo harmonica carries \u003cstrong\u003etwo reeds for every note\u003c\/strong\u003e instead of one. One is tuned very slightly sharp of the true pitch and the other very slightly flat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlay them together and the two waves interfere. The pitch stays exactly where it should be, but the \u003cstrong\u003evolume oscillates\u003c\/strong\u003e — loud, quiet, loud — several times a second. That is the wavering, warbling tone the tremolo harmonica is bought for, and it comes out of the tuning rather than out of the player. Builders talk about \u003cem\u003ewet\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003edry\u003c\/em\u003e: further apart gives a faster, stronger beat, closer together a subtler one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is the most widely played kind of harmonica in the world\u003c\/strong\u003e, which surprises most Americans. In the West the tremolo mostly lives in folk music, and the ten-hole diatonic is what everyone pictures. In \u003cstrong\u003eChina, Japan, Korea and Taiwan\u003c\/strong\u003e the tremolo is the default instrument and it runs through every genre from folk to classical — and the Asian instruments are built long, with many more holes, tuned so the major scale repeats up the whole range.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTwenty-four holes is that tradition.\u003c\/strong\u003e It gives three full octaves rather than the one and a bit on a short Western harp, which is why a tremolo of this size can carry a melody straight through without the bending and overblowing a blues player has to learn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe comb is the dating evidence.\u003c\/strong\u003e It is stamped \u003cstrong\u003eJAPAN\u003c\/strong\u003e alone — not \u003cem\u003eMade in Occupied Japan\u003c\/em\u003e, which would fix it between 1945 and 1952 — and it is \u003cstrong\u003emoulded plastic rather than wood\u003c\/strong\u003e. Pre-war and immediately post-war harmonicas are built on wooden combs, which swell with moisture and go out of true; plastic replaced them and became standard through the following decades. Chrome-plated stamped covers with screwed end caps and blackletter model branding belong to the same window of Japanese export production. Dated on the plastic comb, the country stamp and the cover construction: \u003cstrong\u003ec. 1960–1985\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpecial\u003c\/em\u003e is a model name rather than a company, and \u003cstrong\u003eno manufacturer's name appears anywhere\u003c\/strong\u003e on the covers, the comb or the end caps. The harmonica is offered \u003cstrong\u003eunattributed beyond its country of origin\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"8\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse;\"\u003e\n  \u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"text-align:left; vertical-align:top;\"\u003eField\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"text-align:left; vertical-align:top;\"\u003eDetail\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/thead\u003e\n  \u003ctbody\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eTremolo harmonica, 24 holes — two reeds per note, one tuned sharp and one flat, producing the characteristic wavering tone\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eJapan. The comb is stamped \u003cem\u003eJAPAN\u003c\/em\u003e; no manufacturer is named.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eForm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eChrome-plated stamped covers engraved \u003cem\u003eSpecial\u003c\/em\u003e in blackletter and marked \u003cem\u003e24 HOLE\u003c\/em\u003e, over a moulded black plastic comb with brass reed plates; shaped end caps secured by a screw at each end\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eMarks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eEngraved \u003cem\u003eSpecial\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003e24 HOLE\u003c\/em\u003e to the cover; \u003cem\u003eJAPAN\u003c\/em\u003e stamped into the comb. No maker's name anywhere.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003ec. 1960–1985. Dated on the plastic comb in place of the earlier wooden one, the \u003cem\u003eJAPAN\u003c\/em\u003e stamp rather than \u003cem\u003eMade in Occupied Japan\u003c\/em\u003e, and the screwed chrome cover construction.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOffered as a decorative and collectible object; it has not been played or tested and is not sold as a working instrument.\u003c\/strong\u003e Structurally it is very good and complete — both covers are present, undented and firmly screwed, both end caps and both screws are in place, the comb is sound with no cracks or missing teeth, and the reed plates are seated. The engraving is crisp and fully legible. \u003cstrong\u003eExpect clouding, darkening and fine scratching to the chrome\u003c\/strong\u003e from handling, with light tarnish around the screws and end caps, and ordinary surface soiling. No bent covers, no missing parts and no repairs. As with any second-hand wind instrument, it is recommended for display rather than play. Condition Guaranteed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"vertical-align:top;\"\u003eOne of a Kind — 1 Available\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy It Belongs in Your Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA harmonica is one of the few objects that is genuinely beautiful lying still.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is seven inches of bright metal with ornate lettering cut into it, a black body and a line of brass down the side — a shape everybody recognises and almost nobody looks at closely. On a shelf, a desk, a bar, a bookcase or under a cloche it reads instantly, and the \u003cem\u003eSpecial\u003c\/em\u003e engraving is the kind of confident mid-century lettering nobody puts on things any more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt also does well in a group. Alongside sheet music, a metronome, a record sleeve or other instruments it makes a small collection look intentional; on its own it is the single object on a shelf that has a story attached.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd there is the fact that most people get wrong. This is not the blues harp of American mythology — it is the double-reed tremolo that the majority of the world's harmonica players actually play, built long enough to carry three octaves of melody. That is a better piece of information than most objects come with.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA note on care, and metal-and-plastic instruments want the same thing: dry. \u003cstrong\u003eDo not wash it, do not soak it and never put it in a dishwasher.\u003c\/strong\u003e Water gets between the reed plates and the comb where it cannot dry, corrodes brass reeds from the inside and will rust the cover screws.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe the covers with a soft dry cloth, and a barely damp one only if something has dried on, drying it at once. \u003cstrong\u003eUse no metal polish, no abrasive pad and no solvent\u003c\/strong\u003e — chrome over stamped steel is a thin plating, and polish will cut through it at the edges and lift the engraved lettering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeep it somewhere dry rather than a bathroom or a basement, lying flat with the mouthpiece clear, and handle it by the covers rather than the ends, where the screws take the strain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48044430688361,"sku":"VE-0719","price":110.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/IMG_2131.jpg?v=1789176653","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/twenty-four-hole-tremolo-harmonica-chrome-covers-engraved-special-black-comb-marked-japan-c-1960-1985","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}