Hohner and The History

Hohner and The History

hohner harmonica

Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902),  Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas  and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the harmonicas used by professionals. The company also makes kazoos, recorder flutes, melodicas, guitars, bass guitars and ukuleles (under the brand name Lanikai), along with its one million harmonicas a year.

During the 1940s and 1990s, the company also manufactured various electric/electronic keyboards. Especially in the 1960s and 1990s, they manufactured a range of innovative and popular electromechanical keyboard instruments; the Cembalet, Pianet, Basset, Guitaret, and Clavinet. In the 1980s, several Casio synths were sold under the Hohner brand - for example, the Casio HT-3000/Hohner KS61midi and the VZ-1/HS2). The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, (South Germany).

Matthias Hohner, who was originally a clockmaker, started making harmonicas (by hand) in 1857 with his wife and a single employee. 650 were made in the first year. Hohner harmonicas quickly became popular and during Matthias' lifetime he built the largest harmonica factory in the world. During the American Civil War Matthias Hohner gave harmonicas to family members in the United States who in turn gave them to the fighting soldiers.

In the 1920s Hohner began manufacturing chromatic harmonicas that can be played in any key. In the mid 1950's Hohner began producing electric guitars. In 1964 Hohner released The Beatles Harmonica Kit which was sold in a blister package, much like most Hohner harmonicas nowadays, retailed for $2.95, and help what Hohner calls "bring about a new popularity upsurge of the Hohner harmonica on both sides of the Atlantic." In the 1970s Hohner began manufacturing acoustic guitars, and re-producing electric guitars.

Source: wikipedia