On Tue, 9 Jul 1996 Garry Segal writes... Subject: Aristo-Kratt
> Watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood with my two year old, they did a >segment on how a harmonica is made. They went to a small factory owned by >WM Kratt and showed the process of making their Aristo-Kratt harp. The >factory was in the US and the harp had a plastic comb and screwed on >cover plates. Can you say "cover plates"? Anyway, I've never seen or >heard one, have you?
> Garry "won't you be my neighbor" Segal
[I asked Dr. Harp about this - here is his answer...]
I visited the KRATT Co. about 20 years ago and talked to the manager of the KRATT Machine Shop who said his father came to the U.S.A. from Germany, and had worked for M. Hohner where he learned the harmonica business. Harmonicas and pitch pipes were a side line of the machine shop business.
At that time Wm. KRATT was located in Newark, NJ. Yes, KRATT is better known for his pitch pipes.
The KRATT C. made at least 10 different harmonicas, namely Brass Band, Hit Parade, Mel-O-Dee, Arist-O-Kratt, and the Warbler - all diatonic harmonicas - 10 holes, 20 reeds and were Richter tuned, which is the same tuning scheme as Hohner's Marine Band Harmonica. The "ARIST-O-KRATT" is one of their more expensive harps, in 1972 it sold for $3.50, the harmonica I have has good tone and plays easy. My guess is all 5 of the above harps have the same reed plates, the only difference is, the plates are consigned from the cheapest to the most expensive models, according to their quality.
Just for the records, the other 5 [KRATT] harmonicas I know of are, the Warbler Concert, a double reed diatonic, and 4 chromatics, Super 40, Super 48, Mello-Chromatic and Ultra-Monica. P.S. as you ask, "cover plates" is permissible.
Richard I. Smith Harmonica Collector and Historian
Richard loaned me his ARIST-O-KRATT harmonica so I can give the following description. o 10 hole diatonic o Key of A (so they apparently made them in different keys) o Plastic comb o Brass reeds & reed plates o Reed plates attached with 12 machine screws o Metal cover plates attached with nut and bolt (2) o Top cover stamped - ARIST-O-KRATT, hole numbers 1-10, WK logo, the key, and "Professional Harmonica". o Bottom cover stamped - Trade (WK logo) Mark, Wm. Kratt Co., Made in U.S.A., A440.
Richard also commented that though KRATT used good materials, and made a quality looking instrument, they were usually poorly tuned. [I wonder if their pitch pipes were tuned better? :-) ]
Film at 11.
-Jack
P.S. This Q & A will appear in Harmonica Dispatch. Thanks Garry.
