Bottom to top: Suzuki Melodion M-32C, Suzuki Pro-37, Hammond Pro-44H.
I just joined a Facebook group called Melodicaholics Anonymous! It’s a private group created by a lovely bunch of melodica officianados. The founder is lead member of the Los Angeles melodica band Monsters of Melodica.
Lots of melodica info there, and pictures of vintage melodicas or melodions. Anyway, the photo above is my little collection. The blue one is a Suzuki Melodion M-32C, which I bought in Denmark Street, London. The middle one is a Suzuki Pro-37, also from London. The biggest one is my favourite – the Hammond Pro-44H, with a trumpet mouthpiece and a paisley ukelele strap.
I get to play the 44H in the band for one or two songs, it’s got an output jack so I plug it into my Roland keyboard amp! Can’t say the band is wild about it, but they humour me. I solo on it for a Boz Skaggs song called, “Fly Like A Bird”. Ian likes it, but then apart from being lead vocals and guitarist, he plays kazoo, saxophone, mouth organ, so a melodica is right up his alley.
Melodicas rock! (They do, really.)
Leave a Reply