I’ve been looking for this kind of melodica for ages — it’s the kind that Augustus Pablo played. Hohner piano 27 melodica – called piano because the earlier models had buttons rather than an actual keyboard. It has a very warm tone, not bright at all. I really want to play it in Roaring Lion but it’s a matter of blowing it well into the mic. The band is loud and this kind of acoustic instrument can just drown unless it’s really amplified. Found it on Amazon, from a second-hand shop in the U.S.

Augustus Pablo. I took this photo from the excellent site melodicaworld.com.

Joanna Avatar

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2 responses to “My Hohner Piano 27 melodica circa 1960 ❤️”

  1. Andrew Nayes Avatar
    Andrew Nayes

    In the picture, Augustus Pablo is playing a Hohner Piano 26. The Piano 26 is a soprano instrument, while the Piano 27 (the model that you have) is an alto instrument. It seems that Augustus Pablo played a range of different melodicas throughout his career though.

    1. Joanna Avatar

      Thank you for pointing this out Andrew. It was careless of me not to notice. I haven’t listened to much Augustus Pablo. Just seen that photo a lot. Maybe that will change one day.

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