Roy Ale
20 posts
Jan 01, 2026
12:27 PM
|
I have a few old Kosh 10 hole chromatic harps . The combs are wood . Are there replacement plastic / ABS combs for a 10 hole Chromatic Kosh. Has anyone replaced a comb on this harp ?
|
SuperBee
7149 posts
Jan 01, 2026
5:27 PM
|
I bought one from Hohner. It’s a few years ago and I still haven’t installed it.
In fact, if memory serves I think they sent it to me in error. I ordered a body for a 260 and they sent me a Koch body instead. I think I am yet to restore the 260 as well.
I used to have quite easy dealings with Hohner in Europe but something went wrong when they updated their website.
I remember the last deal I had with them they were inflexible regarding the shipping. They insisted on a high price service which really made it not feasible for me. It used to be that I could choose the standard postage service. It took about 3 weeks to arrive but cost less than $10 which was fairly reasonable. Last time they insisted I use a registered service which was 30 Euros I think; about 50 of my plastic fantastic Aussie dollars. That’s nuts when I want like $20 worth of reeds. I tried my usual approaches which had worked in the past ie talking to someone personally, but no dice. Maybe they decided that DIY and backyard repairs are not good for business.
I guess things are tough all over
|
SuperBee
7150 posts
Jan 01, 2026
5:32 PM
|
Oh, sorry, I see you actually were asking about non-wooden alternatives.
I reckon a (Brendan) Power comb would do the job, but I’m not sure he still makes them available for the 260.
As far as I’m aware the Koch and the Hohner 260 are basically identical in terms of reed plate and slot dimensions. It’s just the Koch has no windsavers so they use those bodies with the finned chambers. Those won’t work on a 260 unless you remove the windsavers, but you can use a 260 body on a Koch and add windsavers if you want.
|
Roy Ale
21 posts
Jan 01, 2026
8:30 PM
|
SuperBee thanks i did not know to look at the Brendan Power web site . I see the ABS combs on his web site . ooops spelling mistake should have been Koch .
|
Roy Ale
22 posts
Jan 03, 2026
9:44 AM
|
Seeing that Brendan Power makes ABS combs for the old 10 hole Koch chromatic harps. Does that mean they are worth keeping and rebuilding?
I am a 10 hole diatonic blues and rock harp player, so like the Richter tuning of the 10 hole Koch and the size .
Any thoughts from forum members before i put money into the old Koch harps .
|
SuperBee
7152 posts
Jan 06, 2026
1:40 PM
|
Roy, I reckon they can be pretty handy but there are some limitations.
They only come in C and G variants.
Back in the days before you could get every key in a diatonic, one way to play in Ab was to use one of these Koch units in C and hold the button in while playing 2nd position.
There are 2 ‘famous’ recordings cited as examples. Sonny Boy Williamson’s ‘Dissatisfied’ from 1957 and Little Walter’s ‘Oh Baby’ from 1954.
The slide creates interesting possibilities with the 3 hole. It’s a while since I thought about it but I seem to recall Dissatisfied demonstrates it well. If you’re holding the button in then let it out of course there’s a semitone lift so moving accurately from 3 draw whole step bend to a half step becomes very easy and can be done much faster than is normally possible.
The Koch is a relatively low maintenance unit because it doesn’t use windsavers.
Personally I built a half valved Hohner 260 in C which is maybe a little easier to play and just about as low maintenance. It was just a matter of using what I already had but I think the half valved arrangement might be a bit better than the Koch for playability without too much reed work.
It really needed a new body though so I set it aside while I got one in and then I didn’t get back to it
If you’re into it, I believe the Koch can be quite viable. They are typically pretty ‘airy’ though.
The main thing is maybe the fact they are only available in 2 keys. I’ve never tried blow bending one, but I reckon that might be pretty tough. I have never considered the possibility of 3rd position on one either but that might be feasible/interesting. Typically I use a regular’solo tuned’ chromatic in 3rd.
These days I believe the Trochilus harps provide the same playing approach in a wide range of keys and better performance and more compact unit.
I’d say the Koch is an interesting relic, probably an ‘enthusiast’s’ choice rather than the most practical choice but i kinda like the idea
|
Roy Ale
23 posts
Jan 06, 2026
7:12 PM
|
I do find the old Koch interesting . But would any one else find them intertesting enough to put money into them . Costs - pay for the new ABS comb then pay for a harp repair person to install the ABS comb and pay for shipping . If you have a repair person install the comb , the over all cost will be a lot more than a new Trochilius even if you already own a 10 hole Koch . If a person does not already own a 10 hole Koch then that is another cost .
|
