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Since their invention in 1845 by 26 year old Matthias Friedrich Hotz of Knittlingen, Germany, double reed, octave tuned harmonicas have required more air to be played than the more popular, single reed harmonicas. That 180 year old problem ends today, March 5th, 2025, with the launch of our all new Bushman Knittlinger. It’s a joy to play a Knittlinger! It takes very little air to produce a huge sound…and it responds as quickly as you can play it.
The most successful attempt to make a acceptably-responding octave harmonica was the now extinct Hohner Auto Valve, but even it would give you the good ole “air-deprivation headache” after a few minutes of play. Since the demise of the Auto Valve, the only other option octave players have had has been a pricey, $130.00, awkward feeling, too-fat-for-comfort, air hog that lags behind the player. That drought ends right here and now!
Introducing the loud and lively, quick and nimble, ultra-responsive Knittlinger. It sounds like an accordion, but it’s a double reed, Knittlinger octave harmonica with 10 holes and 40 reeds, in the traditional Richter note arrangement. It features a forever lasting, not going to warp, plastic comb, and a thin profiled, comfortably beveled, slick, go-fast, chrome-plated mouthpiece.
Bushman Music Works will begin hosting a gathering of octave harmonica fans in Knittlingen, Germany on the last Saturday in September every year. The first Knittlingen Mundharmonika Festival, will be held on September 27th, 2025. With the fest, we honor the rich and important harmonica legacy of Knittlingen, and we remember the octave harmonica inventor Matthias Friedrich Hotz, as well Peter Pohl, and all the other great Knittlingen harmonica entrepreneurs who did so much for the instrument we enjoy today. The Knittlinger is going to change the harmonica world!
