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 ended the minute our Bushman Knittlinger hit the market! 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. With the demise of the Auto Valve, the only other option octave players had was a pricey, $130.00, awkward feeling, too-fat-for-comfort, air hog that lags behind the player. That drought ended when we came out with the Knittlinger in the spring of 2025!
The Knittlinger is loud and lively, quick and nimble, and ultra-responsive! 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. A leather pocket holster is available for the Knittlinger here. Currently available in the keys of: Low C and Low D.
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 has made the harmonica world a lot more fun!
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