70th Anniversary Melodion Special Exhibition

Suzuki Musical Instruments MFG Co., Ltd., has celebrated its 70th anniversary. Our company was founded as a harmonica manufacture in 1953, but the development of Japan's first keyboard-type harmonica; the 'Melodion' triggered our growth as an educational instrument manufacture. In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of our company, we are holding a special Melodion exhibition at our exhibition room in our office building. In addition to the first Melodion 'Super 34', which was born in 1961, several models from the 1960s, the early days of the Melodion, are on display. These precious models were given to us by our customers. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who cooperated with us. The exhibition is open to the public during normal business hours.

Introduction of exhibition model

Super 34

Production period: around 1961-1966

Price at the time: Unknown

34-key model Alto range (f-d3)

Body weight: 755g / Total weight: 1,246g


It is the first instrument of the memorable Suzuki Melodion. The use of wood for the main body is a major feature of Super 34 only. There is still no ‘hand band’ attached to the back of the current melodion and the left hand was used to support the bottom of the melodion. Also, there was no hose-shaped mouthpiece yet. There are limited voices on this model, but it has a nice rounded sound and is generally appealing.

                                                                                                 Newspaper advertisements of the time
                                                                                                                       

M-36

Production period: 1962-1974

Price at the time: ¥5,350

36-key model Alto range (f-e3)

Body weight 845g / Total weight 1,289g


It has been improved to a more luxurious design with a wider range and the size and shape are now closer to the current Melodion. If you look at the catalogue at the time, you can see that they were aiming to sell to a wide range of customers, not just for educational purposes. As the M-36 underwent a model change, it led to the current 37-key model and the professional model.

                                                                                                                         Catalogue of the time

S-27

Production period: 1963-1975

Price at the time ¥3,500

27-key model Soprano range (g1-a3)

Body weight 735g / Total weight 1,064g


A more compact melodion with a narrower musical range. A soprano range model developed at the same time as the alto range 'A-27'. It comes with a long hose-shaped mouthpiece, and it's characteristic is that the blowing port is attached sideways to the hose. No hand-band yet, but it does have a hook for a neck strap. Based on these characteristics, the exhibited item is considered to be the earliest one during the 12-year production period.

A-27

Production period: 1963-1975

Price at the time ¥3,500

27-key model Alto range (g-a2)

Body weight 752g / Total weight 1,077g


A more compact melodion with a narrower musical range. An alto range model developed at the same time as the soprano range 'S-27'. It comes with a hand-band and the included hose-shaped mouthpiece has a shape similar to that of mouthpieces used on current models. This model was developed and sold at the same time as the S-27, but this exhibit model is thought to have been manufactured after the above S-27. It is a very good design, such as the coloring of each part and the shape of the bag.


                                                                        Catalogue of the time
                                           

A-32

Production period: 1967-1973

32-key model Alto range (f-c3)

Price at the time ¥3,800

Body weight 633g / Total weight 1,300g


This is the first model of the 32-key Melodion, which has since become mainstream. There is no hand-band and the cover has a hook for attaching the neck strap. This model has three major features. The first is that the mouthpiece receptacle and the shape of the mouthpiece are flat rather than round. A short type mouthpiece is also included. Secondly, it is significantly lighter. It weighs about 120g lighter than the A-27, which has fewer keys than the A-32 and is smaller. And thirdly, the mouthpiece slot has been moved forward. The internal structure is completely different from previous models, and the current Melodion is designed in line with the A-32. You can see that various improvements were attempted during the full-scale introduction to the educational field. The A-32 then underwent a series of model changes, leading to the current M-32C.