Hohner CX-12 E harmonica

General

The CX-12 is a chromatic harmonica tuned in E-flat major. Using a zigzag slide construction, you can easily raise each tone by a semitone. This way, you get the most out of the 3 octaves of range and do not need any complicated techniques. Behind the 12 round holes in the mouthpiece are 48 brass reeds and a tuning plate. Because the mouthpiece is airtight, a full tone is created and the CX-12 has a fast response. Whereas there are normally many edges and corners on a harmonica, the CX-12 has almost none. In fact, Hohner has rounded off the sides and back, and the milled mouthpiece has no sharp edges either. All this was deliberately chosen in order to increase playing comfort. The CX-12's full, elegant tone is particularly suited to jazz, but can also be used well in blues, rock and pop.

Innovative but simple

The innovative design of the CX-12 has been important for the harmonicas made after its presentation in 1992. This is because, when designing, Hohner did not simply build on existing techniques and concepts, but sought to reinvent the wheel. After much research and testing, the revamped mouthpiece was the biggest find. Indeed, this is ingeniously built into the housing, making it airtight. What immediately stands out is the appearance of the CX-12; it is modern and elegant, and this therefore reflects well on the rest of the harmonica. Of course, the CX-12 also has the quality you would expect from a Hohner instrument. To keep meeting these expectations, Hohner still has the quality control of materials and instruments done manually.