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The
Bushman Story...
Shortly
after opening a harmonica retail shop in January 1996, we discovered
that harmonica players needed a better product. Over the phone, and
through email we received a steady stream of stories of harmonicas
not even making it through one gig before blowing out; we knew
something had to be done. Players complained that the harmonicas of
30 and 40 years ago were far superior to today's models. That didn't
make sense, should we really have to go back in time to get better?
Was there really a place and time where instrument makers cared a
little more, and took the time to get it right? Was there a place
that used better materials that could stand-up to the demands of
today's blues bending, rock blowing harp players? To find out, we
went back to the beginning, back to 1821 when, in the city of Berlin,
Germany a 16 year old genius named Christian Buschmann created an
instrument he called the Aura. The Aura only had blow reeds until an
instrument maker from Bohemia named Richter added draw reeds and an
"easier-to-play" note arrangement, but the Aura was a bold,
new step toward the formation of our beloved harmonica. We wanted to
honor Buschmann's inventive spirit and his desire to make something
better by naming our harmonicas after him. We've chosen to follow his
lead by making today's instrument better!
A
couple of hours away from where Buschmann handcrafted his Aura, we
found the oldest harmonica shop in the world. Oddly enough, this
company was not widely known in the USA, but they had all the
craftsmanship, equipment, and know-how to produce a superior
harmonica. What they didn't have was a good design and some marketing
energy - two things in plentiful supply at Bushman. We teamed-up, and
the result was our first Bushman Harmonica - the Soul's Voice - a
harmonica fashioned in the rich, old German tradition of quality. In
2009, we sold the Soul's Voice name and design to a Ohio company.
In
2000, we sent the best harmonica factory in the world our design for
a new harmonica with old ideas. With this new instrument, we went
back in time with a traditional cover plate design, but we went more
modern with everything else. In August 2003, we unveiled our Bushman
Delta Frost harmonica to the world at
the SPAH Convention in Dallas, TX. In our opinion the Delta Frost is
the best diatonic harmonica for $30 or less in existence. Each
instrument is accurately tuned, and then securely fitted together to
provide airtight, super responsive performance. The
reeds for the Delta Frost are cut
from the trade's very best Phosphor Bronze.
Send
us your Love...
Almost
daily we receive email or phone calls of love stories between our
customers and their Bushman instruments. If you have a Bushman story
you'd like to share with us, or if you just have an idea for a new
instrument design or improvement we want to hear from you. You can
call us at 812-334-4420 or send an email to bushmanmusic at gmail dot
com. We love fresh ideas that result in new or improved instruments,
and we get those ideas from musicians just like you. In fact, all
Bushman instruments are designed by our customers. Together, we are
the music makers. And we are the dreamers of the dream. (Aurthur
O'Shaughnessy 1844 - 1881). |
