Elk River
Harmonicas
Dave Payne Sr., owner
Harmonicas
Dave Payne Sr., owner
Welcome to
The Seydel line and home of the Elk River Special
| Copyright 2008 Elk River Harmonicas |
Grandpa Cecil Payne And Dave Payne Sr.
| Who I am I am Dave Payne Sr. I started playing harmonica at the age of five, when I was home from school sick and my dad bought me a Hohner Pocket Pal (still have it) to keep me busy. I was playing seriously by the time I was 12. I grew up on the banks of the Elk River in rural Kanawha County, West Virginia. Until I was in my mid 20s, I was like most players, playing harmonicas until the reeds became fatigued, then discarding them. After I had children old enough to hold a harmonica, they were the recipients of my hand-me-down instruments. |
How to order You won't find any fancy shopping carts on Elk, just me. I like dealing one on one with the customer, often I can spare them from buying something they don't need, or help them pick out what is right for them. Contact me for details. |
Grandpa Cecil
Payne, from 1959
photo, founder of
the Payne family
music tradition.
Payne, from 1959
photo, founder of
the Payne family
music tradition.
A few years ago, however, all my harmonicas were stolen. I
wasn't able to afford to replace the entire set, so I had to take
back ones I'd given to the kids and learn repair. That led to a
fascination with the inner workings of the instrument and with
the helpful advice of the late Douglas Tate and more recently
Rupert Oysler, I have developed my own custom products.
I had been playing Hohner Harmonicas for 25 years when I
saw my first Seydel in 2006. I was reviewing a Solist Pro and
Chromatic DeLuxe from Seydel for an article I was writing.
This was actually just a few months before Seydel began
selling in the U.S. again for the first time since before World
War II. I fell in love with the quality of the instruments and the
old-school, handmade construction. I decided that this
company is going nowhere but up and a few months later, I
got my dealership.
West Virginia's Elk River is also very special to me, it was a
big part of my formative years. The directions to get to the
river from my boyhood home: go to backyard and jump in river.
Welcome to Elk RIver Harmonicas!
Independent C.A. Seydel dealer
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| NEW! New 1847 keys, click here. 2008 Seydel catalog download, click here. Check out pics from the Elk River Harmonicas Mid-Ohio Valley Harmonica Championship 2008. Click here |