Seydel

In the 17th century the Seydel family were miners in Sachsenberg-Georgenthal / Saxony. When mining was discontinued in Saxony Vogtland, the brothers Johann Christian Seydel and Christian August Seydel began working as instrument makers. Both subsequently became approved harmonica makers. This was decreed by the court of Untersachsenberg on October 27th, 1847. The certificate contains the first documented reference to the company, with Christian August Seydel being registered as the company founder. The factory was established in Klingenthal at the foot of the famous 'Aschberg' (literally ‘Ash Mountain’) and was to become one of the biggest harmonica factories in the whole of Saxony. In 1882 C.A. Seydel died and his son Richard took over.

One year later his brother Moritz joined them and from that day the company was named 'C.A.Seydel Söhne'. (C.A. Seydel and Sons). The factories grew and extended steadily, until towards the end of World War One, Seydel's son-in-law, Hugo Bischoffsberger and his sons Emil, Hugo and Curt inherited the factory. During the war, as the only instruments a soldier could carry around with him and play, harmonicas had become urgent war supplies! Both sides of the line, the men accompanied their songs with a harmonica and could even play the Blues - although they couldn't have known at the time how important that term would become. Richard Seydel had been the exclusive owner of the company since 1910. His sons and his son in law, Hugo Bischoffsberger, had been his assistants and after the First World War, which had destroyed almost all of their trading connections, they took over the leadership of the company. They had to fight to recover their sales position from nearly zero. However, success began to follow with at least 800 factory and home workers being employed. In 1925 Richard Seydel died. The following years were to become very hard ones for the whole domestic musical instrument industry, which hit rock bottom in the years 1929/30. The situation forced a merger with three other domestic companies, however the arrangement didn't last. After 1931 the situation improved again. A new boom occurred and the increasing number of employees was a measure of the success. During this time the 'Boomerang' became a bestseller.

In November 2004 the insolvency of the company with its traditional manufacturing methods had become public and nobody would have bet even one cent on its future survival.  Literally at the last minute an investor was found: the music enthusiasts of Niama Media. Everybody was impressed by the loyal attitude of the staff, they kept holding on and kept the company going, though the loan hadn't been paid for months. Everyone in the investors group realized the importance of preserving the companies nearly 160-year history and its important role in the weak economic infrastructure of the Klingenthal community. They wholeheartedly supported the harmonica manufacturing and fostered a determination that, in the future, the company should be one of the best. An ideal chairman was found in the person of mangement expert Lars Seifert, a young native of Klingenthal. The priority now is for retooling which is quickly under way. Seydel has the ambition to be a company that produces for the individual customizer - the possibilities for ordering different custom tunings will be upgraded and the product line will be aligned to the very top of the market. In addition an efficient distribution system will be built up - all of these approaches together will guarantee the motto of the company: My Sound, my Seydel.

www.seydel1847.de