G'day Blackcatter,

I had a look at the photo on the sale site. The design of this one is quite different from the old (Magic Flute ..?) tin-plated one of my youth ... made in the USA (...?) and corresponding closely to the patent drawing in Dallas Cline's How To Play Almost Everything. This is joined together by something like resistance ('spot') welding and has its metal mouthplate bent about a horizontal axis, such that the metal plates bear on the upper and lower lips at 45º.

The mouth plate of your metal Humanatone, bent at two points about vertical axes, appears to be the model for Trophy's plastic Humanatones (which appear on the linked site in several different colours ... but I have only ever seen them in vivid red!).

I also note that, at this point, the Japanese metal Humanatone, did not have the "patented tremolo feature" of its plastic successor ... a small hole on the right-hand side for the player to rhythmically open and close ... for a dubious 'tremolo' effect.

Regards,

Bob Bolton