Paloma Companion Recon is the perfect support for mantras and kirtans on the road and at home. It is amazingly light, compact, sturdy, comfortable to use and yet a full harmonium with warm, round sound. The light weight and small dimensions are achieved without any cumbersome and delicate folding mechanisms.
The Paloma Companion Recon is ideal if you are looking for a very mobile harmonium and appreciate top-of-the-line quality. The 27 notes from f to g range over 2 1/4 octaves and thus cover all common mantras and kirtans. High-quality double reeds in bass and middle register ensure a good response and a warm, full, bright sound. The typical Paloma silk-matt finish in teak colour is pleasing to the eye as well as to the hand. The precise workmanship ensures that the keyboard runs smoothly and the air chambers remain sealed for a long time. The Recon cabinet and the beech key mechanism are particularly robust and durable. Due to its small format, however, the Paloma Companion Recon has a relatively short ‘breath’. Therefore, you need some skill and practice in handling the bellows for a consistently long sound - especially if you play chords.
- 27 adjustable stick and palette keys (English keys)
- range of 2 octaves and 2 half note steps from F to G
- 2 high-quality reeds per key in low (bass), and middle (male) register
- 2 large knobs for playing the 2 registers separately or together
- 2 small knobs for drone notes C, G
- top opening bellows with double fold
- removable cover plate (Jali)
- wedge locks for easy maintenance opening
- silk-matt sealed surfaces with visible grain
- cabinet made of Recon
- key mechanisms made of beech wood
- key surfaces made of nylon
- metal handles
- three-sided surrounding intarsia strip at the base of the cabinet
- including padded carrying bag
Dimensions: height 24 cm, width 39 cm, depth 29 cm, weight: 5.8 kg (6.5 kg incl. bag). Each instrument is individually hand-crafted and might differ from our description.
Recon is produced industrially by moulding and colouring bamboo fibres. Harmoniums and shrutiboxes made from Recon have the same sound and stability properties as those made from teak. The look and feel are also convincing. The use of Recon helps to ensure consistently high quality and to protect the environment.
PALOMA is the international brand name for instruments by Haribhau Vishwanath from Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Haribhau Vishwanath was founded in 1925 as a small repair shop. Today Paloma is an international top brand for harmoniums. This is due to successful innovations such as the Compactina and Maestro models and unique quality standards. Working techniques and tools have been permanently developed further over decades. Under the direction of Ashish Diwane, Haribhau Vishwanath in 2018 was the first Indian instrument maker to integrate a computer-controlled CNC milling machine into the traditional handcrafted manufacturing process, in order to get consistent precision in the production of essential components.
Apart from harmoniums, Haribhau Vishwanath also manufactures shrutiboxes, santoors, swarmandals and some drums. In addition, the company is active in the instrument trade and procures some rarely needed instruments for which direct purchase from the manufacturer would not be worthwhile. Haribhau Vishwanath has been a partner of India Instruments since 2005.
GENERAL INFORMATION, CARING/TUNING INSTRUCTIONS AND RETURNS
Air temperature and blowing pressure influence the vibration frequency of harmonium reeds. At higher temperature and higher pressure, it decreases; at lower temperature, it increases. The instrument will be tuned at room temperature around 20 degrees Celsius before shipping.
Complaints and returns are, of course, an important topic, but fortunately they are very rare in our experience. By far the most common issue concerns buzzing, rattling, or metallic sounds.
In essence, this is not a defect or damage but a simple fine adjustment that every harmonium owner should be able to handle themselves — comparable to inflating a bicycle tire. Let us know if you need further instructions and we'll be happy to assist!
Of course, a simple case of “not liking” the instrument is a valid reason for withdrawal and return within 14 days of receiving the goods (using the DHL delivery confirmation as reference). In such a case, the buyer must return the harmonium at their own expense. Still, we will assist you with the return shipping. Please contact us to discuss the details before you send the instrument back 🙏🏻
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