Anyone Know anything about this guitar

[kiwigeo]

A good friends girlfriend brought it around yesterday. It was her late father's.

Label inside the body reads "E-75. Serial 4601" and its made in the USA.

The guitar is in mint condition apart from two cracks along underside of headstock where it looks like wings have been glued on. Cracks are clean and could be easily glued up.

Any info would be appreciated. Id also like to pass on a rough value of the guitar to its owner for insurance purposes.

Cheers Martin

[sebastiaan56]

Here is one URL that may help, cool axe! love the F holes, Ive been googling "Harmony Bigsby"

http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/Harmony2.htm
http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar-722 ... -Bigsby-48

[kiwigeo]

Thanks for the info Sebastiaan. Looks like its an H-76 made around 1963. Looks like its worth around $US700.

[Paul B]

$700? Is that all?

That's a nice guitar. Floats my boat.

I'd pay $700 for that.

If I had $700

[sebastiaan56]

Floats my boat too Paul, paticularly the tortoise shell in the headstock, the chunky trem and the white plastic binding. Is it sooo 60's, somehow $700 isnt enough is it? probably what it cost new.

Martin, a couple of questions. The top looks like flamed maple, how does it sound in acoustic mode? I assume the back is the same material. The fretboard markers look like pearl, or are they pearloid? How about some photos of the back and some measurements. There has to be one of those out of my workshop one day...

[Lillian]

From what I could find it's a H-75 or H-76. I didn't find anything about it's worth, but it's a really cool guitar.
http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/Harmony2.htm Its about half way down the page.

[kiwigeo]

Lillian,

According to the website the H-76 had the Bigsby like this one does. It was purchased in Adelaide , Australia.

From what I could find it's a H-75 or H-76. I didn't find anything about it's worth, but it's a really cool guitar.
http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/Harmony2.htm Its about half way down the page.

[kiwigeo]

Sebastiaan.

1. top does appear to be flamed maple. Its quite thick and the instrument isnt really loud or toneful in acoustic mode.

2. Markers look like pearl but I havent ha d areal close look at same.

3. Ive got the instrument on loan at the moment so will do some measurements and post 'em up for you. Wouldnt mind doing a copy of this guitar sometime down the track.

Cheers Martin

Floats my boat too Paul, paticularly the tortoise shell in the headstock, the chunky trem and the white plastic binding. Is it sooo 60's, somehow $700 isnt enough is it? probably what it cost new.

Martin, a couple of questions. The top looks like flamed maple, how does it sound in acoustic mode? I assume the back is the same material. The fretboard markers look like pearl, or are they pearloid? How about some photos of the back and some measurements. There has to be one of those out of my workshop one day...

[Hesh1956]

Dave Collins would be the one to ask for the specifics.

What I can tell you is that this Harmony looks in great shape for it's age - probably 60'sish.

Harmony was not a very good brand and made shitty guitars that were very inexpensive and often sold in what we used to call "dime stores." Harmony acoustics could sell new for as little as $35 in the 60's.

They were often impossible to play because of very high action and impossible to tune because of improperly located bridges.

It was not a respected brand when compared to Fender, Gibson, Martin.

I also think that some models were made by others for them but Dave would be the best one to confirm this. I also remember these pick-ups, a friend of mine had a guitar just like this when I was a kid, and the pick-ups were incredibly noisy and really sucked.

[Lillian]

That's absolutely true Hesh. Harmony was designed for the kids of the blue collar workers. But every once in a while, they got it right. My brother found a well used Harmony Rocket that he just loved. The action was like butter and it sounded so sweet. But he knew it was either an anomaly or someone had really worked on it over the years before he got it.

[kiwigeo]

This guitar has flat wound strings which have seen better days. Id like to get some new strings on and give it a full work out.

From my reading the slimline semis were some of the better harmony's that came out. In the case I found a set of music lessons....the ones with tests in the back which you send back to the music shop for marking. The booklets have been printed on a Gestetnar.....thats very 1960's.

[Bob Connor]

Elderly Instruments have a few Harmony's on their website although not this model going for between $600-900USD.

[What Democracy?]

I have seen one of these Harmony electrics in Adelaide Australia, garish green colour, been sitting there in the shop for years.
Still there now...
Nice to play, but the guy wants $3500 for it, dreamin...

I have a 1960 Harmony Sovereign Jumbo acoustic, made in the U.S.A, picked it up for $350.
This sucker: http://harmony.demont.net/guitars/H1260/44.htm
Pretty nice sound, 50 year old stable timber, considering the selection of timbers used.
Brazillian Rosewood fretboard, solid 1 piece Honduran Mahogany back, I don't see these timbers at this price and age very often.
Not bad for Sears and Roebuck anyway, better than some of the later "Fender", "Airline" and "Vega" cheesy versions getting around.
Sounds pretty good for a ladder-braced guitar, in excellent condition too.
I did see a video of a H1260 being pulled to pieces and reworked as an "X" brace guitar, then played on youtube.
Lot of work, but the guy got a major improvement in tone from the exercise.
I have seen pics of Pete Townsend and Jimmy Page using this H1260 model guitar.

Here's a Harmony database site with a serial and model number search tool: http://harmony.demont.net/
Very useful for those trying to work out what Harmony they have come across.

Good luck.
Ben.

[DarwinStrings]

That Harmony data base that Ben posted is great and there is also a forum devoted to Harmony guitar with some very knowledgeable guys involved called the "Harmony Guys Board"

Jim

[kiwigeo]

Thanks Ben and Jim,

I did actually find a couple of Harmony data bases.

Cheers Martin

[Matt Bach]

Wow I've actually set one of those up a month or so ago. Switchcraft switches and output and "proper rose smelling" rosewood bridge seemed interestingly quality for what I thought was a cheaper than cheap brand. That said the bridge on the one I worked on was different to the one pictured, it didn't have the separate saddle bit and was intonated. I'll find out how much the owner paid when I see him next.