I thought it might be interesting to see if there are any Harmony mandolin folks interested in discussing their instruments. My own interest in Harmony stems from my interest in blues mandolin as seen and heard in the music of Yank Rachell. When I first became aware of the Harmony Batwing I thought it was just about the most bizarre mandolin I had ever seen and then I realized it was the signature instrument of Yank Rachell, certainly the best known mandolin bues artist. He died just a few years ago. I purchased mine with the express purpose of honoring Yank. I was able to get mine at a quite low price because it apparently been sat upon shortly after being purchased. It would have cost way more than the instrument was worth to repair professionally but I had the interest and the time to restore/rebuild. The front had been pushed all the way into the back Any bracing had been broken loose and even the bottom sides were badly broken. The only part of the mandolin body to remain intact was the back. The neck was in perfect condition and showed no sign of fret wear at all. The case is in new condition. The Batwing came either as an electric or an acoustic instrument. Most seem to have been electric as was Yank's. Mine was an electric but the electronics had been salvaged after it was crushed. so if I want to use play it as an electric I will have to replace the system. The Batwing seems to have been fairly popular at the time and come up on Ebay quite frequently. There are several on eBay right now and seem to command roughly $300 in good condition.
smallest group here!! I got a Harmony in 1977 to take a long as a "throwaway" on a sabbatical. I left it here with a friend when I went back to the US that fall. Later, when I moved here and started playing again, he gave it back to me. The bridge had broken and a new cross piece (what is the correct term) added, and I've had it ever since. It has been around Europe and to the US in a plastic bag, and been played a lot in hotel rooms. My son has it now and he likes it. Best 79 dollars I ever spent. But the tuners leave a bit to be desired. Spencer
Member #2: I was getting kind of lonely... I am kind of fond of Harmonys. Back in the 1970s they put out a 12 string Guitar which was amazing tonally. It competed nicely with my friends Gibson 12 String, tone wise.... After about a year the neck began to pull away from the body, which I learned was a common problem with them... But what a great sound while it lasted. I replaced it with a cheap new one (not a Harmony) which was a terrible mistake... I used it for about a week and I haven't used it more than once or twice since.. I did buy a damaged Harmony mandolin for parts and was able to use the tuners, tailpiece and fretboard for another project. My Harmony tuners are still working fine on a banjo-mandolin.
Hi there - new member from UK who is a beginner to mandolin but plays Hammond and bass guitar as a hired hand and guitar when performing original material. Have to say not surprised that batwing Harmony's have a mixed response on a forum such as this, because if there is one thing I have learned since beginning the instrument it is that the real good players aren't scared of throwing thousands and thousands of pounds at a mandolin, not unlike jazz guitarists, wheras in the guitar world it seems to be that "oh, a Mexican Fender is fine" prevails. I have a '72 H8025 (non electric) batwing and love it to bits. I paid $175 for it in great cosmetic condition but desperately needing a fret dress and set up. It actually transpired that I needed a new bridge, so stuck a piezo job on it and now it is gig-able (or will be when I am!). No, the low end isn't great when not plugged in but I'll say this: you seem to need to spend two or three times what I gave for the batwing to improve upon it when buying a mandolin to learn on when considering a new instrument off the shelf. I must admit I am biased because I do have a collection of Harmony guitars: a Sovereign acoustic, an H49 "Jupiter" Stratotone and a handful of those double cutaways (H75-types, a double cutaway Rocket and Meteor) and the same applies - not for everybody but those who get on with them at all tend to love them a lot. All seem to agree that whatever tonal merits they may have there is nevertheless nothing cooler to look at! Looking forward to chatting more, Rob, Surrey UK.
Apparently Harmony rarely (or never?) used plywood in its instruments. That may be why some of them have tone way beyond what you'd expect for the original price.
I've yet to find an American made Harmony instrument that in playing it acoustically or plugging it in, the timber is revealed to be poor, bmac. Totally agree. Anybody played one of the Asian made batwings? I'm sure they must be ply, but for a mainly "plugged in" life may be quite playable as a cheap beater for jams or as a spare?
I understand that when Harmony went out of business their remaining wood stock was purchased by other makers of quality guitars and mandolins. It was quality wood worth using in high quality solid instruments. Bart McNeil
I have a Harmony H-35. It is a terrific instrument, very easy on the fingers and very expressive. It has many different personalities, depending on what you plug it into. I had two of them. I came home one day and found that the tuning head had snapped off one of them. I had taken very good care of it but the previous owner may have allowed it to dry out. Anyway, parts of it live on. I bought an Asian acoustic copy and was able to graft its neck to the real Harmony's body. I gave this Frankenstein's mando to an arts organization for its annual fundraiser. It sold for about $175, if I remember correctly. I took the neck from a collapsed Morgan Monroe F-style and grafted it onto the body of the Asian "batwing" copy. This required some remodeling using some epoxy putty, but the operation was a success, yielding what may be the strangest MANDO on the planet, but it plays well and sounds surprisingly good. I gave this one to talented high school musician at New York's famous La Guardia High School for Music and Art who majors in violin and wanted to fool around with a mandolin. I took the tuners from the H-35 and used it in a cigar box mando that I made. Old mandolins never die- They just fade into new ones.
I was fortunate enough to pick-up a c.1965 Harmony Monterey H410 in great shape from a fellow Cafe member. I have uploaded a couple of pics of the mandolin to the "Group Photos" for this group. Prior to getting the Harmony I had owned nine mandolins ranging in price from $350 to $2600. I have to say that I am pretty blown away by the playability, vibe, and tone of the Harmony. It's strong midrange "Honk" is ideal for the type of music I play (Blues, Roots, Rock). It is safe to say I have drunk the Harmony Kool-Aid. Happy picking!
Ed, I agree. I seem to be a muti-purpose "fourth man" in a few bands (the slightly odd mix of Hammond organ and mandolin) and for that swampy hallowed turf where Little Feat meets The Band and along the way they meet Ry C, The Dead, Hot Tuna and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the honkin' Batwing is just your kiddie. I've got a non-electric one (see the Batwing case thread) and bought it with a bridge so deeply grooved it needed a new one. I put the cheapest of cheap Artec piezo bridges on it and it does me fine - goes into my keyboard rig via a (again cheap Artec) preamp/EQ pedal and it isn't purist bluegrass but its better than an "electric mandolin" (ie with a magnetic pickup). And the wide nut does me just perfect.
