Harmony Guitar Brand Origins





Disclaimer: Brand names were often shared as distributors changed who they wanted to buy instruments from. There are brands listed here that were made by both Harmony and Kay as well as other companies.



Credit to

Also to the Internet Archive'd

And



Check out my page on

And compare all 3 manufacturers on my page:



A irline The Harmony Company was based in Chicago, IL and built musical instruments which were either sold directly to consumers or through a distributor. Sometimes distributors would put their own labels on the instruments as a cheaper alternative to building their own house brand. Tracking down what brand names were built by whom is often a difficult process and takes someone who is very familiar with that builder's characteristics to identify. So I've decided to go ahead and create a list of as many brand names and aliases that Harmony musical instruments could be found under. This list will focus only on the US-built guitars by Harmony and so any of the instruments built after 1975 will be ignored.: Brand names were often shared as distributors changed who they wanted to buy instruments from. There are brands listed here that were made by both Harmony and Kay as well as other companies.Credit to Jedistar.com for having one of the largest searchable indexes of guitar brand names which definitely has helped.Also to the Internet Archive'd DeMont Harmony Database's Brand list for having a large list of confirmed Harmony brand namesAnd Jake Wildwood who restores vintage instruments and is an immeasurable source of knowledge on obscure guitars.Check out my page on Kay Guitar Brands and Aliases And compare all 3 manufacturers on my page: Kay, Harmony, Regal Brand Cross Reference

Image Credit: Reverb - Ben's Gear Emporium Airline guitars were sold by Montgomery Ward through catalogs and physical stores. The brand was used from 1958 to 1968 and more recently reissued by Eastwood Guitars. Airline guitars were built by Harmony and Kay Airline guitars were sold by Montgomery Ward through catalogs and physical stores. The brand was used from 1958 to 1968 and more recently reissued by Eastwood Guitars. Airline guitars were built by Harmony and Kay

































A loha

"Aloha acoustic guitars were sourced primarily from Chicago-based Harmony." [2]





A rmstrong

































































B iltmore

Image Credit: Jake Wildwood Appeared in the Vitak-Elsnic sheet music company in the 1930s [5].



DeMont Harmony Database































Appeared in the Vitak-Elsnic sheet music company in the 1930s [5].

B roman

Image Credit: Jedistar "After a lot of googling it appears that Broman was a marketing company in the US that sold Broman branded guitars, lap steels from around the 1930s to 1950s at least." [6]



DeMont Harmony Database "After a lot of googling it appears that Broman was a marketing company in the US that sold Broman branded guitars, lap steels from around the 1930s to 1950s at least." [6]



































B runo





































B uckeye





DeMont Harmony Database Not to be confused with the "Buckeye" stenciled design featured on many cowboy guitars of the era.





C arelli

"The "Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars" shows a 30's archtop, Harmony made Carelli "Artist model E" (property of Gary Sullivan, seen at the 19th Dallas Guitar Show), and similar to a H1305 Cremona (well they say H1307 but I say H1305)." [7]

C arl Fischer

"Carl Fischer Music is a major sheet music publisher that was based in New York City’s East Village since 1872. The company has since moved to the Wall Street area in 2013. After 140 years, the company remains a family-owned business, publishing both performance and educational music for students, teachers, and virtuosos." [8]















































C olumbian





















C ommander

Distributed by Aldens























































C oncertone

Brand of Montgomery Wards used from 1914 till the 1930s. Also labelled Lee Gibbs[10]

C ontinental

Image Credit: Reverb - JL Guitars Produced from 1929 until the late 1940s [Wright 169, 170]. Produced for the Continental Music Company [11]. Produced from 1929 until the late 1940s [Wright 169, 170]. Produced for the Continental Music Company [11].





















C rest Image Credit: Jedistar Late 1930s



























E squire

H&A Selmer, (Elkhart, Indiana) distributed Esquire guitars made by Harmony in their 1938 catalog. The upper grade Esquire models were made by Kay at the time. Of course there is no connection with the German Hoyer Esquire model, nor with the most famous Fender Esquire [3].



F ascinator

Image Credit: Facebook - Michael K Arata

































































F ender

Built in the 70s by Harmony for Fender. Common models include the Sovereign





































G aliano

"Although many Galiano guitars were relabeled Stellas made by Schmidt, a fair number of them were made by independent Italian American luthiers such as Antonio Cerrito, Raphael Ciani, and Joseph Nettuno. Still others were purchased from various large Chicago factories like Kay, Regal and Harmony." [12]









G aylord









































G retsch

Built guitars for Gretsch during WWII like Kay also did for Gretsch. Wooden tailpieces are a key indicator. [14]









H eath

Image Credit: Reverb - SilverDozen Guitars Distributed by Heathkit based in Minnesota [15]. Branded "Harmony by Heath" Distributed by Heathkit based in Minnesota [15]. Branded "Harmony by Heath"





































H oliday

"The Holiday brand was the “house label” for Aldens, a catalog mail order company." [16]



They can also be seen as Kay-built guitars



Gui

















J ay Johnson

DeMont Harmony Database



L ee Gibbs Brand of Montgomery Wards used from 1914 till the 1930s. Also labelled Concertone [10]

DeMont Harmony Database

L ombardi

Built in the late 30s and 1940s by Harmony, also labelled as Nobility [17].





































































M anhattan

Distributed by Selmer from Elkhart, Indiana [14].







M arvel

Image Credit: Ebay - Bigmatt55 Marvel guitars were marketed by the Peter Sorkin Company out of New York, USA. Made in the 1940s through the 1970s according to Jedistar and ebay [18]. Marvel guitars were marketed by the Peter Sorkin Company out of New York, USA. Made in the 1940s through the 1970s according to Jedistar and ebay [18].



























M arwin





Distributed through the Barth-Feinberg catalog based in NY [37]



DeMont Harmony Database



















The guitar pictured to the left has the late 30s, early 40s headstock; other listings on the internet show that the brand continued into at least the 50s [19]Distributed through the Barth-Feinberg catalog based in NY [37]





M aster Art





M inerva

Image Credit: Jedistar "Distributed by Eaton's Canada" [20] "Distributed by Eaton's Canada" [20]





DeMont Harmony Database

























M elody King Image Credit: Reverb - Ray's Music Exchange "Was a Bronson guitar and amplifier brand [36]". Also produced by Kay "Was a Bronson guitar and amplifier brand [36]". Also produced by Kay



The pictured model to the left is a 1936



















M itchel

Image Credit: Reverb - Old Towne Strings No information is known





































No information is known

N obility

Built in the late 30s and 1940s by Harmony, also labelled as Lombardi [17].

O pus

Built between 1974 and 1975 as one of Harmony's last lines of instruments. Higher end construction to try to combat the rising Japanese import market. [21]





S onata

"A Harmony Brand and available from at least the 1940s" [22]





The pictured guitar is a late 30s, early 40s model of the Harmony Monterey.

















































O rpheum

Common name used by Kay and other manufacturers. Built by Harmony in 1939 [23]





P aramount

"In 1934, the William L. Lange Company (New York) debuted the Paramount guitar series - and some of the models were built by the C.F. Martin guitar company. However, Lange´s company went out of business in the early 1940s. In the late 1940s, the Paramount guitar line was reintroduced and distributed by Gretsch & Brenner (source: Tom Wheeler, American Guitars).

But it looks like no later than 1942, a Paramount line of guitars were built by Harmony." [24]







P laytime

Sold as a budget brand through Sears [35]

























































P rairie Voice

'"Speaking of Canada, one source stated that each year, Harmony made 200 Roy Rogers-style guitars for the Calgary Stampede, and that such istruments were marketed under the "Prairie Voice" brand name" (source: Willie G. Moseley, Stellas & Stratocasters).' [25]





P remier





R egal

"Harmony aquired the rights to the Regal brand name in 1954. Regal guitars were licensed to Fender in the late 1950s, and some of the Harmony built "Regals" were rebranded with the Fender logo. This agreement continued up until the mid 1960s, when Fender introduced their own flat-top guitars. [4]"

R ex









DeMont Harmony Database























Built by Kay and Harmony in the 30s and 40s [26]

R ogers / A. Rogers

"House Brand of Selmer (UK) (source: Willie G. Moseley, "Stellas & Stratocasters")" [27]





S erenader





Distributed by Buegeleisen and Jacobson and also built by Kay. [28]























S ilvertone

Image Credit: Myself





Probably the most common brand out there. Built by Kay and Harmony and distributed through Sears, Roebuck, and Co for a majority of the 20th century.





















S onata









































S S Stewart

"Harmony-made S.S. Stewart-brand guitars (sold by retailer/catalog-house B&J at the time) can be commonly seen from the late 1930s through the early 1950s, but it's rarer to find the earlier ones. Judging by the build, size, and hardware, this is probably a 30s model and it's a nice one at that. I'm pretty sure the top on this one is carved as opposed to pressed, though I can't say that without a doubt. [34]"

















S upertone

Image Credit: Jake Wildwood "Supertone brand was used by Sears and Roebuck, 1914-1941." [1]



DeMont Harmony Database "Supertone brand was used by Sears and Roebuck, 1914-1941." [1]

























S uprema

"Distributed by Eaton's Canada" [29]. Also built by Kay.









T one King





































Tower

No known information

T ruetone

Distributed by Western Auto. More commonly seen with Kay built guitars









V ega

"Some Vega guitars have Harmony made bodies. Harmony may have made complete Vega guitar models too." [30]





V ibratone





























V ita Uke





Can be seen with the Roy Smeck endorsement

































W alters

1930s to 1950s [31]





W eymann





























W ebster Built in the 1940s

W indsor

Distributed by Montgomery Ward [32].

W izard

Possibly a house brand for a South African company as a couple people on Jedistar.com say thats where they found them [33].





































































Sources:

[1] http://jedistar.com/supertone/

[2] https://web.archive.org/web/20071016091452/http://vintageguitar.com/brands/details.asp?ID=89

[3] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230858/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=48

[4] https://web.archive.org/web/20071224094016/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=27

[5] http://jedistar.com/biltmore/

[6] http://jedistar.com/broman/

[7] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230848/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=46

[8] http://jedistar.com/fischer-carl/

[9] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230913/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=51

[10] http://jedistar.com/lee-gibbs-concertone/

[11] https://www.stlamateurluthier.com/2018/10/kay-guitar-brands-and-aliases.html

[12] http://www.stellaguitars.com/about/stella-guitar-myths-factoids/

[13] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230853/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=47

[14] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230150/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=17

[15] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230155/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=18

[16] http://jedistar.com/holiday/

[17] http://www.vintaxe.com/cgi-bin/vintaxe_viewer.pl?cat_1938lombardi_001&cat_1938lombardi_001

[18] http://jedistar.com/marvel/

[19] http://www.guitarsite.com/discussion/messages/326.shtml

[20] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230727/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=25

[21] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230958/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=60

[22] http://jedistar.com/sonata/

[23] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230928/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=55

[24] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230918/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=52

[25] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230908/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=50

[26] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230737/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=28

[27] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230115/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=1

[28] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230743/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=29

[29] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230803/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=36

[30] https://web.archive.org/web/20071226230808/http://harmony.demont.net/brands.php?id_brand=38

[31] http://jedistar.com/walters-gb-walters/

[32] http://jedistar.com/windsor/

[33] http://jedistar.com/wizard/

[34] https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/2017/02/1930s-harmony-made-ss-stewart-archtop.html

[35] http://www.guitarsite.com/database/Guitars/rec/1733/wwwboard/messages/196.shtml

[36] https://www.guitar-list.com/brands/melody-king

[37]http://www.vintaxe.com/catalogs_pages/catalogs_american_marwin_bf_1951.php





Updated: 4/4/2019































































