Harmony Chicago History

[MikeEdgerton]

Chicago History: Harmony

In addition to this page there are some other links that have been on the cafe prior.

https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/...armony-ukulele

I just checked this site for Lyon and Healy and Regal and both are incomplete pages.

https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/music

[MikeEdgerton]

This is the second page I've read today that talked about Harmony building violins. Has anyone ever seen one?

[rcc56]

Yes. One of my students had one. My guess was that it was built in the '50's. It was a student grade instrument.

[MikeEdgerton]

Amazing but then again having not seen one I can assume I wouldn't know one if I saw one.

[allenhopkins]

...I can assume I wouldn't know one if I saw one.

Interesting that violin-family instruments are only ID-ed by interior labels; no one puts a "Stradivarius" logo on the peghead. If that were true of mandolins, guitars, banjos, we'd own many more penlights and dental mirrors, IMHO.

[brunello97]

Amazing but then again having not seen one I can assume I wouldn't know one if I saw one.

Mick

[rcc56]

Amazing but then again having not seen one I can assume I wouldn't know one if I saw one.

There was nothing to see. You can buy a new $400-$500 Chinese violin that has more character, better craftsmanship, nicer wood and finish, and better tone than the Harmony had. It was a very average low end instrument, best suited for a first year beginner.

[Jim Garber]

Here's an article from The Violinist from 1913 about Harmony Violins. I don't know if the one that rcc56 saw was from that era or not.

It sounds like they were making them around 1905.

[rcc56]

I do not believe that the one that I saw was anywhere near that old. It looked post war to me.

[MikeEdgerton]

From an article I read today:

In the late 1930s, the firm began making violins again after a 19-year hiatus.

[brunello97]

Here's an article from The Violinist from 1913 about Harmony Violins.....

Maybe from a little later....

The article refers to the loss of imported German violins from Markneukirchen due to the war and then speaks of a impromptu testing of a Harmony violin on a soggy bottom day in September 1914.

Mick

[Dave Richard]

Thanks, I enjoyed the article, and photographs, on the history of the Harmony company(especially the photos from the shop floor, like the foreman selecting Brazilian rosewood planks).
Does anyone know of a comparable history, with photos, of the Kay company?

[MikeEdgerton]

I've never found one but there is some printed stuff regarding Kay out there if you can find it.

https://books.google.com/books?id=ms...inated&f=false

[brunello97]

I've never found one but there is some printed stuff regarding Kay out there if you can find it.

https://books.google.com/books?id=ms...inated&f=false

Great stuff, Mike, thanks for posting.

Among all the coolioso information is a tiny nugget linking Old Kraftsman to the Chicago merchandiser Spiegel, which is something I didn't know before.

Mick

[MikeEdgerton]

Yes indeed, the Old Kraftsman brand was a known Speigel brand name. We don't see Old Kraftsman come up much here.

[brunello97]

Yes indeed, the Old Kraftsman brand was a known Speigel brand name. We don't see Old Kraftsman come up much here.

I've seen an O-K mandolin or two online somewhere over the years. Never in person.

I've got a Old Kraftsman lap steel made of a solid slab of mahogany that I got years ago and really enjoy. It has a strange inverted pickup that is positioned over top of the strings. Great tone. O-K lap steels show up pretty regular on the EBay. Often in colors not found in nature.

Mick

[MikeEdgerton]

Generally the Old Kraftsman stuff I've seen was made by Kay. I'm sure that they, like most of the catalog companies used the other builders as well.

[Verne Andru]

Thanks Mike. Great background info. Learned a ton.

The first article talks about how Harmony lost out to the Japanese because they were hand making each guitar from solid woods right to the end while the imports were using the latest tech.

Any idea what they coated them with? Lacquer?

Can really see the rise and fall of a number of industries reading their history.