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Thread: New Harwood To Identify

  1. #1
    Professional Cat Herder Phil Vinyard's Avatar
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    Default New Harwood To Identify

    An employee gave me this saying it was sitting on a shelf at her house rotting away. I was hoping for a lost Loar, expecting junk, and got this really sweet Harwood bowl-back! I cleaned it up and restrung it, and it sounds amazing! No cracks, finished is checked but stable.

    I can’t find a serial number inside. The back of the headstock on the top is stamped 35095. Most Harwood pics I’ve seen don’t have the big plate over the back of the tuners.

    I’m here in Kansas City so the link to Jenkins Music is quite probable.

    Any good guesses about its age?
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    Phil Vinyard
    Gibson Jam Master F Standard #12 May 13, 2009
    Gibson Model A #67336 ca. 1921
    Harwood Bowlback ca. 1900
    Trinity College TM-325 Octave Mandolin
    Freshwater Mandocello
    Krutz 200 Upright Bass

  2. #2

    Default Re: New Harwood To Identify

    It is quite intriguing- I have a mandolin sold by Harwood and it is clearly a Regal made instrument. I have to admit that this mandolin is a mystery but I trust others will be able to help. I think that patent on the tailpiece may help date it to circa 1900 but I may be wrong. The good news is that it needs no repairs, plays well and sounds good, so although not a Long Lost Loar, it is a worthy addition to your collection.

    Edit: It appears that Harwood stated that their instruments back in the 1890s were "manufactured in our own own factory" in Kansas City, so that may be its origin. I have seen the inlayed name of Harwood like that on 1920s instruments but I do think this is earlier.

    Here is a thread from a while back: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...-guitars/page5

  3. #3
    Professional Cat Herder Phil Vinyard's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Harwood To Identify

    I was advised to check the tailpiece for a date. The tailpiece is stamped “May 15, 94”. I bet we’re close with that one.
    Phil Vinyard
    Gibson Jam Master F Standard #12 May 13, 2009
    Gibson Model A #67336 ca. 1921
    Harwood Bowlback ca. 1900
    Trinity College TM-325 Octave Mandolin
    Freshwater Mandocello
    Krutz 200 Upright Bass

  4. #4
    Full Grown and Cussin' brunello97's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Harwood To Identify

    Nice Harwood.....similar to mine with what looks quite like a mahogany bowl.

    Mine has the same headstock profile and Harwood name but unfortunately is missing the tuner plate cover.
    Same scratchplate, and banding, though different tailpiece.
    It has a "Genuine Harwood" stamp on the interior end of the neckblock. I
    Is that there on yours as well?

    Mine is serial # 30852
    Haven't seen this close of a match between Harwood models very often. They vary a lot.

    FWIW we have a whole dedicated thread to Harwood instruments going here.

    Worth noting that the patent / date on a tailpiece may not correspond to when the mandolin itself would have been made, but also likely when the tailpiece was made, or perhaps patented. Stamping the tailpiece with individual dates of manufacture would be a trickier bit of tooling. Simpler ways of doing that.

    1894 would be on the early side for bowlbacks in the US, though, not impossible either. My guess would be in the +3-5 year range later.

    The ongoing Harwood thread has some further information on the Jenkins, some catalog pages, etc.

    It is nice when we can consolidate some of this material into threads to help build our shared knowledge base.

    Thanks for posting!

    Mick
    Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
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