30’s Harmony Vogue/Kalamazoo?

[sumibuilt]

Good Morning, I fell in to this oddity this week and am trying to find ANY info on it. This “Harmony Vogue”, has a Harmony printed and shaped headstock but from the nut down, except for heel shape, is a Kalamazoo Km 11. Can anyone shed light on what I have. Was owned and played by Cecil Cook, eccentric, pistol packing, singing, cowboy, in Cambria County Pa. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[NickR]

Probably a Harmony neck attached to a Kalamazoo body- the fret markers are typical of Harmony.
This Kalamazoo appears to have a Harmony fingerboard. as well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17571869238...Bk9SR9yy2LKMYg

[NickR]

Here's a late 30s Supertone made by Harmony and I imagine the neck is the same:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...-Archtop-Mando

[MikeEdgerton]

Are there any numbers stamped inside the mandolin? Look at the headstock with a flashlight. Also, can we get a picture of the back showing the heel of the neck? I suspect it is a Frankenmando.

[sumibuilt]

Are there any numbers stamped inside the mandolin? Look at the headstock with a flashlight. Also, can we get a picture of the back showing the heel of the neck? I suspect it is a Frankenmando.

Matt Phillips has it now, had standards HArmoy type numbers stamped inside

[MikeEdgerton]

Could you post the numbers?

[NickR]

The body looks just like a KM-11 whereas Harmony did oval hole mandolins.

[MikeEdgerton]

If somebody gave them enough money they probably would have built anything. I'd like to see the numbers.

[sumibuilt]

If somebody gave them enough money they probably would have built anything. I'd like to see the numbers.

I’m going to try to post a picture using my phone, but I don’t have much luck with that usually.

[sumibuilt]

Good Morning, I fell in to this oddity this week and am trying to find ANY info on it. This “Harmony Vogue”, has a Harmony printed and shaped headstock but from the nut down, except for heel shape, is a Kalamazoo Km 11. Can anyone shed light on what I have. Was owned and played by Cecil Cook, eccentric, pistol packing, singing, cowboy, in Cambria County Pa. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[NickR]

Harmony numbers all right. This is a WW2 era Harmony Vogue guitar- the Kluson tuners are clearly of the wartime type. The finish and the sound hole detail is mirrored in this mandolin to my eye. It seems that this mandolin is probably all Harmony and unusual with that round hole but congruent with the guitar in style.
https://reverb.com/item/259455-vinta...action-project

[NickR]

This is the late 1930s Vogue range and the mandolins are an oval hole and an f hole. I can only assume that the range was redesigned- probably about 1940 or so and the mandolin was changed- as was the logo on the headstock. Jake Wildwood featured one of the oval hole mandolins with the typical Harmony flat top headstock shape and Waverly tuners- made before the Kluson era but sold under a third party brand.
https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/20...gue-style.html

[MikeEdgerton]

That's interesting. I wonder if Gibson saw them and sent a cease and desist letter or something. I've never seen another Harmony with that shape but if past history holds true they will now come out of the woodwork.

[Joe Mendel]

I'm finding this very interesting. I have a Harmony Vogue Hawaiian guitar (square neck), that I have had for about 25 years and no one I've talked to has any info about it. It's a sweet sounding ladder braced guitar, solid wood top. I was hoping the ad above had one in it, oh well.

[NickR]

Your Hawaiian square neck appears to have features that bridge those in the late 30s advertisement to the WW2 guitar which appears to have the new Harmony "figure of eight" body shape. VintageAxe.com appears to show the 1940 Vogue range of guitars- the thumbnail shows one that might be the same- or is the Spanish version. On another page this mandolin also appears to show up but both images are too small to be 100% certain although on the guitar page it definitely shows the mandolin that Jake Wildwood featured..

[MikeEdgerton]

These two Harmony built instruments have an interesting Gibsonesque sunburst on both as well. Joe, are there any numbers stamped inside yours?

[Joe Mendel]

Under the fingerboard tongue #H1193 is stamped. It's possible, but I don't think so, that there is more to the number. The top had several cracks, which is how I know it is a solid top, there is a patch right next to the number.

Nick is the vintage axe.com a good address? Safari can't find it when I copied and pasted it.

[NickR]

This should work- and page 11 is the Vogue page but the mandolin looks to be on page 28 but it may be a different model as the top may be arched.

http://www.vintaxe.com/catalogs_page...rmony_1940.php

Your guitar shares features with this late 30s Supertone from Harmony- the headstock and dot inlays but this one has a tailpiece, Spanish neck and a pickguard which may be from a Regal but might be original.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25610179364...Bk9SR77cw7eTYg

Edit:

Jake Wildwood features this Vogue. Does your guitar show evidence of a pickguard at all? It is later than 1935.

https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/20...-b-guitar.html

[MikeEdgerton]

Under the fingerboard tongue #H1193 is stamped. It's possible, but I don't think so, that there is more to the number. The top had several cracks, which is how I know it is a solid top, there is a patch right next to the number...

Every Harmony instrument from that era should be all solid woods.

[Joe Mendel]

Mine never had a pickgaurd.

[NickR]

Thinking about it, as a square neck will have raised strings it would be pointless to add a pickguard. Having written that, I do have an OS Hilo 650 Hawaiian that does have a pickguard but it is definitely an aftermarket addition- very pretty and I think that is its only purpose!