Harwood mandolins and guitars

[delsbrother]

I was hoping you'd get that. She's a beauty!

[Jimi C]

@ Bob -
I just found a J W Jenkins "Washington" model guitar and have been trying to find more info on it. It sounds AMAZING. Great tone. I've seen Washington guitars in old JW Jenkins Catalogs as far back as 1897. Mine has no label inside but has the number 320 stamped on the back of the headstock. It's in relatively good shape considering the age and has seen a couple repairs over the years. I've not been able to find another Washingon guitar online anywhere, though randomly enough I spotted the very one I wound up buying in an image here:
http://www.jedistar.com/jedistar_vin...r_dating_w.htm

I recognized it by the scratches and the missing piece of binding.
I'll post some pics of my guitar. Any info would be welcome. I had a repair man fix the binding and eventually plan to have the neck reset and take good care of it. It's a keeper. The store had it marked at $1200. A bit higher than they sold for back in 1897 where I saw them listed at $15!
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...ed-1/seq-2.pdf

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=1&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=1&theater

Cheers! - Jimi

[KanMando]

That's a cool guitar. Here are a couple of scans of the 1895 Jenkins catalog showing the Washington guitars.

[KanMando]

To all the Harwood afficionados here on Mandolin Cafe: at long last, the Harwood story will be told. Bill Graham and I have been working to uncover the history of these fine instruments ever since my first post back in February of 2008. We've collaborated on an article that will be in issue #23 of Fretboard Journal due to be released next week:

http://www.fretboardjournal.com/blog...-23-highlights

Bill wrote the article and did the interviews and photography, and I did most of the research.

I want to thank all the folks here on the Cafe who have taken an interest in the Harwoods and provided me with leads and information. In particular, I would like to thank Dan Rowan (kdanr) for sending me an original Jenkins Music catalog from about 1895. The catalog provided us with key information concerning the various models of guitars, mandolins, mandolin-guitars (mandolinettos), and banjos. Bill and I have put together a nice little collection of Harwoods which Bill photographed beautifully for the article. Unfortunately, I did not have the mandolinetto at that time, but photos of it are on this thread.

So check out the new issue of Fretboard Journal for the true story of the Harwoods. I don't want to scoop FJ, but I will be happy to answer any questions about the instruments after the magazine is released.

Bob Jenkins

[barney 59]

Fretboard Journal! The price of a Harwood just went up!

[brunello97]

Thanks, Bob. I look forward to reading this. I have a Harwood bowlback in the queue for repair. This should bump it up a few places in line.

Mick

[lisas560]

I bought a Harwood mandolin in an antique store in California 20 years ago. The number on it is 20988. It says Harwood New York in an oval under the number. Inside neck (I think that's what it is) there is a triangle with Genuine Harwood Registered and inside that is Trade Mark. I haven't had a chance to take pictures. Looks somewhat like Bob Jenkins #56 on Apr 29-2009 but mine isn't shiny wood on back. Front white piece is same shape as mine, but mine is a marble wood color. Rear is same, but metal is black. Mine looks like Clark Harwood from Bill Graham photos Feb 24, 2009. Appreciate any feedback.

[Jimi C]

Thanks for the scans of the Washington guitars. Mine looks similar but the serial number on the back of the head stock reads "320". I wonder what year it was made? - Jimi C
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

[KanMando]

Bill Graham and I received our copies of Fretboard Journal #23 today. The Harwood article begins on page 74. Great layout with lots of beautiful photos by Bill. Check it out.

Bob

[MikeEdgerton]

Thanks for the scans of the Washington guitars. Mine looks similar but the serial number on the back of the head stock reads "320". I wonder what year it was made? - Jimi C
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

There's a very good chance that these were made by another builder and simply labled as Harwood. This was a common practice in the the early 1900's. Your guitar has some similarities with the instruments described here and is almost a dead ringer for a turn of the century Harmony I had that had a Sears catalog number in it. Either way, this article has some interesting information with reference to the fingerboard dots.

[creekroadguitars]

Hi All,

The Fretboard Journal article convinced me to pull out a Harwood guitar I picked up a while back, but have neglected
to repair. That will definitely change now.

I'd love any help in dating this wonderful guitar.

Thanks,

Kent

[creekroadguitars]

Sorry, I should have referenced my question to the Harwood mandolins and guitars thread....

Kent

[KanMando]

Kent's Harwood is a No. 6 Concert size and is the younger brother of my No.6. Mine is serial no.10353. Kent's is 10401. I'm speculating they were made within a few weeks of each other. They conform to the guitars shown in my 1895 Jenkins catalog. No way yet to date it exactly.

Bob

[delsbrother]

Bob, can you conclusively ID any of the instruments in the Payne photo as Harwoods? I know Gregg and I are working under that assumption, but I was wondering if there were any definitive catalog matches.

[KanMando]

delsbrother:

This photo? http://www.harpguitars.net/iconograp...v2-6-miner.jpg

Or this photo? http://www.harpguitars.net/knutsen/payne.htm

I'll tackle the first one. This is a photo of the Kansas City Harwood Club with Lester Payne seated at left. I'll start with him. I can't see the top of the mandolin, so I'll have to go by the face of the headstock. I magged it up,and as usual, it doesn't appear to conform exactly to the mandolins in the 1895 catalog. It's more ornate than a No. 65, but not quite as fancy as a No. 75. It also appears to have a black top. This would be a 28 rosewood rib mando. What we've found on the guitars and mandolins is that once you move up from the basic trim level or least expensive instrument of a particular model, the trim may be a combination or have characteristics of two models: i.e., the soundhole rosette and purfling on the body from one model, and the fretboard inlay or headstock overlay from another. So maybe Lester's mandolin was a No. 70? We do know from our research, and obviously from this photo, that Lester Payne visited Kansas City and made a call on the Jenkins Company. I would assume he visited the Harwood factory which was only a few blocks from the store. Maybe his mandolin is a custom model. The gentleman seated next to Lester appears to be playing a No.51. This is a 21 rosewood rib mando. I can't see enough of the other two mandolins to tell what they are. The guitars are intriquing, because we've seen lots of photos of black top guitars, but we've never seen one come up for sale and they are not shown or mentioned in the catalog. All the guitars in this photo appear to be basic trim level. Starting with the bearded gentleman on the left, this looks like a big guitar. This would be a No. 8 Artists' Grand model. This was the biggest guitar being made by anybody at the time. Bigger than a Martin 00. I just had the opportunity to examine one of these and measure it. It's just slightly smaller than a Martin 000 (Martin didn't make 000 guitars until 1911), and it's 4 7/8" deep - deeper than a 000. The next guitar, second from left, appears to be slightly smaller. That would make it a No. 2 Grand Concert. The guy in the middle has a Washburn lyre guitar. The next guitar, the black top, appears to be another No. 2 Grand Concert. The last guitar looks big. I'm thinking it's a natural top No.8 Artists' Grand.

BTW - All Harwood guitars were designed to handle steel strings. In 1895, Martin made steel string guitars by special order only.

Bob

[delsbrother]

Actually, I was talking about the big Payne photo (the one with the Knutsens). I'm particularly interested in the fancy bowlbacks, and the spectacular tree-of-life inlaid guitar. I still believe this is the largest known photograph of Harwoods. Do you agree with the theory that people are sharing instruments in each of the four quadrants of the larger photo? Or do you think most are unique?

[KanMando]

OK Darrell (delsbrother): I've had a chance to examine the big Class of 1902 Payne Mandolin and Guitar school photo and I really can't comment on whether it's actually a composite of four photos and whether the same instruments were used in each quadrant. I just can't see it well enough. I will say that it's a safe to assume that all the instruments with the white block inlay at the end of the fretboard are Harwoods. I did a pretty extensive perusal of the old music trades journals from the period -1890 to 1910 - and I never saw any other guitars or mandolins that had an inlay like that. The white diagonal stripe on the side of the bowl follows the edge of the border (usually tulip wood) and is a characteristic of several models shown in the 1895 catalog. The only mandolin model that has a headstock with a straight or squared off top is the No.40, the least expensive model at $32.50. All the other mandolins have what Darrell calls a "scroll and pediment" on the headstock. So, what I see in this photo are low to mid-range mandolin models - No.40, 45, 50. I can't see the tops well enough to determine if some might be the fancier No. 46 and 51 models with the elaborate purfling. None of these mandolins has a lyre or anything else inlayed on the headstock face. That starts with the no. 60 and 65. The top of the line No.75 has a beautiful fern inlay on the headstock face and the headstock top edge is kind of a "W" shape. The young man standing in the middle of the back row between the harp guitars in the upper right quadrant does indeed appear to be holding a top of the line No. 10 Grand Concert guitar like this one: http://www.harpguitars.net/history/o..._Jorgensen.jpg. The Grand Concert would be about the size of a Martin 00. It's list price in 1895 was $175.

[brunello97]

Bob, all this talk has got me hooked in. My FB journal copy is now in the mail. My Harwood bowlback has serial number #30852 on the back of the headstock. It has the triangular logo on the neck block. It is missing the tuner cover plate but there is a 'VI' stamped between the inset tuners. The other Harwood regalia is intact: headstock lettering, white fretboard band and side white binding slashes.

Hard to get a count on the ribs as the bowl is all mahogany and the grain is blurring most of the obvious joints. A little easier to see/count on the inside of the bowl where it appears that the staves are of irregular width. Very strange. I have owned quite a number of US and Italian bowlbacks and have 1. never seen an all mahogany bowl (thought this might not prove so uncommon) and 2. never seen such an obvious attempt to make the bowl appear seamless (which is super weird and delightful.) It is getting pretty hard to imagine this coming out of one of the large Chicago jobber shops.

I'll get some photos up. It's dark out and I just tried some with a flash to no avail. I'll try to get some up in the next day or two. I thought the serial number might help narrow it in for you. Any chance of posting some pages from the '95 catalog?

thanks!

Mick

[Schlegel]

Mick, you do see mahogany from time to time in American mandolins- I had a Martin Student model in all mahogany, and also an inexpensive Lyon & Healy. Makes for a very light mandolin.

[brunello97]

Mick, you do see mahogany from time to time in American mandolins- I had a Martin Student model in all mahogany, and also an inexpensive Lyon & Healy. Makes for a very light mandolin.

It is a very light mandolin. Given all the mahogany going into furniture at that time I guess it is no surprise that material would be available but I hadn't seen it used singularly on bowls before. Even the L+H brand bowls I have had used killer rosewood (or else maple alternated with mystery wood.) My 00 Martin student bowl was also rosewood. Maybe material availability guided some of the day to day choices on the lower end models. I wonder if an early Martin catalog would reference bowl material on their student models?

The very obvious irregular stave width as on this Harwood is curious. Was that apparent on your L+H and Martin mahogany bowls as well?

Mick

[Schlegel]

No, they were pretty symmetrical.

[KanMando]

Mick, I just checked my 1895 catalog. The No. 40 mandolin is all mahogany. It has 19 ribs. This is the only Harwood mando with a straight or squared off headstock top edge. I think I've seen one of these. It has a cloth liner on the inside of the bowl, so I don't think you'll be able to count the ribs from the inside.

I don't want to wear out my welcome here on the Cafe, so I'm looking into setting up a Harwood site where I will post scans of the Harwood pages from my 1895 Jenkins catalog. I also have a 1929 Jenkins catalog that shows the later Harwoods that were probably made in Chicago, and I have an early Bay State catalog. Bay State made the original Harwoods for Jenkins until Jenkins started their own factory in Kansas City.

Bob

[brunello97]

Wear out you welcome? Bob, this kind of thread is exactly why I spend so much time here

Thanks for checking in the catalog. My bowl has the familar Harwood 'scroll w pediment' headstock rather than the flat end you describe with the No. 40. Sorry about the lack of pictures, I'll get some up asap. It is a fairly modest model and there are some serious top cracks that my limited repair skills will be challenged to address. But I am growing more antsy about getting to hear how it sounds.

A dedicated Harwood website sounds great, but by all means keep this thread alive with your research and discussion. Harwood seems to have a history that cuts across a wide swath of design, construction, outsourcing, labeling and marketing practices of stringed instruments in this era. (Not to even mention the playing..) A really fascinating story enfolding.

Mick

[delsbrother]

Thanks for the analysis, Bob. Looking forward to your new site!

[barney 59]

The Fretboard Journey article quotes an old article that claimed that Harwood was producing 5000 instruments a year. Given the scarcity of Harwood instruments does that number sound plausible? That would make their production greater than Martin who never produced 5000 instruments a year until the late 40's.