Harmony H400

This is a mid to late 60's tube amp. I use it for playing in my bedroom. This is single channel amp with 3 inputs. no features really other then a volume knob.

I use a 1979 Kramer dmz6000 and this amp sounds better then any solid state amp made today. no real high gain distortion but it has a sweet tone a sustain. for a amp that 40+ years old I was pretty shocked it had no real buzz or noise.

well consider I pulled this thing out of a trash can and it's 40+ years old it's all original and sound fantastic I have to say it's the most reliable amp I have ever seen.

no comment. are they even still in business?

I have recently been selling off my gear to buy a good tube amp and I sold my last amp,a Roland cube 30,just a few days earlier. When I saw this thing in the trash I figured I'd plug it in and even see if it worked. I was shocked to discover a beutiful tube tone in an amp better then anything I found at my local music store.

I'm not to sure I want any other amp right now and am going to work on getting it 100% restored. Only thing I wish it had would be a speaker output to run it to my mesa cab. If amp manufactures today would just stop and look back in time I wouldn't have spent the last 6 months looking for a "boutique" amp.

Features? These little jewels didn't need no stinking features.

You've got to give this amp a 10, because it is EXACTLY right for what a cheap, bedroom practice amp ought to be. Great bluesy tone, just the right distortion when cranked, small enough to crank without upsetting the neighbors too much.

I replaced the stock speaker (an 8" Jensen) with a 10" Fender, which as already stated gave much better volume, and really opened it up even more.

Simple, well built by educated Americans back in the 1960's. Probably as reliable as any piece of electronic gear ever made, I'd suppose.


Seriously, what other electric stuff have you got that's over 40 years old and still working? You got to put this amp in that same category.

What could possibly be better customer support than to build a product in the first place that lasts over 40 years without a problem?

Been playing 35 years. Got lots of stuff.

If this neat little practice amp were stolen or lost, I'd fall into an incredible depth of emo angst, shave my eyebrows and my armpits, get my nose pierced and dress up like a Goth and write songs about how awful my life is and how there is no hope for humanity, or even for individual enlightenment. I would spend my life seeking to have pointless sex with frigid and anxiety ridden skinny girls with black hair who look like guys.

Has one switch, on/off volume. Also a real neat carrying handle. It is what it is.

This gives a beautiful and sweet blues type sound that is really unique and makes this cheap little amp really stand out.

Seems to compliment humbucker pickups much better than single coil.

Absolutely silent, no hum or buzz whatsoever.

I replaced the standard 8" Jensen with a 10" Jensen. This barely fits, but does fit. You get a lot more volume with the 10" with no loss whatsoever of this unique sound.

Never broke down. There is practically nothing to break down.

I've had it open. Looks like a nice job of hand-soldered PTP wiring inside.

Completely unavailable, I should imagine.

Mine has the schematic inside. And the guts of this thing are so simple I don't imagine fixing it should be a problem for anyone.

Considering what it is....fantastic tone. What else is an amp for?

I'm not sure of the year. It's a simple little thing with three paralleled inputs, with a 1meg control between the inputs and the first tube as a volume. There's no power transformer (can you say D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S!) so it takes it power straight from the wall. The heaters are run in series and again, use the voltage right from the wall.

A pilot light would have been nice. It does have a nice little 8" alnico Jensen.

It's got three paralleled inputs, a volume control with the on/off switch.

I'll give it a low rating because of the missing power transformer. It was a common design for very cheap practice amps, but it spells danger. I probably will add an isolation tranny.

I have loads of guitars. The amp distorts easily, but the quality of the distortion is weak...lacking sustain. It has the expected 60Hz hum, as it is a single ended design.

BUT hit the amp hard with the right signal, and it distorts like a mother. My favorites for hitting the front end hard are an Ibanez Tube Screamer (with the distortion down and the level cranked) or a Dallas Rangemaster I built. The TS trims the lows and hits the amp with a mid focused signal, and it works absolutely wonderfully.

It has two sounds...distorted, and more distorted. I added an extension speaker jack, and it sounds marvelous through a couple of worn Celestion Greenbacks.

It has survived this long with no maintenance. The cabinet was damaged, but who cares. If it breaks, I'll fix it. (I'm an amp tech and usually design and build my amps, or modify ones I get cheap.

The tubes aren't common but they are available.

Are you kidding? We're talking "Harmony" here. I actually have a couple Harmony guitars too. If it breaks I'll fix it. The schematic is available at Free Society and is also inside the cabinet.

I've been playing since Drake Levin was playing with Paul Revere and the Raiders. I bought this amp at a rummage sale, and at first, didn't like the tone, but having recently discovered how nice it sounds if you boost the front end, I love it.

I own lots of guitars and amps, from Blackface and Silverface Fenders to Vox, Line 6, Danelectro, Mesa Boogie, and many others. At last count, we had 23 guitars here at home, and a few in the process of being built.

Pity the fool who steals anything from us. We are both excellent shots, enjoying target practicing and Cowboy Action competition as a major hobby. I've been into electronics since 1967. Finding anything stolen from me takes about 15 minutes with my GPS rig. Those little chips that can be hidden in a guitar, amp or effect are great.

If stolen, I'd hunt the skunk down and treat him to his choice of a 9mm hollowpoint, or a .45 big assed cowboy round through the palm of his or her hand.

It's one of those lessons that tend to stick with a person. It also gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing that I have probably saved another musician from getting ripped off by the same perp.

I love small amps. They have so much character and are a lot of fun.

Peace all.

Before I get into my ratings, I want to say that the box was destroyed by water so the speaker (original) is in another cabinet. Aslo, it needed repair and I made some modifications while I was fixing it. I added a speaker out jack and wired a cord to the speaker. (doesn't change the sound). I also added a line out (shouldn't affect the sound) and I replaced all of the capacitors with Sprague Orange Drops and Sprague Atoms. (Probably affected the sound). I will discount the speaker jack and line out jack as these weren't stock. With that said, I will continue. This amp was made, I'm guessing in the 60's. It has an 8" speaker (not a 6" as others had said) and a combination on/off switch and volume control. It has a non-polarized non-grounded plug that likes to remind you of it's shock hazard from time to time. The Power output is less than 10 watts. I can rate it as a 4 for not having many features or a 7 for having exactly the needed features without coloring extras. I wish I could have a post volume control so the clean could be louder and the distortion softer (for late night practice) I think I'll give it a 6.

I have a Squire Affinity Strat (don't laugh) with stock pickups. I have a Peavy Special 130, a Peavy Rage 158 and I just resently got a Digitech RP-7. My music style would most likely be discribed as a mix of punk and rock with an accasional Hard-Core mixed in. While this amp cannot reach the Hard-Core, it does well at the others. When I just had my Peavy 130, I spent hours tuning the distortion and finally after two years (no joke) I got a really good tone. I still had to do a lot of work on the clean tone. Then I got my RP-7. I still spent hours tuning it but I got a good clean and distortion tone in a few days. This amp, I plugged in and turned it up to ten and enjoyed in a lot. I found that on the brige pickup with the volume at about 8-9, the tone I was getting was wonderful! I couldn't believe it! There were no tone knobs to adjust and it sounded great! Then I tried the clean tone. I backed the volume down to about 4-5. I had never heard such smooth sound come from my guitar before! I had thought about replaceing my pickups but now I can wait on that. Then I tried my RP-8 into it. The amp just warmed it up soo much! I even combined distortions by cranking the amp. "Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes?" Is that a joke?

Well, when I got it, at least one capacitor had failed. Instead of guessing which one, I replaced them all. I don't know the previous history but I stand behind my work. (well, pretty far behind in case it decides to short out from a bad wiring job. j/k) Looking inside the amp, there is not much that can fail. If something were to fail, it certanly wouldn't be difficult to repair. The voume control is a little stiff in one spot but it is absolutly quiet. The speaker is still going strong. Just don't drop it as the tubes won't like it. Especially mine being out of the box. Would I gig with it without a backup? I did at practice and I am this sunday. (again, don't laugh.) I am miking it.

I had never heard of the company until I got this amp. I have never delt with them. I think they went out of buisness before I was born. I repaired it myself, the repair was free but I had to pay for the parts. I am the authorized service center, and if you think that it has a 40 year warranty, well, never mind.

I have been playing electric guitar for about 2 years. Acoustic for 2 years before that. If someone were to steal my amp, I would replace it. For only 40 bucks (repair or purchase price) I think it is well worth it. I wish someone would make an amp like this. Too many new guitarist are starting off with a 1/2 watt mini transistor amp whose distortion sounds like a metal rasp playing into a 5" "speaker" if you can call it that. I am speaking of the amp included with the strat pack whice a friend of mine has. Ick! If I had started with this Harmony, I would have been much more motivated to play. Bring back the practice tube amps. By the way, I wasn't kidding before, I have been shocked three times by this amp. When you are plugged in and you're touching the strings, don't touch anything metal! It's obviously not enough to kill you but it caused mild pain and weakness in that hand for a few minutes. Not good when trying to play!

Well High, I have one of these ptless wonders with the off on volume deluxe control from Harmony Musical Instruments Chicago. Doesn't have a scratch on it but it sounds like you guys beat my deal price by $10. It has a Jensen 6" speaker and grey vinyl-fabic covering. Two input jacks. I run it through an isolation transformer for safety. You can sometimes find those in old radios, 120volts in and 120volts out but with similar tubes to the Harmony. You can buy them new with power cord and plug if you want. There are some other tubes besides the 12AU6 that you can use.
I like it mic'd to a pa with some reverb, driven by big muff or something similar. I like it other ways to.

Telecasters, slide guitar with humbuckers

Wouldn't take it out of the house.

Harmony?

playing 35years
Where would I buy it again?
It is pure vibe.
Compared to what?
No
These are great little noiseboxes for the garage, the circuit is almost the same as some old radios, check out tube substitution handbook.

I found it in an alley without a handle or any front fabric. Took it home plugged it in and almost threw it out because of the incredibly long warm up time it needs - but hey it worked and I replaced the handle and found some vintage looking amp fabric for the front. I believe it is late 60's. sepparate inputs that are not labeled so I don't believe they differ (I can't hear the difference).

I play blues through it and simply love the warm tone that gets just the right edge of distortion when you push it. I use this at home for practicing, but I might try mike-ing it and doing some recording for a vintage sound since I usually am using a '72 Telecaster through it. 3 This little amp makes SS amps sound like swamp farts.

never has quit me - never had to replace a tube yet.

for a '68?

I would keep my eye out for another if it blew-up and was a total loss. But I use it foro fun and practice so I wouldn't search every day on eBay for one until it was found

I'm not sure what year this amp was made, but the 1963 is chalked in on the inside, so that'll do for me. I play mostly blues/rockabilly/jazz/country, so it's right up my alley, good clean tone when you pick softly/moderately, great distortion when you really pick it up. One channel, but 3 inputs, unfortunately, somebody put some kind of mystery knob in it(it doesn't work anymore)and added an output jack (i think, it doesn't look factory). features? what features, it's got a volume knob and a 6 inch speaker (with a tear in the cone!), i don't need much else. maybe 15 watts? dunno, but i'm gettin it recapped and gone through pretty soon.

I used to play a strat through this, nice tone, round, warm, and not too harsh, now i play a hollowbody w/humbuckers, also nice, round, warm, sometimes too muddy tho'. right now it's pretty noisy, but my tech assures me after he's through with it it'll sing like new...it's not too versatile, i won't be playin any heavy metal through it, but it's a really neat little amp, great for practicing, and it's nice to here some warm tube overdrive at a decent practice level. the sound really makes your fingers work to achieve sustain and tone, but in the end its worth it.

this amp doesn't know the meaning of reliability, so it'll only see duty in my apartment while i'm practicing. i was able to get some replacement tubes at a good price, but they were special order so i had to wait awhile. when my tech heard it he said it was surprised that it hadn't melted or blown up...i guess that speaks for something, i'm just not sure what

yeah, right

well, i've been playing about 12 years through solid state, hybrid, and all tube amplifiers of all vintages, this one ranks up there in terms of pure, unadulterated, flat tone...you gotta work it, and yourself, to get what you want, but when you do it's a good feeling. i've heard some mid-sixties fenders that sound this good (think champ, princeton, etc...), all without reverb of course. overall, i think this amp is a good practice/starter amp, i'm gonna keep it for a while, and i've already put some money into it, so i guess that's that.

I do not know the year of manufacture although I intend to find out. It appears to be late 60's - early 70's though the features include an on/off/volume knob! and NOTHING ELSE (what else do you really need) has an 8" speaker that groans when the volume is turned to 10 but the sound is pretty good really. This wee tyke will be used in my music room only

I am using an LP and Fralin equipped Stratocaster with an out board reverb unit and have hooked it up to a 12" extension cab, the sound is pretty good actually. sparkly and thick. It has 3 goofy little tubes but bless Harmony for making a little amp like this back then. It only has one sound but it beats hell out of the little SState practice amps sold these days with their fake 'dystortion' When I popped the top I was so happy to see the hand wiredness of it all, so simple it makes you feel good.

I can't imagine using it to gig. . . . . it's a toy really if it broke I would figure out how to fix it. There's not much to it. it makes a Vibrochamp look like APOLLO 11

I never dealt with Harmony but they must have been friendly to make a little amp like this.

I have a few vintage Fender amps and it's nothing like them. it's a practice/starter amp for a kid in the 60's what it lacks in versatality it makes up for with charm. All you little Harmony owning guys out there. . . .hook your little friend up to a new big speaker and have some fun!

This is a three tube amp (1 x 50C5; 1 x 12AU6; 1 x 35W4) amp with a 6" Jensen "Special Design" AlNiCo speaker, three input jacks, and an on/off/volume control. It isn't loud enough for anything but playing in your bedroom, but has a lush distortion that otherwise wouldn't be obtainable except at extreme volumes from a normal sized amp. It would've been nice if they included a tone knob, but at this size, it really isn't necessary.

I play blues harp through it with all types of mics and it sounds nice and nasty! It starts clipping at around 5, and after 7 it just becomes more saturated, but not louder. Anything lower than 5 nd I might as well be playing totally acoustic. It's good for practicing with a mic to get that Chicago sound and learning to control sustain and feedback without blowing everyone out around you in the house and next door. Oh yeah, it does get feedback when it's above 5, although I can't imagine it's putting out anything more than 2-5 watts...

It's too small to gig with. I had to recap it when I first got it. Tubes for this are easy to find and relatively cheap.

Outside of a ouija board or using a medium, I think it's nonexistant!

This is the smallest, cheapest amp I own. I might buy another one if I stumbled across it and it was relatively inexpensive, but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for one. I love the creamy distortion at the very low volume, but it is a bit noisy.