Harmony H400A

Amp was made in 1968 or atleast the original 8" Jensen speaker is.I play blues/soul/garagerock, or really a combination of those.It's a simpel designed amp.All tubes, no reverb or other effects.Would have been nice if it had reverb though.The amp was bought as a practice/recording amp.
It only has about 3 watt output so not loud enough to play with a band.

Variety, no.It's either clean at low volume or distorted at highest volume.After reading the good reviews of this amp I decided to look for one on Ebay. I found one in very nice condition for $100. Thought I had bought the perfect,little practise amp for my Harmony H-75 that has three Dearmond singlecoil pickups.This guitar does'nt sound to good through the amp.It sounds to thin and does'nt get the amp to compress.Not with a clean boostbox either. So I felt dissapointed at first. A week or so later I went over to a friends house and we plugged in his Les Paul with, I believe, P90's. (humbuckers). Turning the amp up to 10, still a thin sound. But when turned to twelve; kaboom!There it was, very nice compressed thick fat tone.I don't mean preamp/thinny distortion but really fat compressed distortion with nice sustain.Even without the cleanboostpedal I mentioned it sounded great. Now with the cleanboost it even sounds better with much more volume as well. To be short, it's a great amp for humbuckers but it sucks with singlecoils. ( Also plugged in a Fender Strat with original 60's singlecoil pickups. Sounds like crap.)I am planning on putting in a 10" speaker to get more volume from it. Like somebody else here mentioned, it fits!

Has been going for 40 years and I think it will survive another 5 years at the least.

Eh?

I wouldn't buy it to play it with singlecoils. Great if you want to play humbuckers through it.

From a 1961 Harmony Catalogue

"Circuitry especially engineered for modern guitar sound. Designed for convenience???the top-front mounted chassis has inputs for 3 instruments, tone control, and on-off volume control. Large cabinet covered in black ostrich grained simulated leather. Big amplifier sound from Jensen Special Design 8 inch speaker. Circuit includes isolation transformer to assure shockproof safety. Minimum hum level. For use 115 volt AC only. UL approved. Size 15 ?? x 16 x 7 ?? in."

3 inputs, 1 on/off volume knob and 1 tone knob is all you get. I would like to have a reverb on here but the amazing sound this thing
creates makes up for it

First thing about this amp is that it's dead silent. I purchased mine from eBay and when it first arrived, I plugged in and turned it on, I though it might be broken. I maxed out the volume, struck a chord on my Silvertone H78, and got weak in my knees with the beautiful punchy tone that came out at me. My first instinct was to play some AC/DC. With the tone knob maxed out bright it has a rich, golden tone without being brittle and brash. Dialing the tone knob counter clockwise darkened and muddied the tone. Unfortunately, it also losses a lot of it's nice punch. But fun a Tube Screamer with this setting and you having something nice. At lower volumes the tones are crystal clear, warm and have a nice full sound. Lots of brights without being harsh. Ideally for me though this amp needs to be cranked to the max on the volume with the tone knob riding between 3/4 and 100 to the high end.

This amp is 40+ years old - looks and plays like a champion! The previous owner loved this little lady and took good care of her. Still rocking the original tubes for cryin out loud!

you're kidding right?

I've been playing for 20 years. I have a large variety of amps from a 63 Vox AC30 to Silvertones and no named "thing" amps. I do a lot of recording and like to have a variety of sounds available for any occasion. This little Harmony is my new favorite for recording and very small club gigs. I can't really think of anything that I don't like about this amp. Perhaps a bit more volume for live situations. But for recording this little Harmony is a trophy. If I had to compare it to anything it would be my Silvertone 1471. But where the Silvertone is slightly brittle and tends to need a bit of dressing up with compression, this Harmony is dead solid. If you do studio work then you need to get one of these bad boys. They are currently going for under 100.00 on eBay. It will be your new secret weapon

The Harmony H400a is a 1x10 combo tube/valve type amp with an output of perhaps 5 watts.This amp was most likely manufactured sometime in the 60s. Controls consist of two knobs; one doubling as an on/off and volume control and the other for tone. There are three 1/4" jack inputs and...well...that's about it. A standby switch and jewelled power-on light would be a nice addition. I use this amp in my home studio to check out guitars I prepare for sale and for this it is well suited. When I first got it, the original 10" Jensen speaker had a torn cone so I replaced it with a 12" Epiphone unit and put a little Smokey Amp in line between guitar and amp...wow - does it put out now! If I was playing a gig with a house system to be miked into, then I'd seriously consider using this little beast.

So far, I've run various Fender, Gibson and Gretsch products through the configuration described above and particularly with a LP I have that's fitted with a hot Seymour Duncan at the bridge...it fairly screams...in a creamy, sustain sort of way, that is. My main influences are Knopler, Clapton, Hendrix, SRV and such, so you get the idea I'm sure, just what kind of music I'm playing; guitar hero stuff. I just crank it all the way up and move between kinda clean to full on distort by adjusting at the guitar end. As time goes on I become more and more fond of small, seemingly-underpowered tube/valve units and this little Harmony is typical of the reason why.

It has yet to quit on me...not that it won't.
I would never consider gigging without some sort of a backup, let alone a forty-plus year old amp, so that's not a negative.
Tubes are not that hard to come by and the wiring diagram is right there on the inside of the cabinet. No sweat!

The Harmony company that built this amp went belly up a long, long time ago. The only Harmony Music Co in existance is an Asian conglomerate that bought the name years ago and now produces instruments in China.

I've been chipping away at it (musically speaking) for about forty years now. If it was made by Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, or Maton, I've probably had one (or still do). If this amp were lost or stolen I'd comb the garage sales and eBay for another. I love its small size, simplicity and rich, creamy tube tones. If you see one going somewhere...buy it...if not...tell me and I'll buy it!

Straight forward, 3 tubes, Tone & volume controls, and 8" speaker. Not much in the frills, which much less to go wrong.

I was surprised at the sound this little amp will give. I got this off ebay and it appears to be 100% original. The tubes all say HArmony as well. I bought new tubes, when I won the amp, but have yet to try them. The TONE this little amp delivers is wonderfull.

I tried my old Vox bobcat, my least liked for sound, and always out for looks and not tone. This little amp brought out sounds I never knew that guitar ever had. Really warmed the trebly sounds that single coil hollow body's have. My old Paul and King-V also sound great.

Just like 6L6's and EL84's sound vastly different, the tube complement in this amp adds to the tonal palate. Running my all tube preamps and vintage effects all sound great.

I will only perform on mod on this amp, and will be to add a 1/4" speaker out. That way it's easy to swap between cabs to get an even broader usability.

I also have the Vox Pathfinder with with my Bobcat (my 1st guitar and amp from the late 60's). The Pathfinder is not the Tube version (darn) and this little Harmony (maybe 3-4 watts) kicks the suppsed 15W solid state amp's butt.

At the price these are going for, get one! I would make sure it has the 8" speaker in it, from reading the H400 and H400a reviews.

Shoot, still running with all original.

None.

For less that the price of a decent effects pedal, you can't beat this. Put your favorite effects, crank it in a small room, and feel the SMILE grow!

Made in 1960 I play blues harp with it and a 1940's shure green bullet or a JT-30 mic, I dont gig, I do home recording and play for my self satisfaction. This is the smallest amp I ever seen and heard with such fat tone. 2 inputs, simple features and thats what I like a vol, and tone knob. Not very loud but good enough for home recording and playing in a small place. Im sure if mic-ed in a gig setting this amp would rock the house. The tube set up and speaker is the right combination for this amps break up it just screems with tone and gritty sounds. I recorded a song called "Big Mess II" a friend of mine could not beleive I recorded that with this small amp. http://www.soundclick.com/randylandrysharmonica in the music link look for "Big Mess II" to hear it !

never had any trouble and its made 1960 still all original.

I have been playing for 3 years, I own a Fender HotRod Deville 2x12 "Tweed". Had a Pro Jr. that I sold. Currently have the harmony and the hotrod. I like vintage amps low watts and the right tubes make for great breakup and tone.

There are no features. Well, I guess that's not quite true. You could build an amp with basically no controls, so this one gets 2 points for adding volume and tone. Besides that it has the original 6" Jensen, 3 inputs (though only one can be used at a single time), 3 odd tubes as described in other reviews, no tag board, non-polarized Shock-O-Matic power cord, and a cool cabinet that makes it look bigger and more powerful than its 3 watts or so. My amp dates from about 1968 by the pot and speaker codes. It is in perfect condition. There is no wear on the covering, no water damage, and hardly any dust. It's like it was put away 35 years ago and never even looked at. Only the grille cloth has aged. Other than that it is like new.

It sounds pretty good, but a bit tinny with a single coil guitar like a Strat or Mustang. You can dial that out a bit, but then it gets a little muddy. The caps may have aged to the point that they are the cause, but I blame the speaker. Nobody ever used a 6" speaker because they sound good, they were used to be cost efficient. It distorts way too fast and sounds shrill on high notes. I have hooked up a 12" cab with some alligator clips and that made the little demon come alive. More natural breakup, more volume, more tone. It does a perfectly overdriven Jesus and Mary Chain, Super-Cool-3-Chord-Solo tone with the neck pickup selected, all at volumes that don't offend. There is a fantastic little amp in that old cabinet, it just can't be heard without some help.

I also use this amp with a Mexican J-Bass with Custom 60s pickups, no cab connected. Sweet merciful crap! It's the coolest little bass practice amp on the planet. I can't explain it, but it's true. Nice warm tones with a light attack, and dirty overdriven tones with a pick. A bit weak on the low E, but that's to be expected, right, so I play around that.

I should also say that this is by far the most silent tube amp out of the five I have owned. It has almost no 60Hz hum.

Furthermore, I should say that I not a great player. Bad fingers but good ears. I have been around enough good gear to tell the difference between garbage and quality products.

I'll give it a 4. It could be better, but it's certainly not bad.

Well, 35 years and counting. I'm 25 so it's got me beat. Neither the amp nor I myself smoke, so we should be okay. It has the original tubes, so they may need replacement soon, but no problems yet. I'm taking off a point because I think the speaker could crap out due to its natural and inherrent suckiness. Even without being ravaged by a bass it sucks.

I'll never "gig" with it, first of all because I observe a strict no-gigging code due to the fact that I'm simply not good enough to draw a crowd (like half of you other Rawk Guitar Gods on this site [dudes, I've got you all figured out]), and second because it's not loud enough to hear over a drunken frat boy, much less a drunken frat boy drummer.

Lets see, where's that warranty tag? Hmmm...buried under three decades of undecomposed garbage, diapers, Sears catalogs advertising this very amp, dirt, and all of my broken childhood toys. What a cool idea. Covering up all of your old, useless crap with dirt so you don't have to see it. I'm just happy we'll be able to do it forever with no worries whatsoever. God Bless America.

I really like this amp, despite the fact that the little bastard shocked me the first time I plugged it in. Stupid cord. I have that figured out now, so I'm good. For $63 this was a purchase I simply could not avoid. Luckily, I ended up with a cool, quiet little amp that works well for my raging corporate tool by day, suburbanite-in-an-apartment by night lifestyle.

The unit is is quite old, and almost totally lacking in features. It only has controls for volume and tone. It is a quaint and honest little amplifier. I'm not sure why it has three inputs, but I suppose if one fails I'll just move on to the next one. I really don't need more features in a practice amplifier, which is what this one is used for. I suppose a headphone jack could be useful for a practice amp, but this is the trade-off that one has to expect when dealing with tube equipment.

I've been using this little amplifier with an Ibanez guitar with some trick electronics and a Boss Blues Driver as a practice rig. It does the job very nicely. I was used to dealing with very lame tones for my practice rig, now I feel like I'm living a luxurious life with this amplifier. It sounds very nice in all positions, but it does have a 60-cycle hum. I don't mind that so much though. I use it for jazz, blues, folk songs, and for practice. It isn't nearly loud enough to be heard with a drummer present. It doesn't make a wide variety of sounds, only a nice clean sound that gets slightly overdriven at high volumes.
What makes me happy about this amplifier is how nice it sounds as compared with the transistor practice amp that you will find in the same price range. This amplifier is incomparably better. It is a really cheap, old amplifier, and unlike the a transistor practice amplifier, you probably will not outgrow it. It makes those long hours of practicing a joy. I grant an 8, because it really doesn't sound nearly as nice as other amplifiers. I've been playing for 10 years, and my main rig is a Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp, Marshall EL84 20/20, Lexicon Vortex and a 4x12 with Celestions. The Harmony does not sound as good as this rig, but who cares? The Harmony cost me only $150! It sounds unique, at least. It is a cool amp to have around.

Amplifiers this old really should not be judged too harshly on reliability. No one expected them to last this long. At least the schematic is printed inside the amplifier. Mine still has the original tubes, and I wonder where I'll be able to find some more...

A joke. I'm sure any good electronics engineer could easily repair this unit, it has the schematic after all.

I have given my other equipment above, and I feel that this little amplifier was a great addition to my equipment collection. I would certainly buy it again, for the price it certainly cannot be beaten. I love the simplicity and honesty of this little amplifier, and I really feel cool playing through it. It has the personality that I suppose lots of older amplifiers have. I'm new to the vintage game, and I think I can understand now why some people get so wrapped up in it. How can you beat it? For such a low price, you get cool-looking piece of classic gear that sounds unique. I don't pass up bargains like that.

first, im not a vintage amp guru... the jensen speaker (looks just like the one in a friend's blackface vibro-champ, but with the jensen special design label) likely dates as 1967 (jensen date codes repeat themselves every decade; you have to "decide" if they're 40s 50s or 60s... im taking an educated guess) 3 inputs(paralleled), 1 volume, 1 tone... strange tubes: 35w4, 12au6, and 50c5... not more than 5 watts, perhaps less... also, dont touch any other equipment... the two-prong power cord isn't polarized; if you get it reversed in relation to other gear, ouch...

i use it for recording purposes, mostly... miced up and cranked, it sounds huge, as you could expect.. you can really whack the output stage with a boost pedal, up to and past the limits of sounding "good"... this may be atypical; i think my tubes are pretty weak, as well as the filter caps... these tubes arent readily available; i got mine from an old tv shop, but they are way old and have been used... needless to say, there isnt much of a clean sound, regardless of the guitar... it is what it is...

ive had it for years, and it always has worked without incident... it is finicky, however... it needs a looong warmup period (no standby)... it hums rather loudly until it gets good and hot; here again, it is likely the result of my tubes and/or filter caps... i have, accidentally, of course, left this thing on for a couple of days straight, and didnt affect it... no way would i try it at a gig (unless it was in a library)...

yeah right... this baby is old... if it breaks, fix it or gank the speaker for your champ...

it certainly doesnt compare to my fenders or marshalls... it is useful for bedroom-level scream... buy it again? i traded for it to begin with, and id trade again... i see h410a's on ebay for $75, but ive never seen this one... for my purpose, it is neat... i wouldnt recommend it for a beginner, or someone who wants a myriad of tones... but hey, if thats you, buy a crate...

features? well, it has volume and tone. isn't that enough? it puts out (maybe) 5 watts and has a 6" jenson speaker. it has a real sweet clean sound and breaks up nicely when you crank it. great vintage tube sound that won't get you kicked out of your apartment.

I have a '67 les paul deluxe with mini-humbuckers and I play a lot of different styles, blues, rock, surf, metal. for the blues and surf this amp kicks ass. I think the mini humbuckers kind of limit my crunch power, but for extra zing I run it through my zoom headphone amp first. this gives me extra distortion, reverb, echo, chorus, etc. without having 50 pedals at my feet. the zoom is a great little toy for practice, but I think that it sucks as a preamp. the digital canned sound is kind of lame. I'm looking for a peavey valverb instead. over all I am very pleased with this amp. it's like a poor man's champ.

works fine so far. it's not really loud enough for gigging unless you modify it with a line out and use it as a preamp, but great for home and the studio.

not really an issue. it's a very simple amp. if it breaks, i'll fix it. the schematic is still legible on the interior of the case.

A great little amp. I use it for practice at home. if you see one at the garage sales pick it up.