Harmony H415 212 Combo

Harmony H415 2X12 in completely trashed condition when purchased. It's a mid to late '60's vintage made by the venerable Valco corporation. 2 channels, which can be jumped, which is what I do. I'm looking for the most grunge and output any amp is capable of. This thing rocks.
No loops, not even a line out of this baby, don't need it. The amp runs about 18 watts, with the speakers I have in it it's plenty loud, but depending on who else is mic'd on your stage and how hard your drummer pounds, ya might need to mic it. Way more than enough power for the practice/recording room. (YES!) I give it an '8' rating due to it's lack of features, which I personally prefer. The less stuff to screw up the signal path, the better.

Currently using a mid '80's Strat, an old Explorer with hot Gibson pickups (496 in neck and 500 in bridge positions - screams!), a 2004 Gibson SG that my honey bought for my birthday (you should be so lucky!) and a Les Paul that I got at a garage sale down the road for $350. It wails, too.
Love them all thru this amp. Single coils or humbuckers, this ***** takes 'em all on like a pro XXX star. It's beat to pieces, that's the way I got it, I had the local tech replace a few caps, I put new NOS Valvo tubes in the EL84 slots and NOS GE 12AX7's in preamp, a very old NOS National Union coke bottle style tube in the 5Y3 rectfier slot, and a new GE 6AU6 for tremelo (I assume). I also put in old but unused vintage Jensen P12Q's, and this thing sings like an angel. I play anywhere from soft to rockin' blues to *** kickin' R&R, sometimes have to put a pedal in front to get the hard grind, but the amp is capable of breakup on it's own, when driven past 6 or 7. For a combo, it's fairly light, won't break most peoples backs. Looks like it went thru a tornado (for all I know it did), but sit back and listen!
Amp runs pretty quiet, no problem when playing. If I get a few more parts replaced, it'd be dead quiet. I jump the 2 channels, which give the max bite this baby is capable of, so I won't comment on which channel does what. Just run a short cable from upper left output to lower right, then plug in to upper right. That works best for me! It ROCKS!

Any Harmony I've had in the past was very reliable. Most service (tubes, fuses) you can do yourself. I haven't had this one long enough to have any complaints. I got it a little over a year ago, it's been in the shop most of that time. My tech is SLOW.....

Don't think they're in biz anymore....

Been playin' 35 years, on & off with touring bands, but never used this on stage, but sure wouldn't be afraid to, especially if mic'd. Most bands I played with were pretty large scale, so micing everyone was necessary, but for a small room with a band that isn't trying to blow the doors off the joint, this would hold it's own.
If stolen, or lost in a housefire like ALL of my other amps 2 years ago, I would definitely shop for another. You won't find a friendlier 2X12 out there. Easy to use, tone galore, bluze and R&R heaven....I bet Jimmy Page would approve.

See other reviews for features. Pretty average feature set for its time. I don't consider reverb a necessity, so it has everything you need and nothing you don't. Not sure if all H415's come with the same type of speakers, but mine had original Jensen C12R's.

When I owned the amp I played only Strats, looking for good clean to "classic rock" type overdriven tones. Anything heavier than AC/DC was more than I needed. The H415 was pretty anemic sounding. It still had original Harmony-stenciled tubes, so that probably had something to do with it. I don't know how other people were getting their amps to overdrive, because mine gave no hint dirt with both guitar and amp dimed. Overdrive pedals sounded average. The tremolo sounded average, with a fairly narrow range of speed and depth control. No major stuttering possible even at max depth. The only time I could get a good tone out of it was when I ran a very hot line-out signal from my Gibson GA-8T into the Harmony. That sounded AWESOME, but I'm sure the signal was way hotter than the amp was designed to handle.

It worked perfectly for the few months I owned it. Considering it was already 40+ years old, I say it gets a 10.

Non-existent. But not an issue, because it's a simple amp to service.

A very lackluster amp. Even more disappointing than my H410. Maybe my amp was a complete dog, because I can see no reason why anyone would rave over this amp. I was happy to sell it for more than double what I paid for it. Why people are starting to pay upwards of $400 for this amp boggles my mind. Get an early Gibson GA-8 Discoverer, the 6V6 version, if you want a real good little grinder.

It says harmony but it was actually manufactured by the now famous Valco company. It's a typical 60's amp with limited features but it is great at what it does do! Solid wood cabinet. 2x12 Jensen Speakers. True point to point wiring(no turret boards here). 2 EL84 power tubes, 2 12ax7 preamp tubes, 5y3 tube rectifier and a 6au6 tremolo driver.

Having a simple volume and tone setup, this amp is about the "straight wire" theory that less is more. The H415 is one of the few amps I've encountered where I was satisfied with just having a single tone knob. The amps natural voicing from high to low is just "right on". I know these are cliche terms, but the amps tone is warm, natural, and harmonically rich. It goes from a nice chimey clean to a raging distortion. The tremolo isn't extreme but it is very musical and pleasing. Just like most vintage amps, there is a little noise a idle but when you're playing, it's not at all a problem.

It's 45 years old so I think it passes the reliability test!

not applicable but these are easy to fix if there ever was a problem.

If you are a metalhead this amp probably won't satisfy you but for any other genre, this amp excels. Not quite a vox, not quite a fender, It has a unique voice of it's own that I love!
I had read that Ken Fischer, of "trainwreck" fame, said the Harmony H415 was an undiscovered gem in the amp world. Put in context of what other vintage amps are selling for, the price for these amps is a steal right now. That won't last forever as the word is getting out about Jimmy Page playing Valco amps on the early Zep albums!

Made in the mid 60's by Valco. Two channels which can be daisy chained to boost your drive. Has a decent tremelo. I have two of these amps which I use for both gigs (in stereo) and recording. They are about 18 watts. Sturdy cabinet. Beautiful grill cloth and chrome looking plate. Looks good...sounds amazing! tube lineup: 5y3, 2x 6bq5 (el84), 6au6, and 2 x 12ax7,

I decided to write a review of this amp after reading the very first review listed here. This person is either out of their mind or they have a broken amp. To say that this amp doesn't produce distortion, and is only good for clean, jazz, surf, etc. is insane! This is, in my opinion, one of the best sounding amps even made. This is coming from somebody who owns a 1963 JMI copper top AC30. As much as I love my AC30 I actually like the H415 more. Many have compared the H415 to an AC15. Personally, I think it sounds quite a bit like the Supro DualTone, which are currently going for about 4 to 5 grand on eBay. It starts to break up about 4, and by 9 to 10 you have fire breathing, harmonic rich distortion...even more so when you connect the two channels. Its not bass or treble heavy, it has a full range of tone. Its like a wall of beautiful harmonic honey pouring out of the speakers. I own about 20 amps, small and large, and they each have their own personality and charm...but when I first heard this amp I knew that I had found my tone. My main guitar is a Harmony H78. I also use other Harmony/Silvertone guitars with hot DeArmond pups. The combonation of the hot pups and this amp are deadly.

So far so good. I would feel safe gigging with it without a backup. Actually, I've never had a vintage amp fail on me at a gig. On the other hand I've seen many modern amps crap out during a gig. They don't make em like they used to. Actually, they do...they just cost $3000!

come on now.

I've been playing for 25 years. I have multiple Silvertone, Harmony, Magnatone, Fender, Univox and Vox amps. If my H415's were lost of stolen I would cry. Seriously. I would friggin' cry. They seem to be getting harder to find and they're going up in price. When people realize how close to the Supro DualTone they sound (they are both Valco amps) they are going to shoot through the roof!

I think my amp was manufactured in the late fifties or early sixties.It doesn't have many features but enough for me. (volume,tone,tremolo intensity, and tremolo speed) no official switches except for power but the knobs work for that purpose.I use this amp on my tour bus, but am thinking on the next tour of mic-ing it and using it onstage.by the way, if you're drunk or just plain stupid, don't touch the pretty glowing tubes. that sucks.

I think that it is suitable for blues and surf rock, maybe jazz.The clean channel gets very small overdrive when cranked ( all settings of tone are all the way treble )No distortion. I use a telecaster mainly on the neck pickup. Like i said before, I play in all styles except for punk, soft rock and any form of rap.

I don't think that it is suitable for the gigs that I play without mic-ing it and I've been on tour with two sounds both not blues jazz or surf rock. I'll try it out on my next tour though.It has never broken down, no.

I just got this a couple of months ago, and really I haven't needed customer support but I don't think there is any. I think the warranty cancelled about thirty or fourty years ago...

I can't say that if I wanted to that I could find another one of these but if I could I would buy another. I love everything that it has, only wish for a little more. I Wanted another product but i found this for $5.00 at a garage sale with my grandma. Can't beat that, quality family time AND a new amp!i wish it had some form of distortion besides natural overdriving. LOVIN IT!

this baby is from 1966 based on speaker codes. Two inputs per each channel w/ simple tone and vol controls for each channel along with the trem's depth and speed switch. Mic inputs are definitely hotter. Has a standby switch -- pretty advanced and deluxe for the day and price point. This might explain why the original Harmony branded tubes in this unit are still rockin'!

No modern excesses like effects loops, headphone jacks, channel switching etc. OK, an external speaker out would have been nice. My guess is that it packs about 12-15 loud watts, but it might be even less. The two vintage jensens pack a sonic wallop that might be deceiving.

Very groovy faux ostrich skin black tolex complementing the chrome control face and semi-paisly grillcloth. Accomplishes nothing, of course, but looks killer! I think only the old blue check ampegs can give this thing a run for the money in the looks dept.

Surprisingly well made cabinet of high quality plywood -- I'd always thought of Harmony as lower in build quality until I stumbled onto this beast. No more! (I've heard that Valco, which made supros, built these upper-tier Harmonys, but who knows).

On-board reverb might have been nice, though I've got a perfect pedal for that, so it is minor deal.

Despite the lack of doo-dads, I rate the 415 pretty high because of its high quality construction, point-to-point wiring, and tonal integrity. Ya can't beat the old sixties Jensens in this pup and at this wattage and I'm not afraid that I'm going to send the cones into the grillcloth. Plus it is relatively light, one of the lightest 2x12 combos I've ever hoisted. Built to last.

Great sounding, albeit different sounding amp. With single coils its clean most of the way up before it starts driving...very good clean tone, a bit bright, but with a solid mid and bass. Drives pretty well with my humbuckers. That is when using a single channel.

If you want more edge and drive, bridging the channels provides a whole different beast and allows for some interesting coloration potential via the two tone and volume knobs. Definitely roughs and loudens things up.

No brutal distortion, but really, is anyone looking for 'brutal' distortion going to be interested in an amp of this kind??!!

It's got a very individual sound that is difficult to describe, sort of a trashy refined sound. Bit similar to a Vox-15 ('cept easier on tube, more reliable, and wayyy cheaper!), especially in the clean arena, but trashier once driven and jumpered. Great amp for country and beatle-esque stuff--sounds great with my electric twelve, but also very amenable to garagey vintage punk, too.

I'm not partial to the tremelo. It's fast and funky sounding. No drawback--I just don't use it.

The single tone knobs are pretty durn effective and I'm not that surprised, anymore. A coupla of other vintage units that I have also do just fine with single tone knobs. Tweak less, play more.

Very pedal friendly. My drive box, reverb/echo box, and chorus all sound fantastic with it.

I've got a bunch of other nice vintage combos, but I keep coming back to this for practice and for gigs where the material is in the alt-country, vintage punk realm. Sounds as great for Stooges/V. Underground and material of that ilk as well as ol' twangy stuff.

Definitely has its own tonal voices, and very, very cool ones at that.

It is 40 yrs old and plays solid without fail. I imagine its got a cap job in its future, but I'm only a few years older than it is and its held up better.

I think I'd need a seance if I wanted to contact the company...long gone.

Schematics are available (mine has its on the inside of the cabinet). Any moderately competent vintage amp tech can deal with these well-wired units. It will probably outlast most of the circuit board crap being sold today at the big boxes.

Been at it for more than 3 decades. Won't bore with all the wierd gear that I own, but this is one of the keepers. Though the price for these is creeping up, that's no surprise. I think they are still a terrific bargain compared to the cost of many vintage units, boutique units, or for that matter what the same amount of money would buy in modern amp (gag!). I played through it once and that was all I needed to know. Over the years that I've had it, my opinion of it has only improved. Given the price, construction, reliability, and tone, and ok the looks it is easy to give this beast high marks.

This amp was made in 1968. It has 2 channels, 4 inputs, tremelo with a footswitch. It uses 2-12AX7, 1-6AU6,2-6BQ5 (EL-84) and a 5Y3 to push 2-12" Jensen speakers. I use this amp for medium to small gigs you would want to mike it for anything bigger.

I play a 56 Les Paul and an ES-295 both with P-90s. The only effect I use is a 62 Fender reverb tank (what more do you need?). This amp is one of the best sounding amps I have ever played. The EL-84s have a very unique sound that lays really nice harmonics over the top of the natural distortion. This amp sounds a lot like a Vox. It breaks up at 3 and by 5 it has pretty much reached full volume. Turning up the volume any more adds more gain for extra crunch. This amp is much brighter than other tube amps but not in a bad way. It has a distinct growl that will make it stand out in a sea of other amps.

I bought this amp in perfect 10+ condition. It had the original cover and footswitch. It has never been used. It runs perfectly as if it was 1968 right now. Somebody must have bought this and stuck it in a closet with the cover on until now. I feel bad bringing it to gigs where it is going to get abused.

None

I have been playing for 27 years. This is my new number one amp. My other amps are a Magnatone 260 (actually a Lyric 440, same thing) and a re-issue Fender Bassman. I am currrently looking for another one of these as a back up or something I'm not afraid to take to gigs. There is nothing I really dislike about this amp except that it is in such good condition. I feel that I really scored by buying this amp even with the 425 price tag.

I've been told this amp is from the early 60's, not sure what year, I know it's older than me. Nothing beats the sound of a tube amp for playing blues guitar, this one certainly fits the bill. This is a two channel amp with no switching. It would be better suited if it had seprate high, middle, and low tone settings instead of one knob for setting the tone for each channel. The built in tremelo is great with seperate settings for frequency and speed. I use this for both my practice amp and gig amp, has enough power for small clubs with out being mic'd.

I am currently playing through a Epiphone Les Paul with dual open coil humbuckers, and a Yamaha RGX211M whit three single coil pickups (strat style). I am running through a bank of Danelectro mini pedals and a stereo volume pedal, I play simulated stereo running from the volume pedal into both channels of the amp. The amp didn't have the orriginal speakers when I got it and I have recently replaced the speakers with two emenince legends, a legend 125 on channel one and a legend 122 on channel two. Love the sound of this amp for blues, it has a very retro feel to it and I am able to reproduce the Chicago electric blues sound of the 40's and 50's. It does have a bit of hum but not enough to bother me, I notice it much more when I am practicing at home at lower volumes. It also has very little distortion at full volume, more with the tone set high, but still not enough to change the sound of what I am playing. I also plug my harp mic into this amp and it gives me that gritty sound that I want for the blues.

You cant get any more reliable than an amp that is 40 years old and still has the original tubes in it. I have never taken a backup with me to play (note: our other guitarist plays in stereo through a fender twin and a marshall so if mine goes down he can switch to playing mono), but I dont ever think about it because in the 20 years I have had this amp it has never given me any trouble.

n/a Harmony isn't around any more? :(

I have been playing for about 25 years. This is the only amp I have at this time. If it were stolen or lost I would be heartbroken, this is an irreplacable old tube amp, if I couldnt use it anymore I would have to break down and buy a marshall blues breaker reissue. Not much I dislike about the amp other than the lack of ability to adjust the tone, but that can be done with an eq. The only other thin I would have like to have on this amp is built in reverb, but beggars can't be choosy.

this amp was made somwhere in the mid 1950s or late 1950s it has two channels and is pretty versatile for being so old. it has a great tremlo and it has a pretty good gain sound and clean i really like it alot for home and small club use. it reminds me alot of a vox 15 watt which it was designed after.

i use a ric 360 and a fender strat with it and they both seem to just sparkel with this amp it is great for blues and jazz and with an overdrive petal you can get some great rock sounds aswell.

mine has been great no problems exept normal tube replacment but other than that i love this amp. it has never broke down yet.

in all this amp is great it looks really cool because of the crome front and plays awsome for its price. if you find one somwhere and you have the extra cash pick it up and i think youll be plesently surprised

1964 Production based on the Jensen C12R speaker codes. 2 Channels x 2 input jacks per channel. Each channel has one volume and one tone control. Both channels are affected when the tremolo is engaged. This is because it uses "output tube bias modulation" which is thought to be the best sounding type. 2 EL84 output tubes for probably around 15 watts output. Two pre-amp tubes (12ax7.) 6au6 Trem tube. Trem jack input. Standby switch.

I changed one cap's value to get a faster range of speed control for the Trem. I also re-wired the trem switch so a pedal turns the trem "on" instead of the stock "off." The EL84 tubes allow for great crunch at medium to higher volumes. I changed the cathode and grid wiring of the preamp tubes to get more gain and bass. It worked very well. The Brown/Gold Jensens are excellent here. I added a "heater balance" pot to minimize any hum (none) and 2 speaker jacks for extension cab capability.

I use a strat and I add an electronic reverb with this amp. It's great for jamming as well as living room use. The stock cabinet was cheap looking so I built a new cab from 3/4" pine stained dark. A fantastic $60 flea market score.