Harmony H165

two early-mid sixties, all mahogany, chicago's finest

i got one of these babies from the west coast with a fat dawg sprayjob and a reset. dawg says he thinks it is a sixty-three with a poplar neck, the action comes in a little high but just put some medium gauge strings on her and she really sings. this git has a voice like a gurgling stream after a lightning strike.

The other guitar is a mid sixties. I was in a guitar center and I figured I would play all the really expensive guitars (I don't have any money). So I was playing a Ritchie Sambora Martin that sounded and felt 'solid' and was $6000, and this funny guy came up to me and said hi (he worked there) and we started talking about folk singing and I said I wanted a Stella or something and next thing you know like four days later, I meet him in a coffee shop and for $136.00 I get an H165 that has never been played. It is trumpety and mutey sounding, with a great throat. There is nothing wrong or weird about it, so I personally don't recommend X bracing or tuning pegs or frets or a neck job. But maybe you might need it on yours.

I am a folk singer, and the H165 is perfect for the job, because, you can play songs on it and it is cheap.

this guitar can rumble quite a bit if you dig in. the refinished one had some more resonance, but the minty one she sparkles. there's even a h162 around the house, and that one is just punchy as hell.

these gits do really shine when fingerpicked, but they are mighty versatile and just great to strum away on.

The one I got seems like its brandy new, and it is good action. I understand some people need to reset the neck or adjust the bridge to get the desired action. I know it has ladder bracing, which deadens the woods natural resonance, but I am not really in to the cymbal sound of steel strings and spruce tops. Mahogany tops are a different deal, you know it as soon as you pick it up, it sorta either suits you or it doesn't.

the other harmony has seen better days, currently she's all cracked up and awaiting a rebirth.

I think that when mine starts to crap the bed, the death will come soon. But as of right now there isn't even gouging on the plastic nut, so maybe plastic nuts never wear out?

these things were put together somewhat crudely. but they sound like "stay cool."

Not a company anymore. Everyone knows that.

Harmony guitars are like bread for the poor folkies and rockers around the world. they provide sustenance in meager times.

Totally perfect for what I want, until I break it or sell it or give it away, which may or may not happen. This is definitely a friendly instrument, as a matter of fact, if you see someone charging a bunch of money for these, tell them to whoa down, because musicians deserve cheap vintage instruments, obviously.

if it breaks, glue it back together. if your friend wants to borrow it, you let him. if you are going to the beach, don't leave it in the car, if it starts to get really hot in the sun, you put it on a towel, and then cover it with a sheet. it will be ok.

My particular Harmony has been completely rebuilt by Erin Randolph in Minneapolis, and isn't representative of a stock instrument - it's more what can be done with one. The big changes are rebracing with Martin-style X bracing, and a pin bridge rather than the original string-through. It has also had a neck reset, fingerboard leveling, and a fret job. Amazingly, the original tuners are still in working shape. There are a number of luthiers performing similar reconstruction on old Harmony acoustics - at least two in Minneapolis alone. Read on and you'll find out why!

Other than that, it's what's reported here... all-mahogany body (including a mahogany top), plastic (celluloid?) binding in the soundhole, unknown neck wood (probably maple), brazilian rosewood fingerboard (mine is GORGEOUS after the leveling took off the grime), Kluson copy tuners, "folk" size with 14 frets to the body (about like a 00 Martin). This one is a 1952 model, but it has the flat rather than rounded lower bout. The original mahogany top has a beautiful, subtle flame figure. You don't see wood like this anymore!

With the X bracing and pin bridge, this is a rather different beast than a stock ladder-braced, top-loading H165. Rather than the midrange-heavy, throaty blues sound you'd expect, it's a delicate fingerpicker, sweet and even through the entire tonal range. It compares almost directly to Nick Drake's sound, which he made with a small mahogany-topped, X-braced Guild. It's not a far cry from a good VINTAGE 00 Martin, especially a mahogany one. I haven't done a head-to-head yet, but I suspect it completely creams the recent low-end mahogany Martins. There's just no substitute for a properly aged and played-in top.

I purchased it as a "stunt guitar" for a handmade Running Dog redwood/koa mini-jumbo. Yes, the Running Dog kicks its butt sound-wise. It also cost ten times as much! And that guitar has gone head-to-head with a 15 year old Olson and come out at least its equal - in other words, about as good as acoustic fingerpickers get. But the Harmony is definitely in the same ballpark, and on the same team. Which one I play around the house depends more on which room I'm in at the time (they're kept in different rooms), rather than a playing preference. That's saying a lot! Next time I record acoustic guitars, I want to double-track the Running Dog and the Harmony together - I think it'd be a very nice blend.

Acoustics with this sort of voice feel very different from dreadnaughts and jumbos. They don't have a lot of volume or a powerful low end. They're not for bluegrass or loud rock. What they DO have is a very clear, uncluttered tone that lets the sound of fingers and wood through. Dense chord voicings don't get muddy, and notes don't blur together. In a way, they're very unforgiving. But the reward is the sort of ringing, harp-like, intimate tone that draws in player and listener alike. It's a matter of taste, sure, but it's MY taste!

Action is VERY low, light, and fast throughout the neck. I know this goes against conventional wisdom for old Harmony acoustics, but that's because they all need neck resets. This one has HAD the neck reset, along with a leveling, fret job, and new bridge. Action is as good as any new guitar!

I'm using light to very light strings on it, roughly .011-.050 on the luthier's recommendation, to keep the neck tension down. These old Harmony necks aren't the best design when it comes to tension, which is why they all need resets. The light strings give it an almost electric-like feel.

The other thing to consider is the almost baseball-bat thickness, which can be a real shock to players used to modern thin necks. But it's not so thick as to be hard to play, and it's VERY comfortable over long playing times, even though you lose a bit of speed.

As for the finish itself, it's the original lacquer, except for the back (which needed refinished as part of restoration). It's checked and scarred and looks great, if you like old guitars. The tuners have antiqued and I don't much trust the plastic buttons anymore, but they still work well.

I consciously bought this guitar as a beater, a "stunt guitar" for my wonderful handmade Running Dog that cost almost 10x as much. I wanted a guitar that I like but don't love, that could stand to be stolen or broken without me freaking out. Something I can haul around in buildings full of strangers, going up and down stairs intoxicated with the guitar over my shoulder, etc.

That being said, I see no reason it wouldn't last as long or longer than anything else in those conditions. It's lasted over 50 years so far, AND been completely rebuilt at ALL key stress points (bridge, braces, neck joint).

Next step in its life will be good onstage pickups, and it'll become my go-to acoustic for any amplified gigs. Why not? It's cheap, looks cool, and sounds great!

From Harmony... well, they don't really exist anymore. But Erin Randolph, who rebuilt it, lives right in my neighborhood. I'm sure that if anything fails on it due to his rebuild, he'll fix it for me. And for regular maintenance over the years, he's my go-to luthier anyway.

For the cost of a mid-grade Korean or Chinese-made instrument, I got a 50+ year old vintage classic in excellent playing condition. Sounds like a good deal to me!

If it were stolen or lost, I might well get another one like it, or I might get something different - it'd depend on my mood and what was available at the time. I chose this one after playing another of Erin's rebuilt Harmony folk guitars (that one was spruce topped, but similar). By the time I decided to buy it, he'd already sold it to someone else, but he had this one in the works. I waited a couple of months for it, but it was worth the wait.

I really like the look, the sound, and the feel of this guitar. It does exactly what I want it to do, for now. I'll add a pickup at some point and then it'll do EVERYTHING.

1948 Harmony H165
The is the earlier version of Harmony's H165 model.
More of a rounded lower bout shape, small jumbo/Gibson L-1/early nick lucas shape (vs. the Grand Concert/OM size of the 60's H165)
Ladder Braced construction
All mahogany body, unbound, white celluloid ring in the sound hole.
Natural stain and sorta satin finish, nicked and dinged.
solid wood neck, but can't be sure what kinda wood it is
Chubby soft v-shape
Rosewood fretboard, rosewood pinless bridge
skinny frets, bone (?) nut
3-on-a-side tuners, cheapo, sticky, but work
snazzier Harmony logo

Came in a skanky alligator case, most of the skin missing, with a couple Rush and Reo Speedwagon stickers from the 80's.

Wow.
I continue to be surprised by some of these older cheaper catalog guitars. I previously scored an early 60's H165 that I use as a bottleneck guitar (action is high), and it has a wonderful, woody/funky tone for that application. I love all 'hog guitars, so when this one came up on the radar, I sprang upon it. When it arrived, I was surprised to see it bore the same model numner (H165) tho built in '48.

Very loud, bright, bluesy tone. Much better Action and playability than the newer Harmony. Wonderful mid-rangey tone, but drenched in wood tone... barks!. At first I thought it was too bright, but I've learned to palm mute it to bring up some bassy thunk. It is splendid as a blues picking/old timey guitar, but carefully strummed, it serves well as yer typical folksy song accompaniment instrument. As such, it is far more flexible than the new 165 that, I've heard, was redesigned to compete with the larger, concert sized guitars (*like Martins) that were popular at the start of the 60's. This one feels more like the 30's. It is light as a feather and easy to hold and play.

Another things this axe does (similar to my Kalamazoo KG-11) is one note runs and melodies. Very 'stratty' tone. It ain't a custom, pretty guitar, but it has tons of funk!

It is sharper looking than most cheap guitars. It's a pretty basic instrument -- no binding, painted headstock logo, cheaper tuners, pinless bridge. But the neck is tight (after almost 60 years), and straight. The scratches should clean up and polished, I'm sure it will be a gem.

Won't be gigging it.
Tuners are hard to twist, but I don't know if I want to replace them.
Light, but seems to be bulletproof.
Strap buttons are solid
NO cracks, just lots of playing wear (well loved)
the previous owner tells me he played some Woody Guthrie protest songs on the picket line in California when SBC was on strike. NOw that's a testament.

Harmony is long gone
God BLess Harmony Guitars in Chicago for providing the tools for so many musicians thru the decades

Been playing 35 years
The guitar is just what I thought it would be
if it was stolen, I'd be hard pressed to find another, but who nose?
What do I love about it? It's just fun to play and sounds great... there is a soul in this old wood, and I'm glad to keep it alive
I also own a Harmony H165 from the 60's, a Favilla F-5 from '67, and a Kalamazoo KG-11 from '38. Plus a strat and a melodica and god nose. what else. It's all good. I have owned 3500 dollar guitars (Goodall, Petros) Martins (00-15, 000-15S, 0-17), Larrivees (L-03, OM-5), but I am very happy with these less expensive guitars... I'm not into pretty... They are not perfect. I like the raw boned blues tone of these straight braced 'hog tops. pLayed with finger picks and slides, you can make them sound like snare drums!

Nothing special here. Just an old vintage guitar from '60s. Mahogany top and everything.

I was amazed when I played this guitar for the first time. I had the Martin D-15 which is also a mahogany guitar, but this Harmony H 165 sounds much clearer, more articulate, brighter and louder in spite of smaller body. I saw Lightnin' Hopkins playing this guitar on DVD. Now I know why he chose this guitar. It just sounds awsome!

Just the right action. Grossy finish on mahogany may contribute to the great sound.

This guitar is definitely a keeper. I will look into other Harmony guitars.

Made in the early sixties most likely--the date stamp inside is blurred--in Chicago. 19 frets, 14 clear of the OOO size body. It's solid mahogany top and back, laminated sides. No binding except around the soundhole. I think the neck is poplar, steel reinforced but no adjustable truss rod (later H165 guitars seem to have one). This is a chunky, "baseball bat" type neck, unforgiving to smaller hands but just fine for me. Ladder bracing, string-through bridge, open tuners. Finish is very light, and the mahogany wood very beautiful after 40 years. In a world of robot-made dreadnaughts, this is a standout guitar on both looks and sound. I rate it highly because, even though it is not an expensive guitar, it is superbly designed and constructed for it's intended use. Only an adjustable truss rod would make it appreciably better.

I first strung it with bronze wound 10s and it sounded great--I love the mellow mahogany sound--and used it most often as a slide guitar on Delta blues tunes, due to high action. 6 months ago I decided to get the neck reset--best $200 I ever spent on a guitar. Now the action is perfect all the way up the neck. I put silk & steel strings on it, and the tone is just incredible. I still use it for some slide, but mostly fingerpicking country, ballads, and blues. Robert Johnson tunes are perfect on this guitar. It is not good for flatpicking or heavy rhythm playing--I'd go back to bronze wound for that--but in the chosen styles, it is amazing.

Harmony could crank out reliable guitars, and this is one of them. Aside from the usual neck issues on such a guitar, the construction is very solid. The tuners work great and hold tunings for days in the right weather--I've never had to re-tune on stage with this. The "factory" action is irrelevant now--my luthier put it where I want when he reset the neck. The hardware is fine, and the body is rock solid and clean.

This guitar is great for shows because of ease of playing, sound and reliability. Hardware has lasted 40 years, could go another 40. The wood is in great shape. Strap button at bottom end is fine. I added one to the neck heel. I always gig with more than one guitar, but this one is dependable no doubt.

Useful info on the Web, but company is long gone.

Finding a cool-sounding 000-size solid wood guitar for less than $5-600 is almost impossible. So I was willing to put a little money into this instrument. Now I have a great mahogany guitar for $300, the equal of any Martin D-15 to my ears at least.

I've played for 30 years but only the last 3 professionally. I own about 20 guitars, banjos, mandolins.

I talked the seller down $25 because I could see the neck was slightly bowed and knew without an adjustable truss rod (or even with one), it was time for a neck reset on this. A fair transaction.

If I lost this guitar, I'd definitely look for another. I have several Harmony guitars--a Rocket, a Stella sunburst flat-top, two parlor-size Stellas--and love them.

I love all things about this guitar, even its big ole neck. Nothing to hate. My favorite aspect is the tone while fingerpicking--solid mahogany tone is like single-malt scotch.

Only comparisons I made were to my own Yamaha FG-110E, also 000 size, to be sure the H165 was distinctly different. It sure is. One of my best purchases.

Get one of these guitars if you can.

This acoustic was made in the USA in the fall of 1965 of thin Mahogany. It has typically cheap tuners and a celluloid pickguard. It came with a cheap case that was not meant for it, but serves well enough.

It is well suited to blues and rock, having a beautiful, rich tone that I like more than a lot of more expensive guitars

Shoddy construction and high action, it is hard to play anything past the fifth fret. It was in pretty bad shape when I got it, with cracks and oxidation, but it was made of good wood and has a great sound anyway.

It has cheap tuners, and I have to tune the B string with pliers, but it is a tough old guitar, having survived over 40 years, and I wouldn't be afraid to gig with it without a backup. It stays in tune and has been knocked around without serious damage.

I think Harmony is out of business, but it's a cheapy anyway.

I have been playing for a few years and have had a few acoustics. This sounds just as good as the Epiphone Texan I used to have, but is harder to play. What I really like about it is the unique tone, and the fact that I didn't pay much for it, so I can drag it aroung with me without being afraid to scratch it up. I accept it for what it is, though I wouldn't mind if the action was a little lower.

OOO sized solid mahogany top, back and sides. Steel reinforced maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard with 19 frets (14 clear of body). No adjustable truss rod. plastic tortoise shell pickguard. Bone nut/saddle. pinned bridge with brass bridge pins (both after market). Original 3/side strip tuners. ladder braced top.

this guitar is very bright and resonant. I have another just like it with a spruce top, and this one is louder, however doesnt have the low end or the high end of the spruce top guitar. that said this is a very beautiful sounding guitar. sounds great with a slide, or fingerpicked. this guitar is very well suited to blues/rock. excellent harmonics. fills a room with sound easily.

got the guitar, and reset the neck, dressed and crowned the frets, and replaced the original pinless bridge with a pinned bridge. also redid the nut and saddle in bone. did the set up myself, so no complaints there. the top and back are both 1 piece of mahogany, and not bookmatched so no complaints there either. it is my understanding that Harmony did this to save on labor costs involved in bookmatching mahogany tops and backs. i also had to repair a couple of side cracks which glued right up with cleats. these werent a problem as the guitar played fine with them. the wood on this guitar is very very thin. the top is under 0.100- inch, but has been banged a couple of times without disintigrating. Machine heads are awful. they are very tough to turn. they hold tune, but if there is a weak link on this guitar this is it

guitar is from 60's. they started to install adjustable truss rods in 71' i believe, and this predates those. minimal damage so far.

i am customer support

this is an awesome guitar. AND it was only $60! that includes the new bridge and pins. sounds way better than most guitars you pick up in a "Guitar Center" or "Sam Ash" that cost ten times that much, but sadly doesnt have the pedigree of those brand name guitars. This one did need some TLC, so that should be taken in to account. if you have the know how to make these right, they are excellent guitars.

Probably built around 1960
Sold Mahogany top/sides/back
(light as a feather!)
Grand Concert/000 size body
Straight or Ladder braced
No body binging
a small white celuloid sound hole trim
The way cool Treble Clef logo along with"Harmony" on the headstock (denotes the earlier, 50's/60's models)
Has a steel reinforcing rod (no adjustable truss rod)
14 frets to the body, then a few more, but who the heck plays on those frets anyway (okay, with a slide, you may get over those high frets... more on that later)
mahogany 'looking' neck but probably stained maple
Rosewood fret board
Pinless rosewood bridge; looks like some hard plastic saddle
open gear tuners, three-on-a-strip
white plastic buttons
Came with a nice black cord, tied around the headstock and endpin so I can walk around the house, singing the blues to my cats.

It ain't feature rich, just rich enough to good

Sound?
This thing is the perverbial bomb for bottleneck slide blues! I've always been a sucker for mahogany guitars. I have spent about 30 years doing singer/songwriter stuff. I've been gravitating towards the blues as, well, the blues seem to be more my speed now (I'm just short of a half century old). Took a tour of N. Mississippi, round Clarksdale and Helena arkansas, and saw the light. Started playing some resonator and then had to find a decent ladder braced-type guitar for acoustic slide. The Mohagany guitars (Martin '17's' etc) came up on the radar. I got this one for a sweet deal.

They are notorious for having high action; this one had inbetween action -- good enough for fingering up to the 7th fret and high enough for vigorous bottleneck.
I keep it tuned to open G or D, with heavier strings on the two high strings, and play slide. Keep in in a little basket by the bed and play it night and day. The ladder bracing lends a very woody, percussive tone -- no overtones, no harmonics. To some it would be perceived as 'bright,' lacking some bottome end. If you thump on the bass side, it offers up more of a bass drum thump than a resonant bass -- perfect for bottleneck style.

It just shouts. YOu can play it like a drum or work it lyrically, but mostly it is raw and gutty with heaps of delta dirt. It responds well to brass or glass or ceramic slide. Bare fingered, it is not the loudest guitar, but with finger picks, snapping on the middle strings is heaven, chunka-chunka. My foot starts to do this spastic stomping when I start playing it. IT is so unrefined... I love it.

It's fort-five years old. It's held up well. The neck is tight against the body. I may try to swap in a new bone saddle. Tho it does not have a truss rod, the action on this example is great. I may add some side markers cause my eyes aren't too good any more. Tuners work fine for the old style. It is light as a feather. did I say it was light as a feather? It could use some refinishing, but for this price and for what I'm doing, I almost prefer to leave it as is. these Harmony's are a grat bang for the buck... a step in the vintage door at 1960's prices still.

Like I said, it's held up well. Since it primarily a slide guitar, the action is not crucial. I think some care (humidifier) and such will give me many years of pleasure. Would I gig with it without backup? Sure. If string broke, I'd play it with 5-strings.

I will use my Ouija board to call up HArmony support.

Been playing 30 years.
Also own a Fender Strat, Ibanez Talman (the old one), a Martin 00-15, a National Radio Tone Bendaway, and Supro Thunderbolt amp, some FX and a broken Ukelele.
If it were stolen? I doubt anyone would steal it. If I caught them, I might bash them over their heads with the guitar, and then go out and buy another.

I love the fact that it does what I want it to do really well, and it cost me way less than $100. I spent the last few years questing for guitar holy grail, spending sometimes many thousands, only to trade/sell away because the beautiful axe did not offer up the mojo.

The blues is a very satisfying genre, steeped in time and place, and it does not need so much refinement. I like that. The blues asks the player to give up the soul a little, but does not require too much speed or dexterity (altho they help). I like taking what I got and making it work. These workhorse, catalog axes are a great for doing just that. They are limited -- if you want to play "Fire and Rain" or some articulated finger-style guitar piece, forget it. If you want to play roots style, blues, or some rawer folk, it fits the bill. They are out there for a good deal.

Late '60's USA made solid mahogany ooo-size acoustic 18-fret rosewood fingerboard,maybe a maple neck(hard to tell through the finish),string through bridge,tortoise shell pickguard.

I play electric and acoustic blues and jazz and already own a Gurian S-3M,an Ovation Balladeer,and a Harmony 1270 12-string. A week ago,I was driving down through town,and this Harmony was laying out on a pile of junk for the trash--needless to say,I jammed on the brakes and snagged it! At first glance,half the peghead was gone,and I thought I'd have to replace the whole neck--later,I found the piece had been stuck down in the body,and glued it back together in time to use it on a job that weekend. I used it for slide,but I've also found it good for fingerstyle playing in other tunings,it's even and mellow sounding,but I'll know more after I record it.

This guitar's 35 yrs. old,its' been up to pitch for a week,and the neck's still straight--not bad! The action's a little high,but I'll probably give it a little more time to settle back in before I do any more work on it.

Well, I've already played out with it and no real problems--the tuners got changed to some sealed Yamahas I had laying around,so it's pretty much good to go. If I had to,I could just use the Harmony,but anymore,I almost always take two guitars(especially acoustics),so if a string breaks,I can usually make it to the end of the set.

Harmony USA's been out of business since the early "70's--not that I'd call them,since I'm quite capable of fixing any problem this guitar would have in less time than the shipping would take. When I was a teen ager,this was considered a step-up guitar,after you'd taken some lessons,and learned some chords--I was lucky,and was able to get a Yamaha FG-75,which I had through high school,and later gave it to a friend(he still has it!).

I was really surprised this guitar turned out so well,as a lot of guitars that people bring me to fix are really not worth the trouble--but they want them fixed anyway! Fortunately,this one hadn't been abused too much,left in the basement,etc. and will live on for few more years. I'll use it mainly for slide and the odd rhythm part,mostly,but I've got other guitars for the fancy stuff. If it got stolen,I'd eventually find something else,but I'm not going to pay stupid "vintage" prices for a guitar to play slide on.