Harmony Archtops have always been favorites. These fine guitars were a standard offering in the Harmony lineup. Back in the earlier part of the 20th Century, Harmony offered two types of archtops, the violin type archtop with "f hole" design and an archtop that had a flat top style soundhole. They were constructed from hardwoods, with either mahogany or spruce tops depending on the model. Harmony offered these prewar models: Valencia, Patrician, De Luxe, Cremona, Auditorium, and Clipper models. Models such as the Cremona and the Patrician had several different models within the model name so the offering was extensive. Many of these guitars went overseas with the troops during WW2 and Korea. As these guitars were both inexpensive and extremely tough, many a Harmony was passed through the ranks of multitudes of our servicemen.

The following are pictures of Vintage Harmony Archtop guitars.

HARMONY CLIPPER GUITARS

The Clipper headstock model logo has to be one of the coolest ever designed!

The Clipper had a nice tortoise style celluloid binding.

Clippers were a prewar archtop that was designed to pay tribute to the aircraft industry and was one of the first aircraft "tie in" products. In the 1920's through the end of the 1950's EVERYONE wanted to be associated with an airplane. The barnstormers who traveled the world with their WW1 surplus bi-planes, to the record setting pilots like Charles Lindbergh, Wiley Post, Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes, really captured the imagination of the world. Even the popular automotive designs from the Chrysler Aeroflow, Studebaker with an aircraft style nose and most American 1950's models sported allot of aircraft inspired designs. Is it any wonder that Harmony would help pioneer this trend in the music business!

Technical Tip

Harmony Archtop guitars are starting to get up there in age. Wood, especially the thin wood used in guitars, dries out quickly. Dry thin wood tends to crack easily. Do not store your guitar near a heat source. It is a good plan to put a humidifier in its case. A water soaked sponge in a small plastic container with several small holes punched in the lid will do just fine. Replenish the water once a month. This will greatly reduce the risk of cracking.

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