beegee - Posted - 11/10/2013:  03:22:25

Well, I emailed the guy with an FYI that his description may need a little revising. He emailed back, "Thanks for the info, do you want to buy it?" I replied. "Yeh at 99¢, but the shipping is too high." He wrote back,"The price is NOT 99¢."

Well the price is still 99¢ with no bids, and there has been no correction to the description. I do not know where this guy got his info, but he didn't look too hard. Bakelite was invented in 1907. I don't know when Harmony started using it, but it wasn't in the 40's. Not that it makes a lot of difference, but this is not a 1940's banjo.The logo on this banjo dates it to the late 60's-early 70's. The 1972 Catalog shows this logo. I can't tell if it was used in the 1971 catalog or not.

ebay.com/itm/Harmony-5-String-...0dac3043f

Edited by - beegee on 11/10/2013 03:40:10

Nels - Posted - 11/10/2013:  06:11:21

there must be a "glut" of Harmony banjos on the market.. here's two on Goodwill...

shopgoodwill.com/auctions/Vint...2924.html

shopgoodwill.com/auctions/Harm...0065.html

he might come out ahead by donating it for a tax write-off

beezaboy - Posted - 11/10/2013:  11:28:38

I once looked into what new banjo brands were available to customers in the mid 1950's.  I was surprised to learn that after the war Harmony did not offer banjos until 1956.  In 1955 Harmony was offering their electric banjo but no regular type banjos.  Also, on hangout we once discussed what peghead graphics were available in the  late 1950's as compared to the early 1960's and most people said the musical note graphic with "steel reinforced neck" words on the peghead was the late 1950's examples.

rexhunt - Posted - 11/10/2013:  12:34:45

I bought my Resotone as new old stock at a store going out of business.  Paid $25 in the early 70's.  It came with a plastic head.  Here is the peghead.  It's a fun banjo and can be set up to sound pretty good for a cheap banjo.

Rex

Harmony Resotone Peg Head

opotable - Posted - 11/10/2013:  14:12:40

there is unlimited information about all things harmony on the internet and most of it is completely invented , the trouble is that it's then read as fact by sellers looking to find out what their obviously rare item is worth...........

just recently i've seen something on an  asian harmony LP copy geetar where the sellers claims it's made in kalamazoo in 1972.............

another major problem is people who think that paying $150 for a resotone is going to be a good investment and anticipate doubling their stake in a short space of time.

they remain to me a $25 toy, regardless of how well you can tweak them to become eminently "playable".

they will never be in the same league as a framus.

B0bIII - Posted - 11/10/2013:  20:24:41

quote:

---

Originally posted by beezaboy

 

Also, on hangout we once discussed what peghead graphics were available in the  late 1950's as compared to the early 1960's and most people said the musical note graphic with "steel reinforced neck" words on the peghead was the late 1950's examples.

---

Neat. Mine must be older than I had suspected.

I traded a $5 garage sale keyboard for it, and couldn't be happier 

Harmony Reso-Tone

SFI - Posted - 11/11/2013:  04:32:29

I was under the impession that the earliest Harmony Resotone banjos were the ones marked Roy Smeck. I had read a reference many years ago that he had design input and that is why the the necks on those banjos are fairly small. 

Perhaps that's one more detail for John Hoft to track down, even if knowing the age of a Harmony Resotone banjo does not make it more valuable.

Bob Smakula

beezaboy - Posted - 11/11/2013:  08:48:54

How right you are, Bob!  Attached is an article/photo from Dec/Jan 1956 issue of Fretted Instrument News discussing Harmony's introduction of Smeck inspired banjos and guitars.

Attached also is Harmony 1956 catalog page courtesy Vintaxe.

Golly, I never paid any attention to the Smeck angle as I once owned a Harmony tenor (non-Smeck) with the big fly swatter peghead (attached) and musical note graphic and was trying to date it.  Never did.  The banjohangouters said "steel reinforced" were the early ones.  Turns out that is incorrect.  The Smecks and musical; note flyswatters were first.

I found the subject banjo from the OP and it came out about 1963-1964ish.

Edited by - beezaboy on 11/11/2013 08:51:20

FIN Jan-Feb 1956

Harmony 1956

Harmony Tenor Banjo Ca ??

thefolkshop - Posted - 11/12/2013:  06:02:27

I think the 'Bakelites' make good, lightweight beater banjos.  The necks are a little narrow but they rarely warp and you can carry water in the pot if you have a plastic head. Paul

B0bIII - Posted - 11/12/2013:  08:37:37

Interesting clippings. I wonder why Roy Smeck preferred the "slender" neck? Crazy tenor chordage? Tiny hands? lower manufacturing costs?

opotable - Posted - 11/12/2013:  15:05:56

quote:

---

Originally posted by beezaboy

 

How right you are, Bob!  Attached is an article/photo from Dec/Jan 1956 issue of Fretted Instrument News discussing Harmony's introduction of Smeck inspired banjos and guitars.

that's a fascinating picture, do you have the original magazine  and would it be possible to let me have a better quality scan/copy for the harmony boards files?

beezaboy - Posted - 11/13/2013:  01:46:18

I do not have a better copy of the photo/article.  My copy of the magazine is a photocopy I got from Bowling Green University Library.