Harmony Bass?

[GIBrat51]

Yeah, Harmony was one of several American brands that were sold to people who then had them made overseas. Most were sold more than once; with the quality generally degrading a little more each time. That Harmony, however, since it's a "Gen 2"? Probably no better or worse than any other (usually) Japanese bass of the time. The neck most likely needs a shim (not a big deal), and the hardware, while probably still serviceable, was not exactly "Top shelf" stuff. Same goes for the electronics. But, if the pickup still works? The way most MIJ '70 pickups were wound, makes for some interesting tones. As for being a Boat Anchor? It weighs about as much as my '78 Fender P-Bass does. If it balances at all decently - like my P-Bass? A nice, wide strap will help a lot... I've looked at a lot of defunct American brand basses over the years, and there are several that I'd like to have - warts and all. Unfortunately, like most brands of the time? "Oh, you're a lefty? Too bad; no bass for you..."

 

[H K]

No, no, no! This bass is far too heavy for that; he could never bring it around in time. Years ago the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) determined that bat speed rather than bat weight had more influence on how far a ball was hit.

For home defense your brother needs a bass that is short and relatively light. A Glarry would do except its body wood is not resilient enough to withstand hard blows. A Multivox Marvel would be perfect, and those things are as near-indestructible as a Fender.

Or a vox apache, perhaps a mayones.

 

[KenD]

An H22 in good shape would be worth some money today:

Harmony Bass Guitars >> Vintage Guitar and Bass

 

[MVE]

I have one of those harmony bodies somewhere.
It was made of mahogany plywood, like about 25 layers or so.
That's why its so crazy heavy.

 

[Lowlou17]

A friend has a Vogue branded J bass that I think came from the same factory. Also, uh, "substantial".

I suspect MIK. If the saddles are blocky and brass, almost certainly is.

They're hit or miss. With a decent setup, my friend's is actually quite nice. If yours is a hit, it should be on par with a better squire. If it's a miss, on par with a lesser squier with the weight of 3 or 4 of same.

I played around with it today after work. Not too shabby actually. I was impressed. Nice lows, clear mids, bright highs. Intonation is close enough. Pots need cleaning. Maybe new strings, but we all know, old bass strings are kinda cool too! It does have that 70's look especially with its patina on the neck.

 

[Lowlou17]

Here's a couple of pictures,

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

I told him if nothing else, keep it by the bed for personal protection!

So Anyway, I'd recommend this as a personal protection bass.
The good news is it looks like an axe.
The bad news is it probably sounds like an axe.

 

[GretschWretch]

Here's a couple of pictures,View attachment 5441552 View attachment 5441554 View attachment 5441553 View attachment 5441555

I find that stick-on on the back of the headstock intriguing, reason being that I have a Samick bass neck -- easily the most comfortable bass neck I have found -- that has a similar sticker: Model LB-11R. A separate sticker says "Made in Indonesia." Could OP's be an Indonesian bass?

 

[NewJackBass]

I have an AIMS P-bass that was probably made in the same factory in the 70s. It sounds and plays great but it weighs 10.5 pounds.

 

[Lowlou17]

I find that stick-on on the back of the headstock intriguing, reason being that I have a Samick bass neck -- easily the most comfortable bass neck I have found -- that has a similar sticker: Model LB-11R. A separate sticker says "Made in Indonesia." Could OP's be an Indonesian bass?

 

[Lowlou17]

It is highly likely that it could be. After posting here and reading about Harmony, I decided to do some digging. Harmony of Chicago ceased operations in the early 70's. Some sources say 1971, others say as late as 1977. After it closed, it did sell its brand. It was bought by Winchester and then the brand was sold to several different companies overseas. These in turn, produced a less expensive version (not necessarily cheap quality) of Harmony and marketed them through catalogs and retail stores. My brother bought his at JC Penny, so it fits nicely into the scenario above. I don't remember exactly what he said he paid for it, but it was in the neighborhood of around $100 in 1982.

 

[shirojiro]

I recently bought a Harmony P bass that looks like it has an Ash body and maple neck. The neck is super fat front to back which is how I remember these from the 70s and 80s. I bought a Peavey Foundation in 1984 in reaction to those fatty necks.

Anyways, my Harmony came with a Hi-A pickup which is an early Bartolini, and with a set of light, dead round wounds, it sounds amazing. It has a ton of snap and growl. I haven't taken the pick guard off but the tone cap sounds like a 0.1 microF as it gets very dark when it's rolled all the way off.

The bass is very heavy, but the tone is really amazing. I've been playing it more than several other much higher end instruments in the collection. Maybe it's the pickup, or the over all construction, but something about it makes it awesome. I hated these basses when I was a kid. funny how things change.

 

[jd56hawk]

He called me this morning and I asked him where he got it. He said he bought it at JC Penny.

Yes, they were big at some department stores, like Two Guys From Harrison.