- Harmony Company
The Harmony Company is an American
musical instrument manufacturer that was in its heyday the largest stringed instrument manufacturer in the USA.Harmony was founded in 1892 by Wilhelm Schultz. In 1916, it was bought by
Sears, Roebuck and Co. , which wanted to corner theukulele market. In 1928 Harmony introduced the first of manyRoy Smeck models, and went on to become the largest producer in the U.S. They sold 250,000 pieces in 1923 and 500,000 in 1930, including models ofguitar s,banjo s, andmandolin s.In the late 1930s the firm was making violins again after a 19 year hiatus, bought brand names from the bankrupt Oscar Schmidt Co.—La Scala, Stella, and Sovereign—and was marketing not only Harmony products, but also using the Sears name,
Silvertone , plus a variety of trade names, such as Vogue, Valencia, Johnny Marvin, Monterey, Stella, and others.The company hit a peak in 1964-1965, selling 350,000 instruments, but low-end foreign competition led to the company's demise 10 years later. Between 1945 and 1975, the Chicago firm had mass produced about ten million guitars. The company reduced their output over the years, later focusing on student models sold through
JCPenney .The Harmony Guitar Company ceased in 1975 ["In 1975 the Harmony Guitar Co. in Chicago ceased operations and had a huge three day auction." http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/HARMONY.htm] , and the Harmony name was sold.
The name is now used by a company based in
Elk Grove Village, Illinois .Vintage Harmony guitars are now a popular item for collectors and often fetch high prices on
eBay .Related
External links
* [http://www.harmonyguitars.com/ Harmony Guitars Company Website]
* [http://harmony.demont.net/ Harmony Database] , non commercial resource
* [http://kingofkays.com/American.aspx Harmony Variations and Photos] at King of Kays
* [http://www.usd.edu/smm/Tours/LillibridgeGallery/HarmonyCo.html Harmony] at National Music Museum
* [http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/HARMONY.htm Harmony] at Broadway Music Co.References
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