HARMONY

The Harmony Company of Chicago, IL was one of the largest American musical instrument manufacturers. Harmony has the historical distinction of being the largest "jobber" house in the nation, producing stringed instruments for a number of different wholesalers. Individual dealers or distributors could get stringed instruments with their own brand name on it (as long as they ordered a minimum of 100 pieces). At one time the amount of instruments being produced by Harmony made up the largest percentage of stringed instruments being manufactured in the U.S. market (archtops, flattops, electric Spanish, Hawaiian bodies, ukuleles, banjos, mandolins, violins, and more). For a complete history on Harmony, refer to the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars or Blue Book of Electric Guitars.
Living up to the title of one of the largest manufacturers of musical instruments, Harmony offered a wide variety of mandolins. In a 1940 catalog, there were over 15 different mandolins available, but by the early 1950s, Harmony had whittled down their line to three models. These mandolins were produced continually throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s with very little deviation from the original design. When the Harmony trademark began appearing on Asian-built instruments, they also offered a few mandolins, but these models aren't documented ver well and not much information exists.
Harmony company history courtesy Tom Wheeler, American Guitars, Harmony model information courtesy John Kinnemeyer of JK Lutherie, Ryland Fitchett of Rockohaulix, Ronald Rothman of Rothman's Guitars.