
Killer pickups and slim, light, high-quality construction distinguish a very evolved Harmony.
Distinctive pickup tones. Biting trebles that still ring. High-quality build. Light weight. Slim profile. Super comfortable.
Some imbalance between high-end and low-end volume and energy. Prone to neck dive with some straps.
$1,499
Harmony Comet
harmony.co
Followers of current events might be astonished to learn that the internet isn't quite as effective at separating myth from fiction as its early advocates and creators promised. I was reminded of this state of affairs whilst sniffing out sentiments about vintage Harmony guitars and the complex, convoluted world of gold-foil pickups. Needless to say, there are a lot of strong opinions out there—from advocates that defend old Harmonys as underrated, to snobs who still consider them universally substandard, to the growing cult of gold-foil fanatics who sing their praises to the sky without even agreeing about what a gold-foil pickup is.
Why do I mention this in the context of reviewing a brand-new Harmony instrument? Because the modern Harmony—now a division of BandLab Technologies—is again defying myth and easy categorization in a fashion that's likely to divide opinion just like the old Harmony did.
Recorded with a black panel Fender Tremolux into a Universal Audio OX black panel Fender Deluxe cabinet emulation into a Universal Audio Apollo Twin and Universal Audio Luna.
The three passages are played on the bridge, combined, and neck pickups respectively.
The U.S.-made Comet reviewed here is perfectly emblematic of how tricky reviving a brand and navigating those old myths can be. It's a beautifully built guitar—on par, in quality terms, with many higher-mid-price and high-end electrics. It's a distinctive visual presence in a world of lookalikes. And it sounds freaking great, too, dishing inspiring, mold-breaking, humbucking tones that prompt new musical directions as you play. For some, the Harmony name will probably conjure pawn shop associations that could make the near-$1,500 price tag tough to swallow. For more open-minded players, the Comet could be a tantalizing path away from the same-old-electric rut. My guess is that for those who spend real time with the Comet, the latter scenario is much more likely.
Feathered Flight
The semi-hollow Comet design does not slavishly adhere to any chapter in Harmony history. In fact, to my knowledge, there has never been a Harmony quite like the Comet. Though some have likened it to Harmony's H72, 75, and 77 from the 1960s, the horns are a bit pointier and it's much smaller—evoking Gibson's downsized ES-339 and some of Vox's underrated semi-hollows from the early 2010s. There are many upsides to a semi-hollow guitar of this size. For starters, it's very light, at about six pounds, which significantly minimizes playing fatigue whether standing or sitting. The slim profile also helps make the guitar feel effortless to hold.
If there's a downside to the light weight, it's that there's not much mass to counteract the gravity working on the headstock. Throw the extra ounces from the locking tuners into that equation and you have a guitar that's a bit prone to neck dive, depending on the strap you use. (My usual Ace-style straps exacerbated the problem, but a wider leather strap did much to offset the tendency toward slippage.)
Soaring on Wings of Foil
The Comet's relatively compact dimensions and light weight accentuate the guitar's already impressive playability. Our review guitar showed up with the action almost too low, but once I'd made a couple quick bridge and intonation adjustments, the Comet felt fast and responsive under my fingers. The 12" radius, medium-jumbo frets and 25" scale conspire to lend an almost Gibson-like feel, even though the neck profile has more than a trace of Fender shape and slimness. For many players it will be a perfect blend of ingredients. And apart from the tight cutaway making access to the highest frets difficult, it tends to invite very exploratory playing.
The pickups certainly exhibit many of the most coveted attributes of classic gold-foils
The Comet is a quality instrument by any standard. Evidence of attention to detail is everywhere. The complex compound curves that occur at the point where the arched back and the set neck joint come together are especially pretty. The honey-and-amber-hued nitrocellulose finish is lovely, too, revealing much of the mahogany body's subtle, wavy grain. Some nods to Harmony history feel less at home here—particularly the inverted peanut butter cup tone and volume knobs. They look authentically vintage (apart from the bleached white appearance), but feel a little plasticky and inexpensive compared to the excellent materials used elsewhere. They are, however, brilliantly placed for volume swells and quick tone adjustments. The sturdy pickup switch is smartly situated, too—safely out of the way of aggressive strumming motions, but close at hand for the switches you intend to make.
The most individual aspects of the Comet's performance are manifested via the excellent pickups. Harmony calls these humbuckers gold-foils, a wide and largely misunderstood pickup category than can be a great many things. The company is coy about what lurks beneath the covers. But in purely sonic terms, the pickups certainly exhibit many of the most-coveted attributes of classic gold-foils.
The most striking tones come from the bridge pickup. Here you'll find biting sounds that would make a Telecaster blush. But while the most trebly tones are cutting and loud, there is still a little softness and compression at the peakiest edge of the transients and they retain a bell-like resonance that keeps these toppy tones thrilling and rich without singeing eardrums. They also do a wonderful job of exciting spring reverb and fuzz effects. The super-present and punchy top end and high-mids from these pickups mean they can seem to overpower the low end at times. Personally, I loved the balance between the two ends of the spectrum, and appreciated the fact that I could extract distinct and not-too-muddy bass counterpoint that sustained without sounding boomy in the way some PAF-style humbuckers can. But I'd guess that, ultimately, even dyed-in-the-wool adherents to Gibson- and Fender-style tone recipes could really warm to the unique balance between present high-end and more concise, subdued bottom that you get from these pickups. They are a very intriguing alternative to those very familiar sounds—especially when you add in the out-of-phase mode available via the push/pull volume knob.
The Verdict
I played the Comet alongside several electrics, and was always knocked out by how distinct and unique it can sound. Studio hounds could conceivably find it indispensable for its ability to dish super-sizzling and clear treble tones that still sing. They'll probably also love the mellow, balanced, and slightly compressed semi-hollow neck pickup tones that never seem to overpower with boomy resonances.
Harmony may have some image-building work to do to overcome biases from snoots and trolls that associate the brand with pawn shop bargains. And the $1,499 price may well be a touch on the high side of the high-mid-price spectrum for some. But given that we've seen a lot of good Asia- and Mexico-built instruments creep into this price range and higher, it's certainly not an exorbitant tag for a well-crafted, U.S.-built instrument with so many truly distinctive tones.
The Gibson EH-185, introduced in 1939, was one of the company’s first electric guitars.
Before the Les Pauls and SGs, this aluminum-reinforced instrument was one of the famous brand’s first electric guitars.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of electric guitar in shaping American popular music over the last half-century. Its introduction was a revolution, changing the course of modern musical styles. Today, when we think of the guitars that started the revolution, we think of the Stratocaster and the Les Paul, guitars held against the body and fretted with the fingertips. But the real spark of this musical mutiny was the lap-steel guitar.
In the early 20th century, guitar music was moving out of the parlors of homes and into public spaces where folks could gather together and dance. Guitarists needed to project their sound far beyond where their wimpy little acoustic instruments could reach. Instrument manufacturers began experimenting with larger body sizes, metal construction, and resonators to increase volume.
Around this time, George Beauchamp began experimenting with electric guitar amplification. He settled on a design using two U-shaped magnets and a single coil of wire. Beauchamp was in business with Adolph Rickenbacker, and they decided to stick this new invention into a lap steel.
If we put on our 1930s glasses, this decision makes perfect sense. The most popular music at the time was a blend of Hawaiian and jazz styles made famous by virtuosos like Solomon “Sol” Hoʻopiʻi. Photos of Hoʻopiʻi with a metal-body resonator abound—one can imagine his relief at being handed an instrument that projected sound toward the audience via an amplifier, rather than back at his own head via resonator cones. Beauchamp and Rickenbacker were simply following the market.
As it turned out, the popularity of Hawaiian music gave way to swing, and electric lap steels didn’t exactly take the world by storm. But Beauchamp and Rickenbacker had proven the viability of this new technology, and other manufacturers followed suit. In 1937, Gibson created a pickup with magnets under the strings, rather than above like Beauchamp’s.
“When I plugged in the EH-185 I expected to hear something reminiscent of Charlie Christian’s smooth, clean tone. But what I got was meatier—closer to what I associate with P-90s: warm and midrange-y.”
The first page of Gibson’s “Electrical Instruments” section in the 1939 catalog features a glowing, full-page write-up of their top-of-the-line lap steel: the EH-185. “Everything about this new electric Hawaiian Guitar smacks of good showmanship,” effuses the copy. “It has smoothness, great sustaining power, and an easy flow of tone that builds up strongly and does not die out.”
Picking up the 1940 EH-185 at Fanny’s House of Music is about as close as one can get to traveling back in time to try a new one. It is just so clean, with barely any dings or even finish checking. Overall, this is a 9/10 piece, and it’s a joy to behold. Speaking of picking it up, the first thing you notice when you lift the EH-185 out of the case is its weight. This is a much heavier instrument than other similar-sized lap steels, owing to a length of thick metal between the body and the fretboard. The catalog calls it “Hyblum metal,” which may be a flowery trade name for an early aluminum alloy.
This 1940 EH-185 is heavier than other lap steels in its class, thanks to a length of metal between its fretboard and body.
Photo by Madison Thorn
There are numerous other fancy appointments on the EH-185 that Gibson didn’t offer on their lesser models. It’s made of highly figured maple, with diamond-shaped decorations on the back of the body and neck. The double binding is nearly a centimeter thick and gives the instrument a luxurious, expensive look.
Behind all these high-end attributes is a great-sounding guitar, thanks to that old pickup. It’s got three blades protruding through the bobbin for the unwound strings and one longer blade for the wound strings. When I plugged in the EH-185 I expected to hear something reminiscent of Charlie Christian’s smooth, clean tone. But what I got was meatier—closer to what I associate with P-90s: warm and midrange-y. It was just crying out for a little crunch and a bluesy touch. It’s kind of cool how such a pristine, high-end vintage instrument can be so well-suited for a sound that’s rough around the edges.
As far as electric guitars go, it doesn’t get much more vintage than this 1940 Gibson EH-185 Lap Steel. It reminds us of where the story of the electric guitar truly began. This EH-185 isn’t just a relic—it’s a testament to when the future of music was unfolding in real time. Plug it in, and you become part of the revolution.
Sources: Smithsonian, Vintage Guitar, Mozart Project, Gibson Pre-War, WIRED, Steel Guitar Forum, Vintaxe
Columnist Janek Gwizdala with heroes Dennis Chambers (left) and Mike Stern (right).
Keeping your gigging commitments can be tough, especially when faced with a call from a hero. But it’s always the right choice.
Saying “yes!” to everything early on has put me in a place now where I can say no to almost everything and still be okay. That wasn’t without its challenges. I’d like to share a story about a “yes” that would haunt me for years.
As bass players, we can, if we choose, quite easily find ourselves in a wide variety of situations without having to change much about our sound or our playing. If your time is good and you’re able to help those around you feel good and sound better, the telephone will pretty much always ring.
Playing jazz as an electric-bass player living in New York City from 2000 to 2010 was somewhat of a fool’s errand in terms of getting work. No one wanted electric bass, and bandleaders would go to the bottom of a list of 100 upright players before they would even think about calling you. Not only that, but I wasn’t even at the top of the electric list when I first moved there. Not even close. Anthony Jackson, Richard Bona, Will Lee, Tim Lefebvre, James Genus, Lincoln Goines, Mike Pope, John Benitez, Matthew Garrison—that’s a who’s who of the instrument when I first moved to town, and I was very much a freshman with almost no experience. Almost…
I’d been lucky enough to play extensively with Kenwood Dennard (Jaco’s drummer), and a little with Hiram Bullock (Jaco’s guitarist) before moving to NYC which helped create a little momentum, but only a VERY little.
This is where the story begins:
I’d sent Mike Stern a demo back in late ’97. He’d not only taken the time to listen to it but had called my parents’ house right after I moved to the U.S. to tell me he loved it and wanted to hang. I missed the call but eventually met him at a clinic he gave at Berklee.
Of course, I was buzzing about all of this. It helped me stay laser-focused on practice and on moving to NYC as soon as possible. I got the typical “look me up when you get to town” invitation from Stern and basically counted the seconds through the three semesters I stayed at Berklee until I could split town.
I arrived with a ton of confidence but zero gigs. And nothing happened overnight. It really took saying yes to literally everything I was offered just to keep a roof over my head. Through that process, I felt like I was getting further away from playing with my jazz heroes.
The early gigs were far from glamorous—long hours, terrible pay, and sometimes, after travel expenses, they cost me money to play.
“Whenever I have a single moment of doubt, I think about the time I had to say no to my heroes—the reasons I moved to America, the reason I do what I do.”
When Stern finally called, a few years into living in NYC, things started to move pretty quickly. I began playing a lot of gigs at the 55 Bar with him, and short road trips became a thing—a four-night stint at Arturo Sandoval’s new club in Miami, gigs in Chicago, Cleveland, and upstate New York, and then some international work, including a tour of Mexico and a trip to Brazil, if I remember right.
But the hardest phone call of my career came from Mike not long into my time touring with him. It went something like this:
“Hey man, what’s your scene in April? Lincoln can’t make a trip to the West Coast. It’s just one gig. Trio… with DENNIS CHAMBERS.”
Mike didn’t shout Dennis’ name, but that’s how I heard it. My all-time hero. Someone I’d been dreaming about playing with for over 15 years. And here’s the kicker: I had to say no.
I’d just committed to six weeks with Jojo Mayer’s band Nerve in Asia and Europe, and there was no way I could bail on him. And there was no way I could afford to ditch six weeks of work for a single gig with Mike. To say that haunted me for years is an understatement. I was destroyed that I had to turn it down.
The tour with Jojo was amazing—the posters hang in my studio as a reminder of those times to this day. And thankfully, I was able to go on some years later and play dozens of shows with Mike and Dennis all over the world—truly some of the highlights of my career.
I still think about that phone call, though. Whenever I have a single moment of doubt, I think about the time I had to say no to my heroes—the reasons I moved to America, the reason I do what I do. I get emotional writing and thinking about it even now. But I've learned to never have regrets and understand you just have to believe in the process and maintain the willpower to continue—no matter what.
On our season two finale, the country legend details his lead-guitar tricks on one of his biggest hits.
Get out the Kleenex, hankies, or whatever you use to wipe away your tears: It’s the last episode of this season of Shred With Shifty, a media event more consequential and profound than the finales of White Lotus and Severance combined. But there’ll be some tears of joy, too, because on this season two closer, Chris Shiflett talks with one of country music’s greatest players: Vince Gill.
Gill’s illustrious solo career speaks for itself, and he’s played with everyone from Reba McEntire and Patty Loveless to Ricky Skaggs and Dolly Parton. He even replaced Glenn Frey in the Eagles after Frey’s death in 2017. His singing prowess is matched by his grace and precision on the fretboard, skills which are on display on the melodic solo for “One More Last Chance.” He used the same blackguard 1953 Fender Telecaster that you see in this interview to record the lead, although he might not play the solo the exact way he did back in 1992.
Tune in to learn how Gill dialed his clean tone with a tip from Roy Nichols, why he loves early blackguard Telecasters and doesn’t love shredders, and why you never want to be the best player during a studio session.
If you’re able to help, here are some charities aimed at assisting musicians affected by the fires in L.A:
https://guitarcenterfoundation.org
https://www.cciarts.org/relief.html
https://www.musiciansfoundation.org
https://fireaidla.org
https://www.musicares.org
https://www.sweetrelief.org
Credits
Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering Support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editor: Addison Sauvan
Graphic Design: Megan Pralle
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.
Grez Guitars has introduced the Grez GrandTour Bass, a short scale semi-hollow carve-top instrument available in 4-string format.
The Grez Grand Tour Bass, designed in collaboration with bass powerhouse Ian MartinAllison is, like all Grez instruments, a modern sleek interpretation of the classic instruments from the 50’s and 60’s.
The instruments feature a carved Spruce top, Honduran Mahogany body and neck. The 30" scale construction includes a Macassar ebony fretboard, 12” radius with 21 jumbofrets. Each bass comes equipped with a Halon bridge, Grez string anchor and LaBellaDeep Talkin’ long scale 45-105 flatwound strings. Electronics include Curtis Novak Bisonic/Darkstar pickups with coil tap.
The Grand Tour bass features a nitro finish and is available in a variety of colors(pictured here in custom Toasted Marshmallow).
Grez Grand Tour Bass with Ian Martin Allison
Barry Grzebik explains: “I love process of design instruments, marrying acoustical,electrical, visual and ergonomic engineering with industrial and artistic design. In this case creating something that artfully balances the desire for a robust acoustic voice with the need to hold up to professional touring and stadium stage volumes. One small notable detail is that although this is a short scale instrument, because of the after-length of string past the bridge, it uses standard long scale strings which dramatically increases sting options and availability.”
Ian Marin Allison shares, “I’m inspired by the unique character of vintage hollow andsemi-hollow basses, but they don’t always live up to our modern expectation of stability, playability, versatility and QUALITY. I’m proud to have helped create something that does”.
The Grez Grand Tour Bass, is available now from Grez Guitars and their dealers with astreet price starting at $5,999. Light customization is welcome with delivery times aslittle as 8 weeks.