1970s Harmony H410 Monterey Archtop Mandolin

I can't find a date-stamp inside but the 18:1 version of the Waverly tuners and an "in-focus" stenciled headstock logo suggests this dates from right around 1969-71. This is not a fancy instrument in the least but it is made from solid birch throughout the body, sports a poplar neck, and an ebonized fretboard and bridge. Harmony built this style of instrument (with varying model numbers) since the '30s and this was the latest incarnation of the birch-top version before the company went belly-up.

It's in good order and the only work I had to do was give it a thorough setup and mild cleaning. I was surprised to find the frets were all in good shape and basically unplayed. Someone had converted it to lefty at one point and so there are two extra screwholes for a "flip-flopped" pickguard mounting.

Tonewise these are woody and not super-loud -- though they'll definitely cut through a buddy or three to enjoy at a more relaxed jam.

Repairs included: glorified setup plus side dots...


Top wood: solid birch

Back & sides wood: solid birch

Bracing type: tonebar

Bridge: ebonized mysterywood

Fretboard: ebonized mysterywood

Neck wood: poplar

Action height at 12th fret:
hair-under 1/16" overall (fast)
String gauges: feels like 34w-10

Neck shape: medium soft-V

Board radius: flat

Truss rod: non-adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: smallish/lower


Scale length: 13 7/8"

Nut width: 1 3/16"

Body width: 10"

Body depth: 1 3/4" + arching

Weight: 1 lb 11 oz


Condition notes: it's pretty clean, really. There are two extra screwholes for a lefty pickguard mount but they're minor. I added side dots, too. Aside from that there's only very mild wear and tear by way of small scratches here and there throughout.


It comes with: its original chip case.














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