Harwood Model B-1002 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1918)
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Item #9988
Harwood Model B-1002 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, c. 1918, made in Kansas City, serial # 34021, natural varnish finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
"Harwood" has long been one of those mystery brand names that dot the American musical instrument landscape of the pre-depression age. In late 19th and early 20th centuries this was a trademark brand used by J.W. Jenkins Sons of Kansas City, one of the west's biggest jobbers for their best quality instruments. Some earlier examples are marked "Harwood-New York" but no connection to an actual New York origin is evident. Perhaps folks in Kansas City were expected to be impressed that the instruments came from the Metropolis so far away!
After sourcing some early models from the John C. Haynes company in Boston, starting in 1895 Jenkins themselves operated a small factory in Kansas City for over 30 years building fairly high-grade fretted merchandise. While in some ways similar to the best Chicago made instruments of the time the workmanship is at a higher level than many, near the Lyon & Healy standard. While their origin long proved elusive, Harwood instruments that survive are generally very well made of top quality materials, and were fairly expensive when new.
This is a "Grand Concert" sized guitar (just over "Standard" size in Jenkins' nomenclature; Harwoods were not offered in "Concert" size in 1918) with a 13 3/4" lower bout and a 24 3/4" scale neck. The woods are high-grade throughout and the workmanship is excellent. Like most Harwood models this guitar is built using beautiful Brazilian rosewood on the back and sides and a very tight-grained top described by Jenkins as "Norway Spruce". This is ladder braced in "the Harwood System" and has survived 100+ years with hardly any bellying at all. The top is edged with single layered white binding surrounding colored wood marquetry strips, the same pattern repeated for the soundhole and backstrip.
The mahogany neck has a quite thick ebony fingerboard carrying slotted diamond pearl markers. One unique touch is an engraved celluloid "Harwood" logo plate inlaid between two high frets. The Harwood logo is also neatly inlaid in beautifully colored Abalone in an arc across the headstock face. The single-plate tuners on the slotted headstock are the same fancy Waverly keys used by the Larsons, Martin, National and others in the 1910's and '20's. There is a diamond shaped label below the soundhole proclaiming "The Celebrated Harwood, the standard for comparison warranted for five years".
Jenkins claimed that the Harwood line were the finest guitars built, and while C.F. Martin or Lyon & Healy might have begged to differ this is a very nicely made instrument. It appears to date to the mid-late 1910's; it matches the listing in the 1918 Jenkins catalog exactly, where this model is priced at the then not inconsiderable sum of $35. Harwood instruments bear serial numbers on the headstock that appear to be sequential but no key to provide exact dating survives. The brand continued into the 1920's but was discontinued when the depression hit, never to be revived.
As a playing instrument this guitar has a lovely and surprisingly powerful sound strung with Nylgut strings. The tone is deep and even with some of the sharper attack typical of straight braced guitars. In both material and construction is a very nice instrument; If Jenkins workmen had copied the Martin or Washburn X-braced system this would be a very highly sought-after guitar. As it stands at well over 100 years old remains an excellent playing instrument and a tribute to the forgotten Kansas city team that built it.
Overall length is 37 3/4 in. (95.9 cm.), 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This is an nice playing and sounding original guitar, showing a number of old repairs but really very little play wear for over a century on Earth. There are no cracks in the spruce top; on the other hand the rosewood back and sides have a number of repaired splits, all solidly but visibly sealed up. These areas have been overfinished while the top finish remains original with a nice amber patina. The back has the heaviest over coating and appears a bit darker than it likely did originally but the rosewood grain is still visible.
The ebony bridge is original, it has been very neatly reglued but otherwise undisturbed. Internally there is a small added piece of wood the front of the bridgeplate where the pins were mounted extremely close to the forward edge. This is not an intrusive repair and simply helps keep the ends of the strings from damaging the underside of the top. The neck was reset long ago, a very neat job. The frets are in nearly perfect shape, the neck straight and the angle good.
This guitar plays nicely with nylgut strings; due to the rather thin and lightly braced top mated with the back-shifted bridgeplate we would not recommend steel stringing on this instrument. This Harwood was warranted by Jenkins for five years that were probably up when Woodrow Wilson was still in office, but has survived on for another century beyond. Even considering the visible repairs to the rosewood back and sides this is still a most charming and playable survivor from this long-ago pre-jazz age era. Very Good + Condition.
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"Harwood" has long been one of those mystery brand names that dot the American musical instrument landscape of the pre-depression age. In late 19th and early 20th centuries this was a trademark brand used by J.W. Jenkins Sons of Kansas City, one of the west's biggest jobbers for their best quality instruments. Some earlier examples are marked "Harwood-New York" but no connection to an actual New York origin is evident. Perhaps folks in Kansas City were expected to be impressed that the instruments came from the Metropolis so far away!
After sourcing some early models from the John C. Haynes company in Boston, starting in 1895 Jenkins themselves operated a small factory in Kansas City for over 30 years building fairly high-grade fretted merchandise. While in some ways similar to the best Chicago made instruments of the time the workmanship is at a higher level than many, near the Lyon & Healy standard. While their origin long proved elusive, Harwood instruments that survive are generally very well made of top quality materials, and were fairly expensive when new.
This is a "Grand Concert" sized guitar (just over "Standard" size in Jenkins' nomenclature; Harwoods were not offered in "Concert" size in 1918) with a 13 3/4" lower bout and a 24 3/4" scale neck. The woods are high-grade throughout and the workmanship is excellent. Like most Harwood models this guitar is built using beautiful Brazilian rosewood on the back and sides and a very tight-grained top described by Jenkins as "Norway Spruce". This is ladder braced in "the Harwood System" and has survived 100+ years with hardly any bellying at all. The top is edged with single layered white binding surrounding colored wood marquetry strips, the same pattern repeated for the soundhole and backstrip.
The mahogany neck has a quite thick ebony fingerboard carrying slotted diamond pearl markers. One unique touch is an engraved celluloid "Harwood" logo plate inlaid between two high frets. The Harwood logo is also neatly inlaid in beautifully colored Abalone in an arc across the headstock face. The single-plate tuners on the slotted headstock are the same fancy Waverly keys used by the Larsons, Martin, National and others in the 1910's and '20's. There is a diamond shaped label below the soundhole proclaiming "The Celebrated Harwood, the standard for comparison warranted for five years".
Jenkins claimed that the Harwood line were the finest guitars built, and while C.F. Martin or Lyon & Healy might have begged to differ this is a very nicely made instrument. It appears to date to the mid-late 1910's; it matches the listing in the 1918 Jenkins catalog exactly, where this model is priced at the then not inconsiderable sum of $35. Harwood instruments bear serial numbers on the headstock that appear to be sequential but no key to provide exact dating survives. The brand continued into the 1920's but was discontinued when the depression hit, never to be revived.
As a playing instrument this guitar has a lovely and surprisingly powerful sound strung with Nylgut strings. The tone is deep and even with some of the sharper attack typical of straight braced guitars. In both material and construction is a very nice instrument; If Jenkins workmen had copied the Martin or Washburn X-braced system this would be a very highly sought-after guitar. As it stands at well over 100 years old remains an excellent playing instrument and a tribute to the forgotten Kansas city team that built it.
Overall length is 37 3/4 in. (95.9 cm.), 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This is an nice playing and sounding original guitar, showing a number of old repairs but really very little play wear for over a century on Earth. There are no cracks in the spruce top; on the other hand the rosewood back and sides have a number of repaired splits, all solidly but visibly sealed up. These areas have been overfinished while the top finish remains original with a nice amber patina. The back has the heaviest over coating and appears a bit darker than it likely did originally but the rosewood grain is still visible.
The ebony bridge is original, it has been very neatly reglued but otherwise undisturbed. Internally there is a small added piece of wood the front of the bridgeplate where the pins were mounted extremely close to the forward edge. This is not an intrusive repair and simply helps keep the ends of the strings from damaging the underside of the top. The neck was reset long ago, a very neat job. The frets are in nearly perfect shape, the neck straight and the angle good.
This guitar plays nicely with nylgut strings; due to the rather thin and lightly braced top mated with the back-shifted bridgeplate we would not recommend steel stringing on this instrument. This Harwood was warranted by Jenkins for five years that were probably up when Woodrow Wilson was still in office, but has survived on for another century beyond. Even considering the visible repairs to the rosewood back and sides this is still a most charming and playable survivor from this long-ago pre-jazz age era. Very Good + Condition.
