Founded in 1892, Harmony guitars was at one point the largest guitar manufacturer in the United States. Millions of guitar players got their start on a Harmony guitar. Harmony was there for the birth of rock and roll, and now they are back better than ever.
Now produced at the historic Heritage factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Harmony guitars respect the past, but are designed and built with the modern player in mind. Featuring classic tone woods, nitrocellulose finishes, quality hardware, and exclusive gold foil pickups, the Harmony Silhouette is a straightforward double cut solidbody guitar that will appeal to players of all abilities.
The USA-made Harmony Silhouette features:
Alder body
Nitrocellulose Slate finish
Maple bolt-on neck, 25” scale, 1-11/16 nut width
“C” neck profile
12” radius Ebony fretboard
22 Medium jumbo frets
Custom gold foil mini-humbucker pickups
Volume and tone control with orange drop capacitor
3 saddle compensated string-through bridge
Locking tuners
MONO Vertigo case
The revival of the Harmony brand brings back a historic name known to most for their quirky budget guitars of the 60's, often sold in mail order catalogs. The goal of the new Harmony is not "cheap" but clean, somewhat retro-inspired guitars, free of gimmicks and superfluous tech. The Alder bodied Silhouette's weigh in at about seven pounds on the dot, sport an unusual for this price-point nitrocellulose finish, and have a sculpted six-on-a-side non-kerfed headstock with locking tuners. One other feature we really like is that the headstock is angled back, removing the need for a string tree. Nothing budget about this.
We measure the neck profile to be roughly .805" at the first fret and .925" at the 12th fret. With the 1-11/16 nut width and not heavily rolled fretboard edges, it feels pleasantly chunky but never bulky. The thickness in the upper frets is just about perfect, and lends great palm support while working up the neck. The 25" scale is 1/2" shorter that the "other" bolt-on brand, and the bolt-on/shorter scale combo is a nice blend of snappy dynamics and comfortable string tension.
And what about those pickups? Gold foil itself is not really an indicator of anything, and the construction beneath foil pickups can vary widely. But it's a cool look, and was used to dress up otherwise nondescript low priced guitars. In addition to it's Alder body and Maple neck, the Silhouette differs from it's peers by sporting mini-humbucker pickups which offer a "snappier" and yet pleasing alternative to the classic Mahogany/Humbucker combination.
The Silhouette pickups have plenty of snap and attack, and a firm midrange bite that is somewhat like a Hi-Fi P-90. Neck tones are very percussive and clear, and by itself or combined with the bridge pickup you can really get your funk going. It's got more single coil character than the Jupiter or Rebel guitars, but the midrange presence stands loud and clear in the mix. The bridge pickup is bright with rich harmonic content and sparkle, and the balanced response of Alder combined with an effective tone control that can take the edge off without it sounding dark and muffled. The Silhouette strikes us as a very lively guitar with a healthy mix of sparkle and punch, no doubt aided by the note clarity of a bolt-on Maple neck and percussive Ebony fretboard.
Plugged into our Sparkle Drive Mod pedal, the Silhouette sang with clarity, great sustain, and note definition. The tonal balance is very even with no undue emphasis at any given frequency. Clearly these pickups have a lot of high end content, but it adds to the detail and dimension of the tone rather than being fizzy or tiresome. The Silhouette does not have immense low end, and to us it's tone makes us think of a Firebird/Jazzmaster hybrid. Nonetheless, it hits the mark for roots, funk, and alternative.
Fancy foil covers or not, the Harmony Silhouette has a unique tone that sits in its own space. Mini-humbucker's offer a fresh mix of single and dual-coil tones that get rid of flabby bass response and give you smooth yet detailed high end sparkle. Plus it's got a really sweet neck that plays flawlessly, and the combo of bolt-on snap and slightly lower string tension is a really neat twist. Add in the rugged MONO bag and and you've got a lightweight, rugged, and very portable musical multi-tool. The Harmony Silhouette is an excellent choice for players looking for an upgrade, or those looking to create their own voice and musical path.
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