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Jim Yates - Posted - 08/16/2013: 17:47:19
Our local Music store has an electric Harmony Bat Wing (like Yank Rachell's) that just came into the store and is not priced yet. I tried it out today, but didn't plug it in. It's nicely set up and very clean. What would be a good offer for me to make? This is not the actual mandolin, but exactly the same. I'm not sure if it includes a case.
Edited by - Jim Yates on 08/16/2013 17:51:42
Ben Venuti - Posted - 08/16/2013: 18:38:14
$325 ---Offer them that /cash?before they put it on the books. I've seen them for $80 and I've seen them for $500. If anything is anything it's worth at least $200 I figure and $500 is really on the high side for those---so---- splitting the difference with a little bargaining room offer them $300 and bail if it's over $350.
kimmattis123 - Posted - 10/16/2013: 09:37:19
I have one [without the pickup] I bought NEW in 1971 for $150 with the shaped case. I had to get a new case- my brother spilled water on it. BUT the mando sounds great- WELL its not a prewar gibson, but it plays fine and has a nice bark. My pickguard was also ruined by same bro. trying to attach an old dearmond archtop pickup. Harmony pickups from that era-dont have a very good reputation. as an acoustic it should be fine- electric- maybe- new pickup= ruins the collector value.
Ben Venuti - Posted - 10/16/2013: 12:56:23
There really isn't a collector value. It's a Harmony to start with it's not rare, and remember sometimes when things are rare is because no one wanted them when they were new. Yank played his to great effect but maybe that is all he could afford. Those old blues guys didn't seem to make much money. I visited Mance Lipscomb not long before he died, he was at least as well known as Yank. In any case Mance's circumstances would best be described as poverty conditions. Carl Martin had been living in the projects in Chicago. Pine Top Perkin's became popular as a front man being the oldest bluesman alive so he took advantage of that stating that he was trying to get some retirement money --he was like a 100years old! The blues guys did what they did on what were often not the best instruments. The point being if you own something like this batwing you should feel absolutely free to do with it anything that you want to do.New pickups, Dead Head stickers -whatever.
Jim Yates - Posted - 04/23/2014: 18:20:24
I didn't buy the mandolin, but I did phone a friend, Jimmy Bowskill, who plays a lot of blues and doesn't have a very good mandolin and told him about it. The next time I saw him he had bought it. It has spent a lot of time at my house now and I love playing it. By the way, that's Jimmy behind me in my profile photo wearing the bowler.
Here's Jimmy and his Harmony Batwing with our friend Dan, playing at a local venue, The Spill in Peterborough, Ontario.
Edited by - Jim Yates on 04/23/2014 18:21:42
