 H82G - Rebel
Electric hollowbody - Green burst
Production year(s) : 1968-1971 (other years possible, not verified)
2 pickups - sliding controls
 34 images in database
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30 comments | Add your comment ! - Gery - 2006-03-12
This guitar is not particularly well made, but it screams B-L-U-E-S !
These are so cool, a lackluster player has instant presence. Especially in the awful avocado green. The sound is so off it is good. No Gibson smoothness here folks...just raw meat. - old rocker - 2006-08-30
wow - I got one of these as a graduation present in 1976... had a lot of fun with it , but boy was it hard to keep in tune... a few good whacks of the whammy bar would do it...
I played it for 10 years, and lost track of it...
I found it recently in my old home's attic.
Dusted it off, and it still sounds pretty good!
I didn't even remember what the model was- till I found your picture...
I finally own a vintage guitar;) - gollumguitar - 2006-11-19
I have a rebel avocado, perfect instrument for riff & dirty blues & slide too!! - ED - 2008-01-07
I've owned 2 Rebels. My current one stays in tune better than the 1st due to the later mounting of the bridge which used 2 screws on each side instead of 1. With one screw the bridge swivels slightly and therefore "un-tuning" itself. I had, non-invasively, folded up a metal sheet to wedge between the center bridge piece and the side pieces. It tightened it up quite a bit. I didn't like the newer scroll PUs it had, though. Sold it, but I got a later one with the newer "2 screw" mounting and older silvertone diamond pickups already swapped. Sounds a bit better, but there's another issue.
Seems that one technical oversite with the hollowbody Harmonys was using the top-mounted tremolo tailpiece. Not only did screwing it to the top of hollowbodies warp the top (it's great for the bobkat), but it also doesn't hold the screws securely under long-term string tension (I briefly had a rocket with the same issue). I was wondering if anyone out there has similar problems, and if so, found a way to secure the existing tailpiece or found other alternative fixes. I thought of placing a thicker, pre-drilled wood inside and mount it together, spreading the string tension over a larger surface area, but it seems it would still pull up somewhat. I would otherwise consider a tail-mounted bigsby or just a fixed trapeze instead. Any thoughts appreciated. thanks
- François (webmaster) - 2008-01-08
I have many Harmony guitars, I can testify that many of them still work great with this original "W" vibrato, with no warping of the surrounding area. I suppose it depends of the original quality of the wood, and if the previous owners had the bad habit to unscrew/rescrew it, not to mention the way you use the "whammy bar"... But on the other hand, I also see this as a fragile design, and I have added a plywood plate (high quality 1/4 7 ply) inside my H420 bass for this reason.. But the best advice for vintage gear remains "if it works, don't fix it !" :-) - ED - 2008-01-29
Yes, previous owners' treatment can make a difference. Mine came to me with heavier gauge acoustic strings on it, which were probably responsible for the extra stress, warping the top upwards and cracking the screw-hole area. - ED - 2008-02-21
I just finished swapping the tailpiece with an older 50s/60s kay(?) one-piece trapeze to take the strain off the top mount. It plays wonderfully, perfect intonation, holds tune well. Especially nice is that the body resonates much better. I think this is a good solution for anyone who might be having the warping and cracking issues I had (of course if not broke, don't fix!!). Just no vibrato. - Ed - 2008-02-26
Francois, looks like mine is a '73. It has a code of "F 73 w?". I can send a picture if you care to update your data. - François (webmaster) - 2008-02-27
Ed, so yours should be the H682 later model (almost the same though..). I would love to receive pictures, please use the contact form if you don't already have my email address :-) - Mike - 2008-05-17
Mine was a gift for my 16 birhtday. It is almost mint condition and totally original (except for the strings) of course.
It souunds as good as it did the first day I struck a note. - The Lone Arranger - 2008-07-11
Hey Ed, I have a 68 Rebel I got off ebay that came with a replacement Bigsby installed by the previous owner. It really works a treat with 11's and I'm amazed by how well it holds its tuning with the original machineheads! I really would recommend giving it a go if you're missing a trem. Love the Rebel - so unique and the sound of the moustache pickups makes playability issues worth dealing with. The Rebel has started my Harmony addiction, recently got a Silvertone S1478 that is clean but doesn't work annoyingly, any tips/help appreciated mtslawinski@aol.com Cheers! - Jensen Melbourne - 2008-11-12
I bought my 68rebel BECAUSE it is green. I don't play the blues, I play the feedback and this harmony just sings. Sweet green machine. - Doug - 2008-11-22
wow, I didn't know I had a vintage guitar either. I pick my 1972 H82 up second hand when I was 17 in 1977. I actual got two tickets to a rock concert at the old Chicago Amphitheater and the guitar for 60 to 80 dollars from a friend in need of beer money.
My 15year old dug it out this weekend to try his had at learning to play. Of course we had to google it while we were plugging it into the computer mic to try it out. Looks like I'll have to find a amp now. - Del Monaco - 2009-05-14
I have the sunburst model (and am green with envy). I love it. Play it through an old Gibson Scout. Original case, too. - Jake - 2009-06-16
I love my green rebel of course looked it up here. I noticed in the pictures, the one with the orange amp behind it has similar marks on the front of the body (possibly small stains) just like mine. I looked a little closer and I am fairly sure that is the exact one I own. - ABP - 2009-07-13
I got my 68?69? all original sunburst harmony rebel off ebay and i couldnt believe how well it played. The neck is extremely comfortable and not like a baseball bat. Holds tuning very well. The neck pickup is super thick and pronounced and the bridge pickup is by far my favorite out of the 5 guitars that I own. VERY 60'S. It may cause flashbacks with a vintage tube amp. I run mine through a 71 silverface bassman with a danelectro echo pedal and I couldnt imagine a better sound for surf rock. Incredible with any overdrive. Feedback is easily controlled and predictable with this one. Worth every penny. - d davis - 2010-04-13
I GOT MY H82G USED WHEN I WAS 14, I'M NOW 51. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA THE COST OF IT NOW. I TOOK IT OUT OF THE CLOSET AND I'M HANGING IT ON THE WALL SO EVERYONE CAN SEE IT!!!! - mike ambrosino - 2010-07-16
i love this guitar. i wish i could just find one. - The Lone Arranger - 2011-02-12
I stupidly sold my 68 sunburst. Missed it like crazy so tracked down a green one in Italy, got it shipped, stuck a bigsby on it - absolute heaven - I will never part with this guitar. Only a fool makes the same mistake twice! ;) Why are they so good? The pickups, the styling, the stubborn refusal to ever go out of tune. Snap them up while you can. - Waynerainy - 2011-07-05
I bought one of these H82G Rebels from a closed music store. The guitar is new and had never been owned until I bought it. Sometimes, we get lucky. The guitar does not have a mark on it and is in the avocado green color, with original hangtag and chipboard case, which is also new. I love these old Harmony guitars and own several other models. I bought my first one in 1964, at the age of 14. An H15 Silhouette. I worked for a farmer that summer and made enough money to order it new from a Sears catalog. While the Rebel doesn't sound like a Rickinbacker, the H15 not like a Jazz Master, and the H53 not like an ES335, that's not the point. Although I will say that you can get some tone and sound out of the Rebel that leans toward the Tele. These Harmony guitars have their own unique sound and should be enjoyed as such. I play mine through a Fender Pro Reverb Amp and they sound great. When not in sue for long periods of time, I tune them down a full setp and half and have never encountered any problems. - dyorde - 2011-07-08
I also just purchased a "new" rebel from a closed store in Utah. Yes Waynerainy, sometimes we do get lucky. I'd like to chat about them sometime. Not sure of the protocol here but when I saw your post I thought I'd try to contact you.-Dave Y. - Herbie - 2011-08-13
Well...now i know what the heck model i have...a friend gave me mine about 8 years ago. Albuquerque,New Mexico. - Dan - 2012-05-02
I have one that looks exactly like the picture. Same color and all. Not sure what the production year is or exactly how to find out. Mine was sold to me really cheap from a long tome friend that said it was his dad's first. I've had it now for 15 years.
- Gabe - 2013-05-18
I have the exact same one. My grandpaw passed away and let it yo me. Its missing the whammy bar but other than that I LOVE it! It plays amazing and has a clear bright tone. - - 2013-06-06
Gary correct, Pull out your glass slide and your back in the seventies as Duane Allman.... i Got Mine Yesterday!! (6/05/13).. Tell next week how i like it .. but, for now im STOKED - matt - 2013-06-17
I ran into the same problem with my old h82 rebel. the screw holes were loose and stripped . i cut two pieces off a 2x4. The depth was perfect just use small pieces. Cheap fix but it was just sitting for ten years.it sounds and Playa better than ever. - - 2013-09-14
I'm also having the warping and cracking issues, but I'm still looking for a suitable solution. Also, the screws no longer fit in the holes because of wear/string tension. I have already filled the holes with glue, but I am not sure if this will be enough to keep the tailpiece in place. I am thinking of adding a small piece of wood under the top and using larger screws to keep it in place and spread the tension.
Any ideas? This really seems to be a design flaw... - Gail - 2016-06-04
I finally took my 1969 Harmony Rebel H82G out of storage. It was a confirmation gift. It still sounds and plays great. Don't know if I want to sell it now. - Joe - 2017-02-26
I got my '71 Silvertone Rebel from a pawn shop, when I was in the Army in '86 for $19. It was my first electric, but the best thing about it was, once I set the action nice and low; it was very easy to play. The neck was a little narrower and not as thick as on some guitars. I could be downright acrobatic in my fingering. Some of the tuners came apart a long time ago, but I think, It's still in my basement. I think I'll dig it up and try my hand at fixing it. - stix - 2019-09-27
Mom bought me one of the first off the line. I had to wait weeks for it. the green was moms idea.It won't stay in tune because of the vibrato bar. It was my first real guitar. I still play it to work out church music or my band music because i don't have to plug it in. the wife only uses my epaphone. i wound up as the drummer because they never showed up on time and im still there after 36 years.
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