OS Appalachians: 15-Chorders for Folk and Bluegrass (Sort Of)

Although string-band players like Cecil Null and Maybelle Carter reenergized autoharp sales in the 1930s and 1940s, Oscar Schmidt seldom paid attention to the needs of autoharp players in genres like Folk, Bluegrass, and Country. Most specifically, they tended to ignore keys that guitar-, banjo-, and mandolin-based performers preferred. Even keys they covered (like G, the Bluegrass banjo-picker's favorite key) were undersupported (no Em).

Trying to Meet "String-Band" Needs

1963 saw the peak of the Folk Revival, the rise of Bluegrass, and the mainstreaming of Country music. New OS directory Glen Peterson recognized that those "guitar-friendly" music genres had left the autoharp in the dust.

He consulted well-known "string-band" and folk musicians like "Mother" Maybelle Carter, Cecil Null, and Mike Seeger for their recommendations. Seeger apparently recommended that their autoharps add the ability to play in the keys of D and A. The "Appalachian" series was born. Since 21-chord autoharps hadn't been invented yet, it started out on the 15-chord platform.

The original Appalachian model 45 (right) gave you E and A chords, as well as D (which not all 15-chorders had at the time). Compared to the most common 15-chord setup, these models are "missing" Eb and F7, two chords you almost never need in Folk, Bluegrass, or Country.

Any arrangement of the chord bars on these 'harps was technically possible. However, the designers made it somewhat difficult to play in A and D, because they felt compelled to keep the 12 chord bars toward the right or lower end of the 'harp exactly as they had been designed in 1886.

They just squoze E, A, and D in on the other end.

Nevertheless, this was a step in the right direction.

Other improvements included better felts and somewhat superior bracing (though the bracing still connected the face to the back).

To see the text of an advertisement Oscar Schmidt made about the original OS45's design, click here.

In 1967, as Oscar Schmidt redesigned their entire line, they introduced a "Type B" Appalachian (OS45B and OS45BH). Soon after, Chromaharp introduced their "Bluegrass" model. All used exactly the same chord arrangement as the original OS45.

Appalachian Models OS45B and OS45BH	Chromaharp "Bluegrass"

The OS45B and OS45BH models (left above) are nearly identical to many of Oscar Schmidt's other "B model" 15-chorders.

You can tell the difference from the "run-of-the-mill" 15-chord OS 'harps of that era by the rectangular logo box with the word "Appalachian" written over the "Autoharp" logo.

As far as I know, you can only tell the difference between an OS45B and an OS45BH by the lable. The OS45B had a solid top, so it's preferable, as long as the top hasn't started to crack or cave in around the hole. (At this moment, I have one of these, but I have no idea which one, since the label is missing. It has been properly stored, so it is still quite playable. That said, the top shows no sign of caving or cracking, so it's probably the BH model.)

Imposters - All that said, I have seen at least one OS45B (or BH) with the standard 15-chord arrangement. Bob Lewis, who's seen a lot more autoharps than I have, says he's never encountered one, so it might have been a fluke. If you're shopping for one, be sure to check the chord bars.

Later on, OS also made a 15-chord "Appalachian" with a flower-shaped tone hole. It's a charming instrument, but it has the standard 15-chord setup, not the original Appalachian setup that makes the earlier, round-holed models more useful for Folk, Bluegrass, and Country musicians.

21-Chord Versions

The OS45BH was discontinued in 1975, when the 21-chord Appalachians were introduced (OS45C). All 21-chord "Appalachians" follow the standard 21-chord setup, though the initial OS45Cs were sold with an extra chord bar for E major. Later models have left the E chord bar out.

Some OS45Cs were cool looking, with a flower-shaped tone hole (above left). Others have had round tone holes. Finish on those with round tone holes has varied, including a natural finish and the sunburst finish shown above right.

In the early 2000s, Oscar Schmidt advertised their OS45Cs as "ideal for Bluegrass," but, without the E chord (and some others), they were no more suited for Bluegrass than any other 21-chorder.

One very short-lived version was an OS45CE with a flower tonehole and an equalizer/preamp built into the side. Unfortunately, cutting into the frame to fit the electronics caused most of these to warp, delaminate, and even buckle. I've never seen an intact one, but I have owned the warped one, more's the pity.

The short version is that the 21-chord Appalachians don't have any features that make them more Folk- or Bluegrass-friendly than any of their other 21-chorders. Some of them look cool, I'll give them that. And 21-chorders in general are easier to reconfigure than 15-chorders.

But, among the "Appalachians," the 15-chorders are the ones I admire for at least trying to meet the needs of acoustic-based musicians. And when you come across them, they're not generally that expensive.

Tweaking

Playing in D on a Chromaharp "Bluegrass" or a 15-chord OS Appalachian is not easy, since the G is on the other end of the chord bar row. It wasn't hard to remove the plastic covers that hold the chord bars in place and move the chord bars around (be very careful not to lose springs). Now I can play the thing easily in D or A, and it's still easy to play in G.

Other tweaks that involve moving felt bits around would make the thing even more useful, but you'll have to go to our article on the subject for more details.

Value?

That said, the usefulness of these is worth noting. Because you can play in C, G, D, and A, you can play along with a lot of old fiddle tunes and many Folk, Bluegrass, and Country songs. So if you're looking at getting a used 15-chorder for a person who likes that kind of music, these will be more useful than a standard 15-chorder.

On the other hand, if you're playing with a guitarist who wants to do more complex songs (say by Paul Simon, James Taylor, Noel Stookey, etc.) , you may find yourself missing chords you need, like Em, Bm, and F#m to name a couple. Don't feel bad, 21-chorders don't have Bm or F#m either unless you tweak them.

Conclusion

I have owned one of each, and I did reconfigure my Chromaharp Bluegrass. I converted E7 to Em (a much more useful chord in keys like C, G, and D.) I also rearranged the chord bars to bring D and G closer to each other. For a description of that project, click here.

For More Information about Autoharp History

• Autoharp History Overview

• Mountain Music, Bluegrass, and Autoharps - How autoharps were used in early string bands and "Mountain Music," and why you don't see them as much in Bluegrass or Folk.

• Autoharp Factory Tunings - Describes the four most common chord layouts for new autoharps, and the two most common variations.

• The 5-Chord Wonder - The Model 2 3/4 lasted seven decades and set the chord bar pattern for all subsequent 12- and 15-chord OS autoharps.

• OS Appalachians: 15-Chorders for Folk and Bluegrass (Sort Of) - A delightful, but short-lived attempt to make autoharps more useful to Folk, Bluegrass, and Country artists.

• Early Autoharps Video - Paul Race explains some of the unusual features you will encounter if you start collecting these old gems.

• Early Autoharp Chord and Note Numbers - What's with the weird labeling system on early 3, 4, and 5-chord autoharps, and why do they label both A and Bb as note number 6?

• Is my Autoharp a Type A or Type B? - In 1968, following Chromaharp's lead, Oscar Schmidt reconfigured their instruments to be more ergonomic. They also changed the string attachment and removed the bridge. A late model A may still be a very playable instrument, but used model Bs tend to be in better playing condition just because they're newer. Either way, if you want to restring an autoharp, you'll find out that the strings are different between the two models. How do you find out which one you have?

• Shifter Autoharps - Discontinued by 1926, these somewhat "overengineered" instruments allowed you to play up to 16 chords with just six buttons, plus some little levers you'd squeeze.

• Hopf Autoharps - In Bavaria, where the autoharps we know and love were invented, one family has made zithers and autoharps for well over a century, usually decorated with roses or wildflowers.

• Musima Autoharps - During the East German era, Hopf instruments were reissued under the "Musima" brand name.

• Autoharp Precursors - Before the kind of autoharps we know and love came on the market, countless other instruments that also purported to make anyone a musician appeared. Most of these are mis-labeled "autoharp" when they appear on the used market, and too many folks have bought unsuitable instruments (or wall decorations) as a result. This is an overview of the major classes of these autoharp precursors.

Whatever else you get out of our pages, I hope you come away with some great ideas for "sharing the joy."

And please stay in touch!

    - Paul Race

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