Vintage acoustic flattop guitars are not all about Martins and Gibsons… Those in the know show some – well deserved – respect for other manufacturers, including the ones at the lower end of the spectrum. Driving a Rolls Royce sure is hella cool, but one can have some serious fun with a Toyota.
The present Harmony H1203 definitely belongs to the second category. It’s not a show stopper compared to other guitars in my collection, but a wonderful ride nonetheless.
It came out of the Harmony Chicago’s assembly line sometimes during the 1960′ (the serial / date stamp inside the body has faded away for the most part and is hard to decypher). Being a “Sovereign”, it sports all the higher grade features of the brand, including, just to name a few, solid genuine mahogany back, sides and neck, solid high grade spruce top, superior trim and glossy polished finish.
The H1203 was the king of the smaller bodied, a.k.a. Auditorium, guitars in the Harmony line. The body shape is very reminiscent of the Martin 000 / OM size, featuring similarly curvaceous lines. Body width is 15.3″ at the lower bout (Vs. 15″ for the 000 or OM) and scale lenght is 25.2″ (which is right halfway between the 000’s 24.9″ and the OM’s 25.4″ scale lenghts). It is undoubtly a comfortable body shape / size and the guitar falls naturally on the laps. In a word, it is the kind of intrument that’s a perfect companion for those lazy couch picking sessions.
The tone emanating from the soundhole of this H1203 is quite a bit Martinish, not Gibsony at all (I have read many times people toting that their Harmony was a mix of the two, but in this case I beg to differ) and totally Harmoniesque. Which is awesome, in its own way. The Martinish flavor comes from the overall prettiness of the tone, especially the treble range. It has a sparkly, bell-like quality that reminds me of some post-war 00-18s I have played. The mid range is also quite pronounced, while not being nasal. This guitar is much more refined and less raw than a small bodied Gibson, hence it being closer to the Martin end of the spectrum in my opinion. Also, what stands out is the very musical sustain and strong harmonic content one would not associate with ladder braced guitars. That tone is a result of a particularly stout build. The top is reinforced by five stiff braces (whereas 1930′ Stellas and Harmonys only had three): one above the soundhole, two between the soundhole and bridge plate, and two between the bridge plate and the end block. As a bonus, the stout build produces a solid, stable instrument.
The bridge is a beautiful solid piece of dark Brazilian rosewood. Strings are ideally spaced at 2.1/4″ E to E. As you can see, the saddle sticks up high and the bridge is full height. Yes, the neck has been reset on this one, providing top notch geometry and playability.
The bridge is perfectly glued to the top, which holds medium (13/56) strings without a bulge. Note that the saddle is high enough to be lowered, but you would not want to do this since the action is already set at a perfect 2.4 mm, low E 12th fret. The saddle is compensated and overall, the intonation is spot on. Finally an old Harmony that rings true down the neck! I only can wish all my guitars had this kind of playability / intonation.
The back and sides (and neck) are made out of high grade genuine solid Honduran mahogany (Swietenia Macrophylla). This wood is now becoming rarer and rarer. It provides a rich tone with tremendous clarity. And it does not look too shabby either.
The headstock sports the classic Sovereign tacky deco.
And it shows its provenance loud and proud. Note: the dust is not vintage and shall be removed.
The tuners are Waverly WG31. As a die-hard vintage tuner addict, I can say these work dandy and are among the prettiest I have seen. They operate smoothly and hold the tuning for months (seriously). The subdued yet elegant engraving on the plates is the icing on the cake.
The brass cog wheels, dark slotted screws and off-white buttons are things of beauty… mmmmmmmh.
The original nickel silver frets are in A+ condition, smoothly polished and leveled for optimal left-hand comfort. The action at the 1.3/4″ nut is also optimized for easy fingering action, and the neck is dead straight.
Talking about the neck, its shape is among my top 3 neck profiles ever, vintage or new. I would describe it as a medium to slightly fat rounded C shape, very similar to a late 1940′ or 1950′ Gibson profile, only a hair wider at the nut (which is a bonus since the fingers have more room). Interstingly, the Harmony catalogs of the era describe this neck has “Slim Line”. But don’t be fooled, this neck has nothing in common with modern low profile necks, as it definitely has some girth to it. Notice the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and mother of pearl inlays.
The rosette includes multiple black / white boltaron (i.e., fancy word for “plastic”) rings, not unlike the equivalent Martin 000-28 of the era. One detail I love about those old Harmonys is the hide glue spills inside the kerfing, braces and neck block. It is quite funny that today’s big manufacturers and small builders usually charge extra money for using hide glue, when them old Chicago boxes are full of it.
The neck was expertly reset for perfect playability. In a nutshell, there’s no better playing Harmony guitar out there. None.
The joint is perfect. Most likely way better than when it originally left the assembly line. The guitar plays spot on and does not bulge with 13/56 strings and will do so for decades to come. Note the little hole left by removed strap pin.
The back is a solid single piece of mahogany. Hard to believe, but that’s a fact, Jack.
The trim includes a simple and elegant single ply binding on the back…
… and a more elaborate muliply binding on the front.
Being a Sovereign, and thus a flagship model, the H1203 sports some cosmetically fine Sitka spruce for the top, that would turn any Martin style 18 top green with envy. It does have some honest picking wear, as a corollary of it being well loved and well played, like most great instruments.
The endpin area shows a couple marks / deep scratches, that most likely occured when the guitar was handled while standing on some rough surface. Other than that, it is a very clean instrument in excellent condition.
When discussing the Harmony H1203, there’s one man that immediately comes to mind. Here’s some footage of Mance Lipscomb, who sure could make the 1203 sing.
And last but not least a little clip of the very guitar presented in this article. Hope you enjoy it.
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