1969 Silvertone 1220 (Harmony H1260 Sovereign) Jumbo Flattop Guitar

Update December 2020: after almost four years of play, the owner is letting this cool old "Silvertone Sovereign" go due to a desire to migrate to skinny-necked boxes. I've updated the blog post with a new video clip, updated description, and new photos...

The date stamp on this guitar is smudged but it appears to be F-69 -- meaning 1969 manufacture. The model number stamped inside is, however, entirely bogus as it states H1265 when this is clearly a differently-appointed H1260 variant as opposed to an H1265 with its "Western bling" styling.

Of all the various Harmony Sovereign rebrands (the Silvertone at the headstock means this one was sold by Sears) I've had in the shop (courtesy of a Sovereign collector), I like this one the best so far. It's crack-free, has a great-looking tobacco/iced-tea sunburst finish, and a medium-big, C-shaped neck that gives it a trusty, reliable feel. The tone is straight-up "Sovereign jumbo" and has that long sustain, fat but airy bottom, and punchy-mids sound that I come to expect from them. These guitars were made late in the game for ladder-braced instruments and Harmony pretty-much nailed it, tone-wise, on these models.

This one was here for customer repair and received a neck reset, fret level/dress, recut of the saddle slot, and a new (drop-in) bone saddle.

Repairs included: a previous neck reset, fret level/dress, recut of the saddle slot and new bone saddle, setup, etc -- all I did this time around was put a new set of strings on and adjust the rod slightly.

Made by: Harmony

Model: Silvertone 1220 (same as Sovereign H1260)

Made in: Chicago, IL, USA

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: ladder

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany

Tone: warm, airy, woody, clean

Suitable for: blues, country-blues, folk, country, rock

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 54w-12 lights

Neck shape: medium round-shoulders C

Board radius: ~10"

Truss rod: adjustable (works_

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 25 1/8"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

String spacing at nut: 1 1/2"

String spacing at bridge: 2 3/16"

Body length: 19 5/8"

Body width: 16"

Body depth: 4 1/4"

Weight: 4 lb

Condition notes: it's in really good shape except for minor use-wear and light scratches throughout and a little handling-wear and pickwear below the pickguard. It has no cracks. Everything is original on it save the new saddle. The fretboard extension drops slightly down and away from the rest of the fretboard post-neck-reset but it's not really an issue playability-wise. I will also note that the current bridge setup means that the high E is riding a little closer to the edge of the fretboard than the low E. I would be very tempted to modify the bridge into a pin-style setup if this were my own instrument to both resolve this and even-out the string spacing compared to the normal Harmony setup. I could do that free of charge.

It comes with: a nice newer hard case (not pictured).