c.1935 Vogue by Harmony Archtop Guitar

Check out my new toy! This is going to be my next gigging guitar and will be outfitted with a decent pickup at some point. It's a 1930s Vogue (made by Harmony) and has the date stamped inside... F-3x -- Fall 193? -- it looks like a "2" but that seems a little early to me. Top is arched and possibly carved, while the back and sides are faux-flame birch. The back itself is flat, not arched, and this combination of flat back with arched top yields a tone somewhere between a flat top and an arched top guitar. I like.

Cool paddle-ish headstock with stenciled "Vogue."

Radiused rosewood fretboard with Kay/Martin-style arrangement MOP position dots.

Bridge (replacement) and original tailpiece. There were a lot of cracks I had to glue up all over the top, including a bunch of seam separations top and back.

Bound top and back with marquetry around the top edge.

Yeah... definitely played. Check out the neck.

Funky faux-flame solid birch back and sides.


Tuners. Bakelite or celluloid buttons. Not sure.


Side.


Other side.


Tailpiece and end pin.

The bridge that came with this guitar was far too tall (was a stock newish replacement rosewood bridge). I've used the topper from it and cut out a couple of feet from bone. I drilled a hole in each for the adjustment screw shafts and set it up like this. I was surprised with the tone... very sweet rounded highs with punchy, direct bass, and a lot of natural resonance and spice. I'll have to try this setup again sometime. Definitely different from an all-rosewood "sculpted" sweet sound or bone-topped rosewood "dry and fiery" sound.

I'll sing a few songs on YouTube with this guy so you can hear. It's not as bombastic, lightweight, uber-super-guitar macho as this old archtop that's out in the store at the moment but I like the slightly shorter scale as the springiness and slightly wider neck suits my hammer-on chord approach.