1960s Harmony Sovereign H1203 000-Size Guitar

Lots of Harmony H1203 models have passed through here, but the vast majority are later-'60s instruments with a thicker, glossier finish and a slimmer neck profile. This one is early-to-mid-'60s and has that perfect, buttery-orange-yellow color to the top and finish that's weather-checked just-so. It looks like an old friend and sounds like one, too -- with a simple, chunky, woody sound that begs to be tickled by a good fingerpicker.

These are simple, ladder-braced guitars but feature good materials -- a solid spruce top over solid mahogany back, sides, and neck. I haven't seen an old Harmony that doesn't need a neck reset unless it's been gone-through before, so that's what this one got, among other repairs. I was happy to find it relatively crack-free, too, save one smallish side hairline.

Repairs included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, recut of the saddle slot and a new, drop-in bone saddle, pickguard reglue, and setup.

Setup notes: action's 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE at the 12th fret -- bang-on and low with plenty of saddle adjustment height to play with. The neck is straight and the truss rod works. String gauges are 54w-12.

Condition notes: it's in good order save a small (repaired) hairline crack on the bass-side-waist. The finish has some minor wear and tear throughout but is overall in good shape. There's plenty of the usual weather-checking, though. The saddle is new.