1975 Harmony Opus XX Jumbo Guitar

Harmony's Opus line (this is the fifth one I've worked on -- is that a record, yet?) was intended to put them in the same space as Gibsons, Martins, Guilds, and the like during the '70s so they'd have a higher-end guitar that could compete against the bottomless abyss of Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese imports at the time.

This is actually a serious guitar cut along the lines of a J-200 and it has a fast, slim neck that's a lot like '60s Gibsons in feel an an x-braced top that gives it a sound more like said Gibsons and Martins as well. It's still very Harmony in its way, though -- the bigger Harmony boxes like H1260 models tend to have this airy sort of upper-mids emphasis that this guitar also has. Who knows why?

The difference between this and their ladder-braced fare, though, is that it's got that big, full, clear, "stone dropped in water" sound that you want to hear out of a jumbo guitar. It's not all airy, woody, and open like the ladder-braced Sovereigns.

Want to see other Opus models? Here's another XX jumbo -- here's a mahogany version of the same -- here's an x-braced H1260 (basically) -- and here's another.

Post-repairs this guy plays like a champ. It's also clean as heck, too, so it looks as fancy as it sounds. The back and sides are ply on this, however, even though the top is solid. I think that gives it a bit of the Guild or Alvarez vibe in its voicing as well.

Repairs included: neck reset, fret level/dress, partial pickguard reglue, new bone saddle, mild cleaning, setup, etc.

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: ply flamed maple

Bracing type: x

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: maple

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

Neck shape: slim C

Board radius: ~12"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-low

Scale length: 25 1/8"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

Body width: 17"

Body depth: 4 5/8"

Condition notes: it's clean throughout with not much usewear in evidence. The fretboard was played-on mildly but the frets only needed the lightest level/dress job. It's all-original, too, save the new bone saddle.