1930s Harmony-Made Coburn 0-Size X-Braced Conversion Stenciled Acoustic Guitar

Overview: As I was starting my post on this, this guitar sold in-shop to a wide-eyed newcomer. We win! It's in good hands, now, and it's happy to see someone go home excited.

Anyhow, this started-off as a small Harmony-made archtop guitar from around 1935ish. Oscar Schmidt made a very similar model but this is the Harmony one and it originally had a tailpiece, floating bridge, press-arched top, and "strapping" braces -- usually thin wood glued to the top in strips but in this case all the bracing was fabric! Suffice to say, the top collapsed and I bought this guitar down at the Vermont Antique Mall in Quechee in that state because I thought it looked great.

Ancel completely turned it around into a very, very good, L-00-sounding, 0-17-sounding, parlor-sized flattop. It's got a wider nut and a bigger, V-shaped neck profile but it plays like a champ despite that.

Repairs included: It got a neck reset, board plane/added radius and refret, complete rebracing for the top and back (with carbon-fiber-reinforced x-bracing on the top), a new bridge with a Kay-looking cut to it, crack repairs, and all sorts of other stuff.

• Weight: 3 lbs 12 oz
• Scale length: 25 1/8"
• Nut width: 1 7/8"
• Neck shape: big V
• Board radius: 14"
• Depth at first fret: 0.93"
• Depth at seventh fret: 1.04"
• Body width: 13 5/8"
• Body depth: 3 3/4"
• Top wood: solid birch
• Back & sides wood: solid birch
• Bracing type: x
• Bridge: rosewood
• Fretboard: ebonized maple
• Neck wood: poplar
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 54w-12 lights
• Truss rod: non-adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: medium-bigger

Condition notes: Aside from all of the conversion work, it has all sorts of aesthetic flaws -- a messy heel area, old cracks here and there all over, wear to the back of the neck, and touch-ups to wear on the edges and whatnot.

It comes with: Sorry, no case.

Consignor tag: ACBN