1928 Harmony Supertone Lindbergh Natural Koa, Excellent, Soft, $1,495.00

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh gained national prominence for his unprecedented, non-stop flight across the Atlantic; a year later, the Harmony Guitar Co. (then owned by Sears), in a stroke of 'marketing 101', capitalized on his fame with a guitar bridge in the likeness of his monoplane, The Spirit of St. Louis.
This snappy example is among the fanciest of guitars ever produced by the venerable Harmony company, known for it production of 'everyman' guitars.
The red spruce with 'bear claw' grain top, over koa body, is adorned with a thick band of abalone and black/white binding topped off with the iconic Spirit of St. Louis profile bridge in Brazilian rosewood. The neck is mahogany, with Brazilian overlay on the headstock. Tuners are a higher grade not commonly found on cheaper instruments. Inside the sound hole is pasted a blue and white 'Guarantee This Supertone..' label. The number 657 is ink-stamped inside an oval on the label. It's common to find ink stamps inside Harmony guitars, but they are typically 's' or 'f' stamped before the number.
The extremely dry, ebony-like fingerboard was replaced because it literally blew up when a fret was removed to drill the steam hole. Because the board was so very dry, cracked, and worn, it was removed and replaced with a new ebony board; the original fancy inlays were retained and mounted into the new board, along with new frets. The original neck binding was not replaced, but will accompany the guitar. Additionally, a pair of carbon fiber rods were installed to ensure neck stiffness. The neck was reset, and a new nut and saddle fitted. Consequently, this guitar is set up to optimum playing, with very comfortable action. The guitar is crack free, with only a few dings here and there; someone in the past left some tool marks along the fingerboard extension. Otherwise, this a very solid, clean example.
The body measures 13 3/8" across the lower bout; scale length is 24 1/4"; the fingerboard measures 1 3/4" at the nut, string spacing is a hair under 21/4" at the bridge, and the neck is a very flat 'v' profile, with a fairly modern feel. The top is ladder braced, and the guitar is light as a feather.
With all the above taken into consideration, this guitar is a pleasure to the hands and the ear. It plays effortlessly, and produces a surprisingly bold sound, ringing sweetly in the trebles, and projecting strongly in the mid range with a pleasant and balanced bass on the bottom. Country blues players will love this guitar, and we're certain it would hold its own flat-picked in an old timey setting, too.
Even though there are a number of examples with the 'aero' bridge to surface over the years, not all are fully blinged-out like this one. Additionally, the astute guitar shopper will discover that lot 143 in the April 'Artistry of the Guitar' auction at Guernsey's is the exact same guitar as we offer here. However, that guitar requires a $31,000 opening bid (plus 25% buyers fee!) So, if you're hankering' for a koa fingerpicker with an aero bridge and lots of bling, save yourself some bucks and shop here on gbase.