~1970 Harmony H1233 12-string Natural

Harmony H1233 12-String c 1970 | $ | (v2138) Chicago-made Harmony 12-string guitar, circa 1970s. By the early 70s, Harmony was feeling the market crunch of less expensive Japanese guitars. The Chicago factory continued to pump out instruments at a high rare, but US production ended by 1975. This example appears in catalogs in 1972 & 1973, but could have been offered a bit earlier. The H1233 is a departure from the earlier H912 in that it features fourteen frets clear to the body and a slimmer neck, as was the fashion by this time.

This is a 100% original guitar but for the new saddle. The body features a solid spruce top, and what appears to be laminate mahogany back and sides (in keeping with the company's efforts at price control) but still bound in w/b/w celluloid on top and back, with matching sound hold rings and a faux-tortoise pick guard. The neck is poplar and the fingerboard (radiused) and bridge (fixed) are rosewood. The head plate is painted black and features the gold 'Harmony' logo. An adjustable truss rod is included in the neck. A Harmony factory label is visible inside the sound hole.

The body measures 15 3/16", and 3 3/4" deep at the endpin. Scale length is 25 1/8". The fingerboard measures 1 3/4" across at the nut and string spacing is 2 7/16" across at the saddle.

The neck was reset for comfortable playing action; a few brace tips were glued; a crack under the finger board extension was repaired and cleated.

Overall, as clean a Harmony 12 as one could hope to find, and great value in the vintage market! The action is set at a comfortable 6&7/64" and the guitar plays easily. The fixed pin bridge and shallower body give the H1233 a less jangly sound than the earlier H912 mode, and is a great 12-string for blues and folk music.

Comes with a soft case.

Check out the sound clip!