1971 Harmony H165 Mahogany

Harmony H165 1971 | $595 | (v2223) Harmony had a long and interesting history from its inception until the early 70s, when this guitar was made. But the venerable Chicago company was feeling the economic pressure of the Japanese competition, and would survive only a few more years. The guitars were still American made from solid woods, and have a following today in the vintage market.

This example is .. dare we say .. in near mint, original condition, rare for any vintage guitar. Its size, 15 1/4" across the lower bout, compares it to a 000. The body is made from fairly high-quality and attractive solid mahogany. The ladder-braced top sports a Brazilian 'string-through' bridge (no pins!), a faux tortoise, teardrop pickguard, and an attractive soundhole rosette decal that oozes 'pop culture' fun-ness. The neck is poplar, and is carved in a modern C-shape, topped with a rosewood finger board. The neck features an adjustable truss rod. The head stock is painted black with the Harmony name in white script, and a white plastic truss rod cover. The guitar is 100% original including the nut, saddle and end pin.

The body measures 15 1/4" across at the lower bout. Scale length is 25 1/4". The neck measures 1 3/4" across at the nut, and string spacing is 2 5/16" across at the saddle.

For a 50+ year old guitar, there is remarkably little wear from use or age. There are no cracks, and only the pick guard shows a small ding from a bump. Otherwise, one could count the dings and scratches on one hand. We recently reset the neck, and leveled and dressed the frets.

The guitar plays nicely, and when flat picked produces a full tone, bright and focused with a nice ring; it fingerpicks nicely, too, with a more mellow tone thanks to the mahogany.

An attractive American-made guitar, in near mint condition, at an attractive price!

Comes with a soft case.

Check out the sound clip!