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1968-71 Harmony H165 / Solid Mahogany and a Voice All It's Own - $775 (Abington)
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Here is a freshly restored example, in Excellent condition, with a new neck reset and Micarta, compensated saddle, and a quick action with a warm and focused sound. Called the “Poor Man’s Martin,” by many, these ladder braced guitars have the warmth and tone of the great Martin Mahogany body instruments, at a fraction of the price. This particular example has a big voice when strummed, and a mellow warmth finger style. The Mahogany imparts a punchiness to the bass, and crisp quality to the treble end, ringing but not thin or shrill.
Coming into the shop, the guitar needed a Neck reset and some bracing of the top, on either side of the sound hole, to correct some minor lift in the soundboard. The pickguard was loose, so we removed and reattached it. We also cleaned and lubricated the tuners, leveled and crowned the frets, lemon oiled the fretboard and bridge, and procured a hard shell case for the instrument.
As mentioned above, the neck was removed, the heel profile corrected, the neck pocket properly shimmed, and a new Micarta saddle was made. We chose Micarta because a prior modification to the guitar had opened up the saddle slot and left it too wide for a bone blank. It is possible that a prior owner had installed an adjustable saddle. The new neck angle makes for a very comfortable action, with plenty of room in the saddle to come down further, in the future. This guitar is set up with D’Addario Silk and Steel strings (11-46) and just sounds fantastic. The action measures 5/64” on the low E at the twelfth fret, and 1/16” on the high E. Aside from the work that was done, everything else about this vintage guitar is completely original.
There is no date stamp on this H165, but the presence of an adjustable truss rod puts it at 1968 to 1971.
There are a number of very minor scratches and dings on the guitar, all of them superficial. From even a short viewing distance, the finish looks wonderful and has a satin smooth quality to it.
Some important specs:
Top, Back, Sides are Honduran Mahogany (A One Piece Back!)
Neck appears to be Poplar
Fretboard and Bridge are Brazilian Rosewood
Lower Bout: 15 1/8”
Upper Bout: 11 1/2”
Body Depth: 3 3/4”
Total Length: 40 3/4”
Nut Width: 1 3/4”
String Spacing at Bridge: 2 1/4”
Scale Length: 25 1/4”
Action at 12th Fret: Low E 5/64”, High E 1/16”
The Harmony H165 was produced from 1944-1971 and features solid Honduran Mahogany construction (top, back, sides and neck), with a Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard and Bridge. Note that the top and back are each, one-piece Mahogany, something you no longer find on guitars given the lack of old-growth lumber.
The guitar was designed to capitalize on the popularity of Martin’s all Mahogany guitars, and was originally built with a more hour-glass or figure 8 shape of body, but by the early 1960s it had been retooled to most closely resemble a Martin 00-17. However, the Harmony H165 is actually more of a 000 shape, with a lower bout width of 15 1/2 inches, a body length of 19 1/8” and a scale length of 25 1/4.”
In construction of course, the Harmony guitars are ladder braced, while the Martins are X-braced. Each has is own, distinctive sound. Many guitarists today, purchase these guitars specifically to have them converted to X- bracing, and wind up with the tonal quality of a Martin at a fraction of the price.
Personally, I like the ladder bracing and the unique voice of the Harmony H165s. The warmth and roundness of the tone, particularly when strung with Silk and Steel Strings, is a perfect compliment for the human voice.
These guitars are quite possibly the biggest bargain in the world of vintage acoustic instruments, today. The Harmony name puts a ceiling on what they’ll fetch, but the sound they produce is worthy of a price a thousand or so, higher.
Please be sure to study the photo’s carefully, as I have tried to capture the guitar from all angles, and follow the accompanying link for a video demonstration of this guitar. Feel free to ask any questions that you’d like; we’re always happy to talk shop!
Serial #: 5123H165
Comes in a newish Chromacast Hardshell case (which fits it perfectly)
Price: $775.00
For a video demo of this guitar, please visit my YouTube channel at this link:
https://youtu.be/zMu0w70EPBU