Here is a delightful, freshly restored Harmony H1203 Sovereign, the “Western Special”, in Excellent condition. The H1203 was made between 1945 and 1972, this model dated to the Fall of 1971. It has had a neck reset with a new, bleached bone saddle and plays with a smooth, fast action (5/64ths Low E, 1/16th, High E), with no buzzing or fretting out. The neck is nice and straight, with only a small amount of relief.  The truss rod functions perfectly.

The H1203 features a Solid Sitka Spruce Top (Note the exceptionally tight grain) and Solid, Quarter Sawn Honduran Mahogany One Piece Back, Sides and Neck, along with a Brazilian Rosewood fretboard and bridge (pinless).  The scale length is 25 1/4” and the nut measures 1 3/4”. The lower bout is 15 1/4” wide and the body depth is 3 7/8”. The curvaceous shape of the body, width of the lower bout and depth of the body are all reminiscent of the Martin 000 line (though very slightly bigger than the Martins).

The H1203 is ladder braced and has become a popular choice for conversions to X-bracing. The Sovereign line of Harmony guitars was considered to be their finest and this model, the Western Special, was popular for its somewhat smaller body shape (smaller than the H1260 Jumbo, that is) and clear, ringing tone.  When you hit a big open chord, or play a treble run on this guitar, it is absolutely Chimey in its sound.  

 In addition to the neck reset and new saddle, the guitar’s frets have been leveled and crowned, a new heel cap has been added, and the guitar has been strung with a set of D’Addario Phosphor Bronze Custom Light Gauge strings (.011-.052).  We adjusted the nut slot depths and, as it had a small gap under it, removed and reglued the bridge. The tuners are original, have been cleaned and lubricated, and function well.  Interestingly, these tuners are something of an upgrade over the stock, three in a line, open back tuners we usually see. These closed back tuners were made in Japan, and appeared on some of the later models of Harmony Sovereigns.  While Harmony typically featured all-American construction, they did occasionally farm out for some of their hardware (like Hagstrom tremolos and bridges on the Silhouettes).

The top, back, sides and binding have all aged beautifully, and the prominent weather checking imbues this guitar with a certain grace and softness that we don’t often see.   The binding is in great condition.  There are some smudges in the finish (which may well buff out), but almost nothing in terms of dents or dings.  There are no cracks, splits or open seams. We did reattach the pickguard and a small section of neck binding.   The fretboard is beautiful and the frets are in excellent condition.

Pick up your flatpick and apply liberally!  This guitar is loud, very well balanced, rings like a bell and has great sustain!  It is considered a “Concert Sized” guitar, smaller than the Jumbo sized H1260 Sovereign, but this H1203 is every bit as loud as either of my two H1260s. The Mahogany projects very well and the guitar has a warm bottom end and a clear, ringing treble.  Where many acoustic guitars have a bright, thin, crisp treble, the ladder braced Sovereign’s treble is darker, deeper and more resonant.  There is a depth to the sound of the guitar, generally, that rings like reverb.  Tonally, the guitar is well balanced and will carve out its own place in the mix.  I love these guitars for finger style country blues!  By the way, if Country Blues is your forté, bluesman Mance Lipscomb favored a Harmony H1203 Sovereign.

Please be sure to study the photo’s carefully, as we have tried to capture the guitar from all angles.

This H1203 arrived, sans case, so we have procured a used but otherwise fine condition hardshell case for it to call home.

This guitar is sold AS IS and is not returnable unless it arrives in a condition other than as shown or described, here.

Serial #: 2791H1203 (Dated - Fall 1971)

Price:  $975.00 + $145 shipping (Lower 48 USA only)