If you follow my Reverb store and YouTube channel, you’ll know by now that I love these guitars.  That’s right,  I love these Harmony H165s.  They have a tone that is warm and lush and stands comfortably alone.  Yes, this guitar will sit well in a mix.  But it will also stand out as a solo instrument, ideal for the singer-songwriter or folk musician.  Personally, I love playing country blues standards on an H165.

Here is a freshly restored example, in Very Good condition, with a new neck reset and bone saddle, a comfortable action and 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.

As mentioned above, the neck was removed, the heel profile corrected, the neck pocket properly shimmed, and a new bleached bone saddle was made.  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 2.5/32nds on the low E at the twelfth fret, and 1/16th on the high E.  Aside from the work that was done, everything else about this vintage guitar is completely original.  The frets have been leveled and crowned, the tuners cleaned and lubricated, and a slight separation at the rear of the bridge has been glued.

There is no date stamp on this H165, but it appears to be from the mid 1960s to 1970.

There are a number of scratches and dings on the guitar, all of them superficial.  The back of the guitar has a kind of cloudy quality underneath the finish, but the lacquer is in great shape.  There is a very small crack on the treble shoulder (pictured), which yields very slightly to pressure and was not worth worrying about.

Some important specs:

Top, Back, Sides and Neck are Honduran Mahogany

Fretboard and Bridge are Brazilian Rosewood

Body Width - Lower Bout - 15 1/2”

Body Depth - 3 3/4”

Nut Width - 1 13/16”

Scale Length - 25 1/4”

Action -2.5/32nds” Low E, 1/16th” High E

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.  They almost always need neck resets, which I undertake if they have not already been done.  Bone saddles are always installed.

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 thousands 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!

This Harmony H165 is sold “AS IS,” and is not returnable unless it arrives in a condition other than as described or photographed, here.

Serial #: 96H165  

Comes in a newish, RoadRunner Padded Hardshell case

Price: $750 plus $125 shipping (Lower 48 USA, only)