Here is a beautiful, 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, comfortable action (5/64ths Low E, 1/16th, High E), with no buzzing or fretting out. The neck is nice and straight, with only a tiny amount of relief.  The truss rod functions perfectly.

The H1203 features a Solid Sitka Spruce Top 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 7/8”. The lower bout is 15 1/2” 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 OOO 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, the tuners have been cleaned and lubricated, nut slot depths have been adjusted, a new heel cap has been fabricated, the original pickguard has been reattached and the guitar has been strung with a set of Martin Monel Custom Light Gauge strings (.011-.053).

There are a few small dings in the surface and some minor finish crazing, but no cracks, splits or open seams.  The binding is in great condition.  All the dings are purely cosmetic.  At some point in time, the bridge must have been loose, because it had been reglued and two bolts were added to secure the bridge to the top. As the glue was ample to secure the bridge, we removed the bolts and filled the holes.  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 I have tried to capture the guitar from all angles.

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

Serial #: 3563H1203 (Dated - Fall 1971)

Price:  $950.00 + $135 shipping (Lower 48 USA only)