In my never ending quest to own a lot of dubious guitars that cost very little money I recently purchased a Harmony Sovereign jumbo (made in Korea). Since I spent a fairly small amount of money, I do not feel to bad about the fact it has sat on a kitchen chair in my dining room for three months while I looked at it trying to decide if I should bother getting it fixed or even set up properly.

According to our friends at the Harmony guitars database, there were 11 Harmony models in the Sovereign series as well as six that went under other brand names (Silvertone, Fender, Regal, Barclay, Alden, and Uno-Tone). They range wildly in shape, color, and probably quality. The name Sovereign first appeared in 1947 and was used until 1975. They have a bigger body than the popular H-165 and H-162 models -- sometimes. There are many models (H-164, for instance) that have the name Sovereign on the headstock but the body shape that is identical to the H-162. A lack of consistency was one thing that was consistent in Harmony guitars. MANY of the models marked "Sovereign" are not jumbos but have a variety of shapes similar to the H-162/165. There are even some that are acoustic/electric and have tone knobs on the face of the guitar -- like an electric. These goofy looking guitars have a number of brands, names and model numbers.

There were Sovereign tenor guitars (4 strings) and "Western" models with more rounded bodies as well. There was a red white and blue Buck Owens Harmony (branded a Silvertone) as well.

The wood seems to be anyone's guess over a period of years. BUT they are all solid wood. The tops seem to be mainly spruce and the guitar I bought is spruce (I am fairly sure). The bodies vary in wood type. The Harmony Database even has one model with a birch body. Very often the wood is not your main worry when picking up an old Harmony -- it is the plastic and the hardware. Tuning pegs are often charitably described as "cheap and horrible" but that can also be a matter of age and disuse. The Harmony I bought had no case and was probably -- from the dust and cobwebs inside the guitar -- stored case-less in an attic for decades. Yet this guitar is not warped and plays nicely. There is a minimum of plastic to crack and be in need of replacement. The pegs are still serviceable. From photos and the year on the ripped tag in the guitar (was someone trying to tear of the "Made in Korea" label?) I believe mine is an H-182 from 1971.

So what is the upshot of all this? Like videos and articles on previous Harmony's -- from the all mahogany H-165 acoustic guitar to the small, active pick-up Harmony H-805 bass -- the moral of the story is that these old guitars are worth buying so long as you do not pay too much. You should also be willing to accept that the person selling the guitar is unlikely to know, for certain, which model or wood is used. If you buy over the internet it is a crap shoot. But you can also find a decent beater guitar for well under $200. Try doing that in a music store sometime.