Harmony Sovereign. A little help, please?

[MaxVolume]

OK, here's the story. My guitar is a 1949 Harmony Sovereign that my grandfather handed to me. It has no case and no strings. All of the bridge pins are in it and it was stored in an attic with all of the hot and cold temperatures. He screwed in the bridge because it came loose. I'll have pictures up tomorrow of the old girl.

 

I have several questions.

 

1) Should I use steel strings? I mean, he screwed the bridge into the guitar because it came loose. (I'm not any kind of acoustic expert, so I'd like some real answers, no sarcasm please.)

 

2) Can I use nylon strings, and if I can, should I? I know that nylon strings aren't as high tension as steel strings. Well, at least that what I was told.

 

3) If I am able to use steel strings, what brand is recommended so I can get the best sound out of it? This one might have to go out to any other Sovereign owners.

 

Thanks!

 

MV

[Elias Graves]

Probably your best bet is to let a pro check it out.

 

EG

[Freeman Keller]

Would like to see the pics. The guitar was designed and built for steel strings, that is what should be on it. However first you should deal with the structural issues - have the bridge removed and reglued correctly, check for any other structural damage. The neck angle has probably changes which will make it difficult to play - that can be corrected (called resetting the neck) but only you can decide if it is worth the cost (as an heirloom it might be). Here is a thread on resetting an old Harmony 12

 

http://www.thekrashsite.com/annex/GCNeckReset1.htm

 

Some of the old Harmonys are quite nice guitars. Many were ladder braced and have an old timey vib that blues players like. However only a pro can help you determine what it needs and what it will cost. Keep us posted

[guitarcapo]

I think most of them were built for steel strings. I could tell better with pics what model it is. It's sort of like saying:

 

"I just inherited a Remington shot gun. What type/size shells should I buy for it?"

[boxorox]

It's worth having it looked at by a pro. Lot of folks back then used heavy strings. Very heavy, by todays standards. If it was stored away under full tension I'm not surprised the bridge let go. If the bridge is the only issue, a repair would be simple and fairly inexpensive.

 

I've got two, from around 1960. I use light strings on them. No issues. So far, so good.

[Samilyn]

Some of those old Sovereigns were real tone monsters, so it could be very worthwhile to have it checked out by a qualified technician or luthier. Looking forward to seeing some pics.

[22antonio22]

If the Guitar you have, is half the Guitar i own,Fix it,do whatever you need to do,,get her playing again.Honestly,If i were in your shoes,knowing what i know about this guitar i own,If it is similar to this one,,i would be getting that guitar fixed ASAP by a professional.Hope that helps you...Now can SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME???? I don't know the date of my Sovereign??Maybe someone out there could help me narrow it down a little.From the looks of it i am thinking it was made in the early 1970's.It never fails,If the guitar is played in public,Someone offers to buy it.I have had so many offers i could'nt honestly say how many,hundreds would be my only guess.It has a sweet,rich,clear tone that would cost several Hundred if not thousands of dollars to replace in todays market.The Model No.H-601-12 is on the inside label.The number on the back of the Head Stock is engraved over top of the original finish(32042),so i don't know if this is someones way of marking it for identification in case of theft or a serial number from the factory??Could someone help me out with this please.I've owned the Guitar for close to 20 years now.

[DeepEnd]

22antonio22: First, please be aware that the thread you're replying to is 3 1/2 years old. As for your guitar, guitarcapo is the resident Harmony guy and maybe he'll chime in with some information.