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Thanks so much! Yes, a somewhat truncated version of some Rev. Gary Davis. He, Blind Blake and Willie McTell really shaped my whole approach to finger style.

Gary: Thanks for reaching out. On 12-string guitars, I always go with a light gauge of string to minimize stress on the neck. I have had good luck with D'Addario Phosphor Bronze Light Gauge strings (.010 - .047). But be aware, that octave G string is only a .009 and will snap easily if you try to tune it up to a concert G. I always tune the 12 strings down a whole step and then capo the second fret to get back into E standard. Good luck! - Geoff

Generally speaking, if you are getting sound out of them, they do not need to be rewound. If you are not getting sound out of one pickup, first check the wiring from the pickup through the volume and tone pots, to the switch and to the jack. If that signal chain is intact, and you have cleaned the pots with DeOxit, and still get no sound, your pickup may be dead. You should desolder it from the volume pot input lug, and then check it with a voltage meter. Different pickups have differing amounts of voltage, but if you get nothing, the pickup is dead and will need to be rewound. Fortunately, that is not some kind of bank breaking deal; you can almost always get a pickup rewound for under $125. If you are getting a lower output out of one pickup, when playing the guitar, it may be due to that pickup being farther away from the strings. Many Harmony and Silvertone guitars use pickup risers for just this reason, to try to equalize that distance between top of pickup and underside of strings. Hope this helps! - Geoff

@@GeesGearFineQualityInstruments My pickups are working, but I was trying to determine if I should have them serviced. Thanks for the details.

I find that however well a vintage amplifier seems to work, it is safest to have them recapped, as the old capacitors just dry out over time. If a relatively inexpensive capacitor goes south on you, it can wind up blowing out other parts that are very difficult or expensive to replace. I picked up my old Reverberocket at an auction for about a grand, and it had all of the original tubes, with one blown. It looked like the tube had been blown early on, and the amp just stashed in a closet somewhere. It is a first year model (1961, I think) and, after having had it recapped and the power cord switched to a grounded plug, it is a delight to play.

@GeesGearFineQualityInstruments I did that with my july of 1965 Princeton reverb. It was found in the trash n given to me. I replaced all the caps n tubes. The speaker blew I still have it but I put in one from the reissue. Trying to find a local shop that will do it. They keep telling me that the available kits aren't good and it will just blow again.

Two very different animals. This Silvertone is built along the lines of a Harmony H78, which has a much more solid build than a Rocket. The Rockets (an H59 would be the closest comparison, here) also had a different layout of controls and a more limited set of options in terms of pickup configurations. They've got that similar Redburst finish, the same single cutaway, and the same DeArmond pickups, but what you can get out of the pickups is different, and the build quality is night and day different.

That sounds like quite a find. If it sat for a long time, tuned more or less to pitch, it will almost certainly need a neck reset, but even after adding that cost to the purchase of the guitar, you could be into an American made, quality guitar, for less than say, $700. You can't beat that! Just be sure to also check the guitar for any other signs of long term neglect, including drying out and splitting of top, back or sides. Check to see that the bridge is lot separating from the top, and tap the top to listen for any loose braces. If all looks and sounds good, I'd urge you to go for it! - Geoff

Hey TG, thanks for weighing in! I only dabble on these, so it is good to get other perspectives. I think you are correct that you have to have an exit strategy for the air you are pumping in, so having a key depressed or a drone stop open should do that to help relieve any pressure buildup. And of course, you don't fold up the harmonium without letting that air out. I had not heard about not working the bellows fully, so I'll be on the watch for that! Thanks again and all the best! - Geoff

@@GeesGearFineQualityInstruments Thankyou for taking it in the spirit it was offered. Rare these days.

I would not want to lay claim to it being a Gibson, but it looks very much like one. With so few of these guitars to compare it to, and so little information about them out there, I'm not even certain that it is original to the guitar. But it works perfectly and the guitar intonates wonderfully.

Thanks, Cristian! All the stars aligned on this one.

The Harmony H165 did change in shape a little over time, but by the late 1950s and through the end of the run, it most closely matched up with a Martin 00-17.

The great thing about archtop guitars is that the action is easy to raise and lower, and the strings change out to suit your own desires. It is there for the taking and for making your own!

MIchael, it sure was, but it only lasted a couple of days. All of the guitars that I post here are for sale at my Reverb.com store (reverb.com/shop/gees-gear), but many only last a day or two. I'm always on the hunt for iconic American acoustics and electrics, from the 1940s through the early 1970s. Check out the shop, bookmark it, and come back often! Thanks for asking!

Great find!

Thanks so much! It has a great sound and only lasted two days in the shop!

@@GeesGearFineQualityInstruments seems to have good intonation up and down; great for its age. 🎸🎵🎶🎵nice 'lutheirism' lol - if that's a word...peace and comfort; from california with my 25 guitars

Yep, it sure does! This one really surprised me, as it isn't much to look at. But however someone else kept it, the wood really "opened up" and with it, the voice of this guitar. Thanks for checking it out!

Ryan, this one has sold. I try to get my hands on as many H1260s as I can, as they are just great sounding guitars. But they never last long in the store. Check back, often. I'm always adding something cool.

Rich: Thanks for asking. It WAS up for sale on my Reverb store and didn't last a day!

Very cool, Tex! Is this the X-braced dreadnought from the early 70's? How does it sound?

@@GeesGearFineQualityInstruments I named it "Ginny" after a 6-month old legally blind Virginia Smith whose Dad gave me the guitar. It is X braced, and has some wear and weathering (cracked finish). It can use a neck reset and some frets. Not sure how to repair the davits in the fretboard for a cowboy C. It sounds very good for the Sitka Spruce - Mahogany back and sides. It sounds close to the A Loprinzi LM-15, a "Jersey Martin D-18" from 1974. Label inside is still "Airline". It has been all over the country until I bought another guitar in 1994. Played lots of weddings, funerals, church services and more.

@@texhaines9957, fixing divots can be a bit of a chore. Usually, I make a paste from titebond wood glue mixed with the same species of wood as the fretboard (likely to be Brazilian Rosewood), press it into the divot with a stiff putty knife, smooth it off roughly and let it harden. Once hardened, I use a scraper as a micro-plane to scrape everything level with the surrounding fretboard. Then, you should wind up with a filled divot to match the surrounding fretboard color. Treat the whole fretboard with lemon oil and it will blend in. Neck resets have a lot to do with the geometry of the body of the guitar and can't really be addressed on their own (in other words, it often isn't just the neck). Good luck!

Thanks, Tom! I think that with these old Harmony guitars, it is a situation where, "if you know, you know." They are more than just well made American guitars. For so many of us, they were our first real guitars, or they were handed down from a parent or an older sibling. There is more than music in these instruments. There are memories. There is history. There is love and the touch of so many hands, many of which are no longer with us. They live in the sound and the music we continue to make.

Hey, Seth, thanks for that clarification! My head tends to start spinning when I try to sort out all of Martin's various manifestations of guitars!

Also the block letter 1203s came without a pickguard. The early 1203 Mance Lipscomb played had no pickguard

Glad you liked it! Yep, she was certainly a beauty.

Yep, that is where they should be. Only in this case, they have long since faded from view. So, instead, I looked at the body shape (which changed over time), the headstock ornamentation, and the lack of an adjustable truss rod, took those factors into consideration, and the most accurate dating has it at somewhere between 1958 and 1968. Hey, in another thousand years, who'll quibble over a decade? Thanks for watching!