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Available to Reserve, pending completion of Restoration!
Update! - now reserved on "pre-order" for customer in Lancashire!
Update! - Restoration Completed, sold & on it's way to the buyer! New set of photos of completed guitar added.
Feedback! - "I've just received the guitar and tuned up... sounds lovely and thanks for all your hard work."
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The "VTG Restorations pages above for "Wartime" and "Bridging WW11 Years" Stellas, show the continuation in the post-war Stellas basic design & construction of the similar Harmony models of the 1930s, of which this H1030 is typical, into the long-running Stella H929, in continuous production by Harmony, in Chicago, from 1945 to 1970, without any major changes, and the many & various versions, both Stella & other branded models, all cosmetic variations of the one base design/construction.
What this illustrates is the direct line in the production of these guitars, progressing from the many Parlor models Harmony produced in the 1930s (a selection of which I can offer on the separate page devoted to 1930s & '40s Harmony parlors), from which the dimensions & ladder-braced, all solid Birch construction was transitioned into the post-war Stellas which Harmony produced after they acquired the Stella name, following the collapse of the Oscar Schmidt company around 1939/40.
In particular, check out the images and compare this pre-war Harmony H1030, and the virtually identical post-war Stella H930.
I regularly "pre-sell" my guitars, at the stage where I am still working on them, or even before starting, so I list some, not all, of the guitars waiting to come through the workshop, and welcome further enquiries, if you don't see what you are looking for.
Stock Number: VTG1340.
I have sold many 1940s, '50s and '60s Harmony-made Stella guitars over the years, in their many variations of the same basic model.....quite a few of them are included in the models currently ready to "pre-order" & restore, on this and adjoining pages.
Set up for either Fingerstyle Blues or Bottleneck playing, or mixture of both - these are superb sounding parlor blues guitars, with great looks, lots of vibe and historic All-American character - all original condition - an iconic Chicago made, 12 fret-to-the-body, parlor Blues Guitar - all solid Birch, ladder braced construction, and on this model, a typical 1930s soft "V" profile neck!
The very brief information on the now no longer available Harmony Guitars Database page on this model was not useful, as the only photos were of a tenor version with a wartime wooden tailpiece, indicating later production into the '40s, and 6-string versions with either Idento tailpiece or Crystalline fingerboard, neither of which this guitar has, and no photos!
I have since seen selling details for an identical guitar, but with "wartime" wooden tailpiece, with headstock branding name logo "Wizard - Made in USA". This was described as 1943 dating, although the wooden tailpieces used during metal shortages towards the end of WW11, usually appear on guitars made 1944 to 1946. Additionally, as mentioned previously the post-war model H930 (one of which I have in stock) is again the same design.
Condition....essentially original, finish & colour in my view as good as you are likely to find on a guitar of this type, at over 80 years old - inevitably there is a little edge wear to the painted bindings and other edges and minor surface chips/scratches...in the main, really the minimum for one of this type and age.
The only omissions from entire originality, are the missing original bridge, bridge pins, endpin, and the original fingerboard. This was of the pressure-dyed type (Ebonised, if you like) Maple, which in the many restorations of similar 1930s guitars we have done, have often proved troublesome. Although, when untreated, Maple is a hard timber, when originally treated in this manner, over time it loses it's nature, and becomes friable, and in some cases quite fragile.....as in this case where the fingerboard just didn't have the residual strength to survive removal. A splendid piece of Ebony has been obtained, from which the new fingerboard has been made and fitted, replicating the flat profile and dot inlay position marker pattern of the original.
We have purpose-made & fitted a new bridge from a piece of very hard piece of old Rosewood that I have kept for some time for the purpose, to which I have add new replacement Ebony pins, plus either a new or re-cycled original endpin.
Brief restoration work schedule to include:
Work completed, having been inspected and assessed in conjunction with the highly respected professional luthier I work with at the outset, in order to determine the schedule of restoration works required. The internal bracings were found to be secure, but a further full check made following full removal of the fingerboard did confirm the need both to reset the neck joint, and to re-glue split top brace, forward of the soundhole. More than likely the neck joint had been previously reset....but at an incorrect angle. Neck reset has now been completed, along with re-securing split brace, with the added reinforcement of a new purpose-made, additional brace, glue in alongside and forward of the original.
Following preparation of neck seating, new fingerboard mentioned above, has been fitted. New frets have been installed in “vintage” fretwire. The original wooden nut was retained, but could not be re-fitted, and a new Ebony one has been purpose-made. Much of the general work has been carried out here in my own workshop, but the major jobs were carried out in the luthier's workshop, and the whole restoration completed under his supervision.
The original tuners show a little typical age-related discolouration but appear to have previously replaced cream buttons, together with original set of brass bushings/ferrules. They work fine, and will be checked, overhauled and re-fitted.
Replacement bridge has also be purpose-made & fitted, as indicated above. There was no evidence of the actual pattern for original bridge on this model, but the new bridge is of a compatible design. A bone saddle has been incorporated, rather than fretwire, as many similar bridges of this period originally had.
Guitar generally cleaned, with no refinishing, only any limited, localized making good found to be needed on completing restoration works, so only “tidying up” work will be to any disturbance resulting from re-fitting replacement fingerboard and other operations.
The guitar has been strung with a string set of Martin Retro Monel Light gauge 12-54 strings, and final set-up adjustments completed, with approx. 2.75mm./3.25mm. action at the 12th. fret, and slightly more string height at the first fret in order to aid bottleneck/slide play, as well as still allowing fretting on lower tension, shorter scale length.
There is no case (although the guitar will be well packed and securely boxed for posting, if required), but I do have the odd period case, and may be able to supply one of the type these guitars originally came in, or alternatively I may be able to supply it with a virtually unused Hiscox Liteflite hardshell case. These cases of course do offer much better protection, but even the smallest case produced by Hiscox does require a some of their extra internal pads fitting, in order to hold the small guitar correctly. I will be happy to advise whether I can marry the guitar to a suitable case, and modest additional cost.
