Harmony H1270 Jumbo 12-String c 1969 | $850 | (v2248) Harmony in Chicago offered a variety of 12-string guitars, covering a number of price ranges. The H1270 was surely their top of the line, flagship 12-string offering. We've had a number of them over the years and have found that they don't di1sappoint. The jumbo body, quality woods and appointments like the radiused fingerboard and adjustable truss rod make this model a very well-respected guitar for 12-string enthusiasts ... and the fact that a number of high-profile rock stars used them back in the day certainly boosts the appeal!
The back is made from a nice grade of 'ribbon' mahogany. Harmony must have had quite a stash of this wood, since it's seen on a good number of their better guitars. The top is solid spruce and ladder braced. The top features multiple b/w/b inlaid binding/purfling. The neck is made from mahogany, bound in white celluloid and topped with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The neck features an adjustable truss rod. The head stock is capped with a Brazilian overlay, and features the Harmony name in gold. The tailpiece is an attractive 'Made in Germany' example. The bridge is Brazilian rosewood.
The body measures 16 1/8" across the lower bout. Scale length is 25 5/16". The fingerboard at the nut measures a hair under 2", and string spacing at the saddle is 2 7/16".
The guitar is in mostly original condition. We reset the neck; supported the upper area of the sound hole with cleats to prevent any 'wrinkling'; replaced the celluloid heel cap; re-glued the pick guard; eliminated the goofy Harmony dual-saddle set up and went with a single, notched saddle set up. There is one small impact-type crack in the very lower part of the back that is stable. The finish remains sparkly with only a few marks from use, and some loss on the back of the head stock. The tail piece shows some oxidation.
The guitar is well set up, with action at ~ 5-6/64". Smooth action and the radiused board make for easy playing. These jumbo H1270s have a really huge sound! Strung with 11-52s it has all the chime one would want from a 12, plus a deep and rich bass response. These are wonderful guitars in both quality and sound, and are a great bargin in the market today!
Comes with an older hard case that may be original.
Check the sound clip!
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1484160790&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/vintage-blues-guitars" title="Vintage Blues Guitars" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Vintage Blues Guitars</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/vintage-blues-guitars/harmony-12-string-h1270-c-1969-demo" title="Harmony 12-string H1270 c 1969 Demo" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Harmony 12-string H1270 c 1969 Demo</a></div>
The back is made from a nice grade of 'ribbon' mahogany. Harmony must have had quite a stash of this wood, since it's seen on a good number of their better guitars. The top is solid spruce and ladder braced. The top features multiple b/w/b inlaid binding/purfling. The neck is made from mahogany, bound in white celluloid and topped with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The neck features an adjustable truss rod. The head stock is capped with a Brazilian overlay, and features the Harmony name in gold. The tailpiece is an attractive 'Made in Germany' example. The bridge is Brazilian rosewood.
The body measures 16 1/8" across the lower bout. Scale length is 25 5/16". The fingerboard at the nut measures a hair under 2", and string spacing at the saddle is 2 7/16".
The guitar is in mostly original condition. We reset the neck; supported the upper area of the sound hole with cleats to prevent any 'wrinkling'; replaced the celluloid heel cap; re-glued the pick guard; eliminated the goofy Harmony dual-saddle set up and went with a single, notched saddle set up. There is one small impact-type crack in the very lower part of the back that is stable. The finish remains sparkly with only a few marks from use, and some loss on the back of the head stock. The tail piece shows some oxidation.
The guitar is well set up, with action at ~ 5-6/64". Smooth action and the radiused board make for easy playing. These jumbo H1270s have a really huge sound! Strung with 11-52s it has all the chime one would want from a 12, plus a deep and rich bass response. These are wonderful guitars in both quality and sound, and are a great bargin in the market today!
Comes with an older hard case that may be original.
Check the sound clip!
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1484160790&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/vintage-blues-guitars" title="Vintage Blues Guitars" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Vintage Blues Guitars</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/vintage-blues-guitars/harmony-12-string-h1270-c-1969-demo" title="Harmony 12-string H1270 c 1969 Demo" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Harmony 12-string H1270 c 1969 Demo</a></div>