Adjust the truss rod or rip off the neck? While at it should I change the bracing?

[Kitchen Guitars]

I have a cool old Harmony 00/OM sized guitar, solid wood. The neck is dead flat BUT the plane falls way down on the bridge. Definitely a neck reset candidate. Should I even try the truss rod? Or the fact that the neck is flat means just move forward and rip the neck off?
The guitar is 40 years old, still had the original strings on it! I put on fresh strings. I was pretty disappointed in the tone. The body is feather light Mahogany with a stiff Baseball bat neck. It should sound fantastic. It don't, not even in the cowboy chords. I can attribute some of the tone to the neck angle but it is more likely the big thick ladder braces.
Now the binding is all rotted off from the chemical reaction the plastic had to the glue. It just crumbled off. Easy to replace but I am thinking this is my opportunity to rip off the top and put on some lighter X braces.
Or, should I adjust the truss rod, accept her for what she is and go back to building?
What do you folks think I should do?

[zombywoof]

Sounds like a Harmony H-165. Harmony started making them in the mid-40s and they were still in production until just before the company went belly up in 1972. Yours would be one of the last ones made as Harmony did not start putting adjustable truss rods in those guitars until the late 1960s.

Can't tell you if it is worth the trouble to re-brace it. I do know there is a small cottage industry for re-bracing Sovereigns which were the top of the Harmony line and made with wood that was as good a quality, if not better, than what you find on alot of guitars costing a heck of alot more scratch. I own a late 1950s Harmony Sovereign jumbo as well as a late 1940s Stella (a true P.O.S. guitar which I bought only because it was made with the original Oscar Schmidt jigs, was dirt cheap, and needed a home). I tend to accept them for what they are and just get them in playable condition.

What you might consider doing if you are going to pop the top is to replace the bridge plate. These were made of soft wood and I have seen some where the strings had pretty much eaten them up. Not a pretty sight. Doing this alone might improve the sound of the guitar.

Good Luck With It.

[zombywoof]

Another thought - don't know about the newer Harmonys like yours but the older ones were finished with shellac so be careful or you could be looking at adding a refinish to your to do list.

[Brackett Instruments]

Adjusting a truss rod if for setting neck relief. A neck re set if for setting neck angle. They're two completely different things.
You need to determine which of of these adjustments this guitar needs. (or both)

[Kitchen Guitars]

Originally Posted by woody b

Adjusting a truss rod if for setting neck relief. A neck re set if for setting neck angle. They're two completely different things.
You need to determine which of of these adjustments this guitar needs. (or both)

Oh, its a reset. But I was curious if the truss adjustment would fudge it a bit.

[Kitchen Guitars]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Another thought - don't know about the newer Harmonys like yours but the older ones were finished with shellac so be careful or you could be looking at adding a refinish to your to do list.

Being I am in the throws of French Polishing as I type! No sweat.
I do believe its a thin shellac.

The Bridge plate had so much debries from a dull drill bit. I scraped a small handful of splinters off of it. Yep, If I take off the top the Bridge plate is gone!

[BlackHeart]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Sounds like a Harmony H-165. Harmony started making them in the mid-40s and they were still in production until just before the company went belly up in 1972. Yours would be one of the last ones made as Harmony did not start putting adjustable truss rods in those guitars until the late 1960s.

Can't tell you if it is worth the trouble to re-brace it. I do know there is a small cottage industry for re-bracing Sovereigns which were the top of the Harmony line and made with wood that was as good a quality, if not better, than what you find on alot of guitars costing a heck of alot more scratch. I own a late 1950s Harmony Sovereign jumbo as well as a late 1940s Stella (a true P.O.S. guitar which I bought only because it was made with the original Oscar Schmidt jigs, was dirt cheap, and needed a home). I tend to accept them for what they are and just get them in playable condition.

What you might consider doing if you are going to pop the top is to replace the bridge plate. These were made of soft wood and I have seen some where the strings had pretty much eaten them up. Not a pretty sight. Doing this alone might improve the sound of the guitar.

Good Luck With It.

So which is a better candidate for a retop, an old Harmony Sovergn, or an Epiphone FT? I am leaning toward the epiphone so I can replace the neck easily, they just pop off on those old models. My brother has an old Harmony,its a piece of crap, but I still like to play it for some reason.

[Kitchen Guitars]

Unless I hear another method I guess I will "Frog tape" the top then slowly work my way around until it pops off.
I guess I will redo the top then the neck reset. No reason to put the time into the reset then have the top go Kaplooy.

Blackheart I have a buddy that loves old guitars. His stand on the bolt on FT's is they never had a soul to begin with. The few I have tried were ok. The FT would be all laminate? or would it be a solid top?

[BlackHeart]

I don't know, I'm re-topping, and backing, so sound doesnt matter. Re neck for $150 if it sounds good, all you do is pop it off. I need simple right now.

[Scratz]

Ohhhh let me see.....Rip the top off of it YJ..

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