In today's market, '30s guitars generally come with exorbitant price tags, and because of their historical significance, they mostly deserve them. Nevertheless, there were many low-cost, workingman's guitars built in the '30s, too, and perhaps these more accurately embody the era. While the cheap guitars might not have impacted future of guitar building in the same way, they may still be inspiring guitars in their own right. When they play properly, many will be more just as capable of capturing the sound, feel, and mojo of yesteryear.
Here's an interesting relic from the 1930s—a round-soundhole archtop guitar from Harmony! In the mid-'30s, Harmony produced a line of archtop guitars under the name "Valencia." Because of its concert-size body and round soundhole, this archtop looks most similar to the Harmony Valencia H1265, but that model was made out of Birch (or some other suitable hardwood), and this one appears to be Mahogany. It also has an interesting diamond inlay on the headstock and a stamped metal tailpiece that is different from the crude bent wire tailpiece found on H1265s. Because of that, this archtop is a bit of a mystery.
One thing we know for sure, though, is that someone put a ton of work into this guitar to make it sounded right and play in tune. There are clear signs of a neck reset, and it looks like the "ebonized" Maple fingerboard was re-planed and refretted. The fret job is fascinating, too, because some frets are angled as if fanned. But the intonation is all rock solid, so this was careful work to get the guitar playing right. A little whacky, but part of the guitar's charm.
This guitar also sports a new rosewood bridge that was carved to an angle that allows precise intonation. The bridge was meticulously shaped to fit the peculiar shape of the top, which has distorted over time from the tension of the strings. Beyond that, the guitar has a repaired back crack, and its original tuners hold tune as they should.
All-in-all, this old archtop plays and sounds way better than it should. While comparable examples may be relegated to "wall hanger" status, this Harmony has tons of songs left in the tank! Thanks to all of the restoration work, it plays clean and true up and down the fingerboard. Its tone is rich, warm, and authentic to the Depression Era. It includes a way-cool vintage chipboard case.