H182 - Sovereign

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Top wood	Spruce
Body wood	Mahogany
All solid woods

Scale

25"1/4

642 mm

4 comments | Add your comment !

• Mike - 2009-01-15
  I purchased a H182 a couple of years ago off Ebay. I was looking for something collectable and affordable to restore. it had a loose back brace and several compression cracks to the mahogony back. Other than that and some finish issues, it was perfectly strait. Being a lefty ( short history ), I have allways found it difficult to find guitars in general, let alone ones I would want to own. As a result of that, and my natural curiosity and mechanical apptitude, I started considering restoring and converting right handed guitars of my liking, instead of settling for whatever was available. Having said that, back to the H182.
  I didn't know much about it, or even the model number from the listing, just that it was a Sovereign model. Once it arrived, I thought I would try to find some history on it. That's when I found this site. From the looks of it, I believe this is a very rare model. all of the Sovereign models are commanding higher prices all the time, though not nearly as much as Martin, Gibson etc. They are still "sleepers". Most guitar guys, and some gals, are of the opinion that these are cheap guitars. I would disagree with that assumption. Take ladder bracing for example: It was one of the"original", traditonal methods for bracing a guitar top. It offers a different note, or character of tone, but not necessarily an inferior one; in fact, you can find several guitar makers that are reproducing ladder braced guitars and charging very high prices for them. It's true, some of these can sound "dead", or less than good; but, that is usually due to defective hardware, loose braces, neck joints etc. The foundation of H 162's , Sovereigns, and any Harmony made with quarter sawn wood, is very good! You just need to find a good luthier willing to support your guitar and interests. The H182 is a fine instrument made with very high quality woods. The response and tone is excellent. I upgraded the saddle, bridge pins, and nut to bone, and the tuners to a higher mass, mechanically tighter version of the Kluson tuners, with new tuner bushings. Lightnin' Hopkins and other blues legends owned and played Harmony H162's and Sovereigns. He played a Gibson as well, but could be seen still picking up his Harmonys. They offer a classic sound you won't find in an X braced guitar.
• Brian - 2009-11-23
  I purchased my Harmony Sovereign H182 while attending Eastern Michigan University in 1972. I played off and on for the next 8 years, pretty basic stuff. After starting a family, it was pushed away back in my closet for about 25 years. I retired and wanted to start playing again. Pulled the harmony out, brought it to a luthier. Put new grover machine heads on, had the neck reset, and a small crack fixed in top( dropped it once). After 25 years of non-use the ax sounds better than ever. Put a pop-in pick-up in and it sounds great plugged in. Was going to buy a Martin, but not necessary now.
  Brian
• Carl Croce - 2011-05-21
  I just recently recieved my H-182 as a gift from a friend. As the owner of several 000 size Sovereigns, I had never been particurly fond of this model because of what I perceived as an ugly, oversized adjustable bridge. She was a fixerupper: no strings, cracked and detaching headstock laminate, chipped bridge saddle, sticky coating of God knows what all over the exterior of the guitar, and a damp musty smell to the guitar and the case. I could understand why he wanted her out of his house, but not why hs did not see the potential of this old gal. Stored with no strings in a damp environment perfectly preserved the neck set and structural integrety of the guitar. All I had to do was glue the headstock laminate back on, clean off the crud, smoothe out the bridge saddle, clean and lube those nasty original Japanese tuners, Lube and adjust the truss rod, throw on a set of phospher bronze light gauge strings, and now I have a near perfect trip back to 1971. I have named her Hot Lips because of that wide addustable bridge. Hot Lips has a seasoned woody voice full of harmonic bells. She's a real gem.
• Jim Aniol - 2019-11-22
  My H182 belonged to my uncle Joe, the guy who is partially responsible for every success in my life. This guitar sat in its cardboard case from the 1970’s until 2017 when I finally had time to pick it up. It baked in dry attics and got too moist in flooded trailers but the only work it needed was to have new strings, neck straightened and the neck glued. I love this guitar, and Joe sounds great.