 H942 - Stella
Acoustic flatop - Natural
Production year(s) : 1968-1970 (other years possible, not verified)
Similar to H940, H941 - Natural top, pin bridge. Later model has an adjustable bridge and floral design on the pickguard. Many similar models were produced for Sears under the Silvertone label
 19 images in database
mouse over image for file name - click to enlarge 
| Top wood | Birch
| | Body wood | Birch
| All solid woods
|
13 comments | Add your comment ! - Chaz McIntyre - 2006-12-11
My first guitar given to me by my mom (it was hers first) Played "King of the Road" on it in 6th grade guitar club in 1970. Put a DeArmond soundhole p/u in it later to pound out "All Right Now" by Free with just my brother Brian on drums in a chicken coop on Block Island RI.Sadly smashed it in a basement in Pleasantville NY in 1976. Recently found one in great shape and had it modified with a DeArmond flat mount p/u by Matt Brewster of 30th street guitars in NYC.Sounds like Kobains guitar from Unplugged. I'd put vintage Harmony guitars up against anything. - RumorsofsurF - 2007-03-23
My dad bought my H942 at a garage sale for 10 bucks before I was born. I sort of just adopted it, and it was my first guitar. I am now 24, own 5 other, guitars and play in an active country band. The old Stella still sits in my living room, and I play it all the time! It has been camping, boating, fishing...It is my companion. Until I found this site, I knew nothing about it. I have only seen one other! If my dad hadn't bought this gem, I may not have learned to play at all. - dhoenisch - 2007-10-04
I purchased one of these four years ago at a garage sale for my sister for $20. This guitar was virtually in unplayed condition. It sounds great. Ever since I purchased hers, I was on a hunt for my own, which I finally found a couple of months ago in bad shape. It was played almost to death. The frets were worn down, the finish on the neck was worn off, the top was slightly bulged, cracks around the sound hole, one set of tuners were wrong and installed backwards, and the neck needs a reset. This will all get fixed, and will be a player once again. This guitar ought to outlast me once it's finished. - gsp - 2007-10-07
what the heck, 1987 was helping my brother and his wife move, she had the stella laying around and was going to throw it away. said her dad bought it new when she was a teen and all she ever learned was coombayah, and set it aside.
i was and still am a bass player and for 15 years had drug this thing with me learning a chord here and there. 7 years ago i picked it up and got a little more serious, learning basic 3 chord songs. it has the original strings!!!
stays in tune, and to me a good deep sound.
i've since bought a nice dean but still break out the stella for learning new bass licks.
thanks sue! if not for the stella i would never have learned to play.(guitar) bass is still my passion, and the stella works well for the acoustic bass sound. what a work horse. - OUTLAW - 2009-11-02
I got got my nice little Stella H942 last year at a yard sale for 20$ bucks and i love it.It is all stock and sounds like a dream.It has a nice fat neck that has a real good feel the action is a bit high at the 12th fret but it's like 42 year's old so no big deal.This is my 1st Stella Harmony and I love it!! - travis sylvia - 2009-11-24
just found my h942 at the salvation army today and payed $22.00 for it. it is in perfect shape its unbelievable. the girlfriend was hesitant about it and i told her "no way im letting go of this." sounds amazing. - Carlton Veith - 2010-01-27
I recently aquired this H942 from a friend last summer for free! He said it has just been sitting around collecting dust. I had another acoustic but it got ruined. Since I've had this guitar I have learned so much more about playing it! It sounds incredible. I just replaced the original strings because during my recent move I had to go out into the cold and the strings could'nt handle it. - JTroncoso - 2012-03-19
My daughter gave me a Stella H942 her and her boy friend found in their grandma's attic. It was in pretty rough shape cosmetically speaking,but after a little clean-up and some new strings, it has a great sound. Frets are a little worn down,and the finish is worn off in places, but no cracks in the wood and no rattles. So when I want to grab a little piece of history, I pick up my Stella and play some old protest songs! - Quiggy - 2015-07-06
Just scored for $43.00 from a pawn shop. Stamped 1970 Cleaned up sweet. Only 1 issue. The adjustable bridge/saddle has a crack thru the saddle on the 2nd string. A little polish and it shines.. tort pick guard clean as well. Tightened a few screws. Neck is solid & straight. I'll be looking for a replacement saddle soon. - Pine - 2017-01-12
I have two undated Stella ("Harmony" below "Stella" on headstock) H942 "000"-size acoustics, one of which I have left all the original ladder-bracing, but shaved them down. The other H942, identical to the first one in every way, carries a seemingly later "Silvertone" model number(preceded by a letter "S" rather than the more common "H") and serial number(8105 S 1310) under the top by the neck block, but has the standard Harmony number "942" hastily penciled on the back by the neck block, without a four-digit serial number. I an X-bracing the "Silvertone"-numbered guitar, to hear it alongside the one with the modified original bracing... Both guitars have the dyed maple fingerboard with six inlaid "MOTS" dots, and the rectangular dyed maple pin bridge... - Jeff - 2017-11-14
No number on the inside either back or top, but mine is a natural finished OOO Stella with pin bridge and non-adjustable micata saddle. It hung in a Portland Oregon used guitar store, with a warped sound hole and no pricetag. I did not want this guitar. However I made the mistake of asking how much they wanted for it, they said 29 bucks. I said "Huh" and went elsewhere to check out the keyboards and amps. Before leaving I said "Will 20 bucks work?" Fortunately (or not), the guy said "Sure". Into the car for the ride home to Seattle.
I got the neck off without steaming and re-glued the upper sound hole brace. I have added side braces around the sound hole to flatten the top, and next will reset the neck. I have a Stella Fenderhead parlor which sounds, well, great! (following neck reset and setup). The drummer in my cover band who toured for four years absolutely loves this little Stella, and I got one on eBay for him, did the neck and setup and all, it's as fine as mine. As far as the OOO I'm fixing, I really don't know whether it will be a pleasant surprise. However I recently played one that was fixed up by Trading Musician in Seattle, and it was killer, way beyond what it should have been. And at 249.00 it was gone fast.
I have some damn nice guitars, I gig with an Opus X Sovereign, I have a high-end Alvarez dread, and recently sold my Taylor 810 because to my cellist's ear, it just didn't have the warmth of my other jumbos, as nice as it was. I'm not really certain why I fool around with these birch Stellas, which I scoffed at back when Nixon took over the country from LBJ. But damn they sound good now, even as unrefined as they are! Stay tuned... - Jeff - 2018-02-09
Back again, pretty dang fine guitar for 20 bucks! No, it doesn't have the complexity or depth of my upper-end Sovereigns, my Opus X or Opus V, and definitely not my Alvarez. But the frets are true and it rings with sweet resonance, echoing ghostly tones that break your heart. I converted this to a hidden bolt-on neck so resets would be simplified. I still glue the fretboard extension to the top, but removing this is easy. You put a clothes iron on the frets near the sound hole. The heat softens the glue, you pry the fretboard extension off with a thin putty knife, then unbolt the neck from inside the guitar and tap off the neck.
I play this guitar every day, and enjoy the heck out of it. I love and play all my guitars, but these lowly Stellas have a fun mojo that keeps me coming back. "The Greatest Cheap Guitar Ever Made!!!" Oh yeah!
- Manny Sisneros - 2018-10-10
I recently acquired my Dad's 1970 Stella Harmony Guitar, it's always been in great condition, I can remember my dad having the strings changed once in the last 48 years. It's in great condition because he rarely played it, mostly kept in the closet. I'm replacing the Tuning Keys, strings, string pegs and the body is in excellent condition, I won't sell it, I'll bring it back to life. I tuned it up for Pops about 10 years age, and when I brought it out I strummed it once and it was still in 440 tune. My Mother purchased it for my Dad at Christmas 1970 she paid I believe $15 to $20 for it. It was a great investment. Can't wait to start playing it again.
|
