Best Affordable Guitars Money Can Buy

[treborillusion]

So... I have a bunch of guitars, early morning don't want to P' Off the neighbours unplugged play on my Gibson(s) first one then the other... Yeah, they're both nice... and just now, prompting my thread, my 1969 Stella Harmony 12 String H913 that was resting up against my guitar amp/stack, infront of a big wide open window on a windy overcast day outside, traffic roaring, early morning school rush (parents and mini cabs) driving by, and I see my 12 string (it's an acoustic)
This one in fact;

and it went face first just now into a Korg GX3000/multi effect pedal unit...
So I pick it up, ask if it's okay...
Then I'm reminded....
Unlike a new guitar, these Stellas by Harmony are strong *******.
No scratch, nothing, still plays fine; and when I got my 1969 Stella by Harmony H913 12 string and my 1951 Stella by Harmony H929 parlor guitar, I didn't spend a lot on them, and researched them - People spoke about how resilient these guitars are, saying they (they're American these guitars) were built to be taken into the woods and and played by a camp fire outside without a problem/can take knock and a tumble with ease - I'm reminded of that fact when my 12 string just fell face first onto a big chunk of metal on a wooden floor and I picked it up and it was fine.
I sort of wondered when it was laying there real quickly
'OMG, how bad is this going to be?'
and it was fine.
Wow.

 

[treborillusion]

https://reverb.com/item/6863687-harmony-stella-929-mahogany-shaded
£147.00
https://reverb.com/item/11395998-vintage-circa-1961-harmony-stella-small-bodied-parlor-guitar
£226.00

 

[BikerDude]

Another company from back then that is much like Harmony is Oscar Schmidt.
Still in business and I have one of their very inexpensive guitars.
It's the one I keep leaned against the wall next to the recliner.
They aren't bad at all. And even less expensive.
A couple other people I know have bought them after playing mine.

They actually were the original manufacturer of Stella Guitars.
Harmony bought the brand in 1939
http://www.vintageguitar.com/3301/stella-concert/

http://www.oscarschmidt.com/products/acoustics/og2ce.asp
A vintage Stella from the Oscar Schmidt Era

 

[treborillusion]

Another company from back then that is much like Harmony is Oscar Schmidt.
Still in business and I have one of their very inexpensive guitars.
It's the one I keep leaned against the wall next to the recliner.
They aren't bad at all. And even less expensive.
A couple other people I know have bought them after playing mine.

They actually were the original manufacturer of Stella Guitars.
Harmony bought the brand in 1939
http://www.vintageguitar.com/3301/stella-concert/

http://www.oscarschmidt.com/products/acoustics/og2ce.asp
A vintage Stella from the Oscar Schmidt Era

Well, a vintage Harmony is a poor person's vintage pre War Era Oscar Schmidt, today.
It's like £300.00 vs. £900.00 and Oscar Schmidt Stellas are older with a better build quality I believe, I haven't played one yet. There was one for sale in England going for £900 (is where I got the price from) and that one had new tuners/bridge, basically, had been repaired and modded.
Oscar Schmidt produced their Stellas for 40 years in Jersey City before Oscar Schmidt sold the Stella brand to Harmony in Chicago in 1939 who produced these guitars on the cheap.
Elvis had one.
So did Cobain...
These guitars sound awesome.

 

[treborillusion]

Compared to modern affordable guitars, these are funner.