Years ago that guitar was someones friend. You can tell by the scars. Thanks for not letting it die alone Jerry.  You're the Best!

Guitar Geek time! Those tuners Jerry cleaned up so well are extremely early Kluson units which do not have the scalloped plates. Kluson began making tuners in 1936 and it appears this guitar was made in January 1937 so Richter- based in Chicago- like Kluson itself, must have been one of the first- possibly the first company to adopt them. Very quickly other makers began using Kluson- Gibson in about 1937 and then Regal in 1939, followed by Kay and Harmony in 1940 or so. Harmony also of Chicago (Kay and Regal, likewise) was owned by Sears- which is why Sears retailed guitars were made by Harmony until 1940. 1940 was the year that Sears sold the company to its management- and Kluson helped Harmony's managers to buy out the company. So, there it is- just some tuners but an interesting history illustrated by this one guitar which now sings again, after Jerry's sterling efforts.

This reminded me so much of my young years. I used to get all manner of junk to learn how to repair guitars. Most if repairable I gave away.
  That one reminded me of an old Stella that really gave me a fit. Once I finished I laid it back and forgot about it. A guy I worked with had more bills coming up at Christmas than I did and he said his daughter wanted a guitar to learn to play and did I have something cheap. I immediately thought of the Stella and told him I'd drop by first chance I got.
 When I arrived the little girl, about 10 years old was waiting with shiny bright eyes. I had it in a trash bag but she didn't notice and when I pulled it out she started crying and so did I. I played a little Jingle Bells and handed it to her. I drove away choking on tears as was her dad on the porch.
 Thanks for bringing this memory back, good times

"It's just a walk hanger".
Then he works on it like a million dollar guitar. Jerry is a true craftsman.

"It would be simple if it would just be simple". Best repair line/quote, ever.

This old guitar ain't mine to keep
Just taking care of it now
It's been around for years and years
Just waiting in its old case
It's been up and down the country roads
It's brought a tear and a smile
It's seen its share of dreams and hopes
And never went out of style
The more I play it, the better it sounds
It cries when I leave it alone
Silently it waits for me
Or someone else I suppose

One of the hidden benefits of YouTube is that worn out old workhouse instruments can get completely uneconomical repairs as they provide great content. Fantastic job on this one, revealed itself to be a rather handsome little guitar at the end.

Just a note to say that when you first strummed her after so many years gathering dust I got a rush of goosebumps.  When an instrument makes beautiful sounds, it's impossible not to think of her in human terms and think of her as coming back to life after lying dormant for half a century.  I love what you do Jerry.

This is a RICHTER HARMONY 1937, ARCHTOP GUITAR AND A VERY BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE! If restored right and a good glue job,a re-fret.maybe even to set the intonation better pin the bridge to the top of the arch bone nut,nice file saddle and some nice strings this is a beautiful example! This was made in 37 in Chicago.

loved the song at the end: fallen leaves

1937 Richter Harmony arch top.

I enjoyed the video of you restoring that old guitar. My daddy recently passed away and he played guitar all of his life. He loved it so much. When I got to the end of your video and you played that song I just burst out in tears. That’s the one song that his pastor wanted him to sing one more time and he never got to. He moved here to East Tennessee with me a few months before he passed away. Thank you so much for restoring that old guitar. Also for singing that song.

I repair a lot of these old cheapies but I'm a nobody. It's nice to see a guy of your stature take the time to bring this back to life. There would be no need to make anymore guitars in this world if we only repaired the old ones. Thank you for this.

That tone speaks of craftsmanship when it was made....and craftsmanship when he restored it.
It's putting forth life and happiness again

10:16 I love the finger wear marks on the fretboard: this guitar has played a great deal of music, forget the dollar value, that means nothing.

Amazing what people through in the trash that Richter Harmony guitar from 1937 could be worth anywhere from $400 to $1800. What a great save from the trash. Well you sure made that sound a bit better than a wall hanger Jerry. Thanks for the informative video.

I love seeing you repair these old guitars. They might not be high value but I would definitely say they have cultural value which is just as valid. Nice job Jerry. 👍

I've reglued the braces in some pressed archtops mandolins before and did it just like you did, but I wet the top and heated it up with a heat gun first, it worked well. You know, I feel like these old budget instruments are always worth fixing up, these are the real instruments of folks, very few people could get a Martin back then, regular families just didn't have extra money, it was hard enough to come up with $10.00 for a guitar like this one. Someone loved that guitar and felt real lucky to have it I bet.

I love how he explains EVERYTHING he does, so people don't make comments about why he did or didn't do something.:)  So patient.

OH, BATMAN, as many times as I've watched this, I'm still in  wonderment.  Thankyou for the posting of this repair!