1953 Harmony Stratotone H44 Vintage Neck Through Guitar, Ice Blue w/ Case

Description: Up for sale, a 1953 Harmony H44 Stratotone in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. This particular H44 has been finished in Ice Blue nitro lacquer over the top of the original Copper finish, retaining the original electronics and hardware. One of the most collectable models produced by Harmony and also one of the most influential in the history of early Rock n' Roll, the H44 model was played by the likes of Richie Valens and Carl Perkins, who also owned a '53. The single DeArmond "Hershey Bar" pickup delivers a tone that is very responsive to picking dynamics, offering a rich sound that has both low end heft and treble snap. The overarching sound has a clear note attack and sweet, percussive character, and this is also one of the only neck through body designs ever produced by Harmony, with good sustain and an overall resonance that truly benefits from this construction. The guitar is featherweight at 5lbs 7oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 11-49 strings and comfortable action. The neck has a very full U-shaped profile carve, measuring .960" deep at the 1st fret and 1.145" at the 9th. On the bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard, the original slender fretwire shows only moderate wear on the crowns of frets 1-3, with wear favoring the treble side. Great care has also been taken to achieve action that is easily playable in every register, appreciably lower than most Stratotones on the market, measuring 8/64” on the bass side (measured at the 12th fret), and 7/64” on the treble side. The scale length measures 25", and the original bone nut measures 1 3/4”. The original Waverly open back tuners with cream buttons turn smoothly and hold pitch well. The headstock face has also been refinished in Ice Blue and is currently logo-less. On the body, the simple electronics work as intended including the small two-way switch that bypasses the Tone control if desired. The CentraLab pots date to the 37th week of 1953, and the rivets for the pickup have been replaced with screws so that the pickup height is adjustable to taste and can accommodate lower action. The original acrylic pickguard is intact, and the oval jack plate is a modern replacement. The original "cupcake" knobs are present, as is the carved floating Brazilian rosewood bridge with bone saddle. The Ice Blue lacquer finish was ostensibly applied long ago, with plenty of lacquer checking and wear through to the original Copper gloss, most prominently at the bass-side waist on the perimeter. The guitar exhibits some finish loss on the treble-side edge adjacent to the trapeze and various additional finish chips, largely on the perimeter. The neck profile has a very smooth finish worn to the smooth, bare maple. A modern black tolex hardshell case is included.

Price: 1749.99 USD

Location: Seattle, Washington

End Time: 2024-11-24T12:41:37.000Z

Shipping Cost: 150 USD