1962 Harmony Rocket H59 Sunburst, Very Good

The H59 was Harmony’s 3-pickup single-cut (later changed to a double cut in 1968) hollow body model, similar to the Silvertone 1454 utilized by modern guitarists like the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. It sports the DeArmond-designed “Golden Tone” pickups, so that coupled with the sunburst finish and “Steel Re-inforced neck” narrow the manufacture year to somewhere between 1960 and 1962 (Harmony switched to a red finish in 1963). The tortoise pickguard and the pickup selection switch are modern reproduction replacements. The neck on this one is still in good shape (which is rare with the pre-truss rod fitted models) and does not fret out or buzz significantly while being played. It is currently strung up with round wound 10s. It is pretty wide compared to modern necks but still feels comfortable in hand in our opinion. The Golden Tone pickups sound fantastic, simply oozing vintage tone. They are controlled by the 4-way pickup selector switch (1/2/3/ALL) as well as individual volume and tone controls for each pickup. The volume/tone controls have what look to be the original “cupcake” knobs. There is a wear spot on the back of the neck and some small finish dings but otherwise this guitar was treated with much more care than many of the Harmony and Silvertone guitars we’ve seen through the years. The finish has some nice authentic checking going on, giving it a nice “lived-in” vibe. These guitars were the Harmony equivalent of the somewhat more well-known 1454 and are equal on every measure. Thanks t the Jack Whites and Dan Auerbachs of the world these babies will only climb in value so if you haven’t gotten your yet, you’ve better hurry! Includes gig bag.