1960s Silvertone 1478 (Harmony H19) Electric Guitar

I get Harmony Bobcats through now and then but I very rarely see the venerable H19 Silhouettes through here. They're definitely several steps above a Bobcat (though the Bobcats are great planks) and this is my favorite version because it has the twin, adjustable-pole mustache DeArmond pickups and the Swedish-made Hagstrom whammy unit. Said whammy unit is a million times better than the Harmony-issued ones and, as long as you're not too crazy with it, works.

This guy is the Silvertone-branded version of the H19 and that makes it a Silvertone 1478 per the Sears catalogs of the time. It's a mid-'60s version, too. Unlike some of the other Silvertone variants of the H19, this one is basically spec-for-spec a normal H19 except at the headstock decal. The body appears to be maple and the neck is the usual poplar with a truss rod, rosewood fretboard, and fancier block inlay and binding.

I really like the body shapes on these -- that long, straight-ish bass-side upper-bout gives them a look distinct from Jaguars or Jazzmasters. They're relatively light and have a short-scale neck with a medium-bigger C shape that's very vintage with its tighter, ~10" radius to the board.

The DeArmonds are pretty hot pickups for single coils and have a mids-punchy, metallic bite to them that can be very aggressive when plugged into a driven amp. I love the sound of them played at least a little dirty, but if you plug them into a padded input (the "low" on your amp) you can actually get some very respectable clean, surf-like tones out of them as well.

This guitar is entirely stock except for the fact that I've compensated and re-slotted the original saddle for better intonation and string spacing. The wiring is all-original, too, and the lower-value potentiometers and higher-value tone caps mean that the circuit gives it a bit more of a mellow flavor than it would have with more wide-open electronics. If you're the type of player who wants more chime and high-end sizzle, I could rewire it with 500k pots and lighter caps if interested. The bridge pickup height could also be tweaked, too, to make it adjustable so it could be balanced with the neck pickup more easily.

Repairs included: fret level/dress, compensation of the saddle, and setup.

Body wood: looks like maple to me

Bridge: steel, non-adjustable save for height

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: poplar

Pickups: 2x DeArmond Goldfoil w/adjustable poles

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast)
String gauges: 46w-10 with unwound G

Neck shape: medium-full C

Board radius: ~10"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-low

Scale length: 24 3/16"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

Body width: 13"

Body depth: 1 3/4"

Weight: 7 lbs 6 oz

Condition notes: the upper two corners of the pickguard are chipped-out and someone moved the screws inboard to hold it down better. The bridge saddle has been modified. Otherwise it's entirely stock and original. There's mild usewear throughout (rubbed edges on the neck and headstock, small nicks on the sides of the body's finish) but it's overall in good order. I did relocate the bridge so that 

It comes with: a gigbag.