1965 Silvertone 1454 (Harmony Rocket) Hollowbody Electric Guitar

Overview: If you're into the Silvertone brand, old Harmony electrics, and Bigsbys, it doesn't get much better than this over-the-top rig. It's like a Harmony Rocket but better in all ways. Three DeArmond foil pickups? Check! Bigsby? Check! Mini-transparent-knobs with volume and tone for each pickup? Check! Flip switches with red tips for each pickup? Check! Classy red transparent finish and big-block board inlay? Check! It even still has its original chip case.

Tone: As you might expect, the DeArmonds are hot and roar when pushing a driven amp. They give that beautiful, kerrangy, "radial airplane engine" sound when driven. Clean, they're ballsy and up-front with a nice snarl and snap to them.

Feel: The neck is typical Harmony for the time, with a very, very mild "taper" to the whole neck profile vs. other companies which get significantly wider toward the heel. The rear profile is a medium-hefty C and it has a tight, 9 1/2" board radius. The frets are low-ish and medium width as usual for a Harmony with original wire. The body handles roughly like a Gretsch or Gibson thinline hollowbody in the lap.

Interesting features: The original Bigsby is a big winner here, as are the three original DeArmond pickups. Compared to other Harmony products, though? I think what we put into these in terms of bringing them forward in time to be a practical player might be the highlight. We've reversed the posts on the bridge so it adjusts up and down as a normal archtop bridge would. The saddle has been compensated for modern 3-wound, 3-plain stringing. Foam has been added under each pickup mount so the two mounting screws allow for height adjustment of the pickups up/down and so, unlike most of these, the pickups are balanced position to position on this guitar. It's the little things that add up to a better experience, of course!

Repairs included: It's had a level/dress of the frets, thorough setup, tweaking of the bridge and pickup mounts, sprayout of the pots and switches with contact cleaner, and minor other adjustments here and there. Jose did most of the work and it's playing spot-on and ready to go.

• Weight: 6 lbs 15 oz
• Scale length: 24 1/8"
• Nut width: 1 3/4"
• Neck shape: medium-fuller C
• Board radius: 9 1/2"
• Body width: 15 7/8"
• Body depth: 2"
• Body wood: ply maple
• Bridge: rosewood adjustable
• Fretboard: rosewood
• Neck wood: poplar or maple?
• Pickups: 3x original DeArmond single coil
• Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 50w-11 with plain G
• Truss rod: adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: medium-lower

Condition notes: The instrument is completely stock throughout and in beautiful shape. There's a little weather-check to the finish here and there and a few scratches here and there but overall it looks excellent. Up at the very end of the fretboard, Jose had to level/dress the frets with a heavy hand to get them in line with the rest of the frets in the neck (on bolt-ons the extension often ramps-up after years of use) and so the frets are very low on the bass side way at the end of the extension over the body.

It comes with: It has its original chip case.

Consignor tag: CHKM