1950s Harmony H42 Stratotone Newport Modded Electric Guitar

Overview: What we've got here is a very modded Stratotone of the 1-piece body/neck style from the early '50s. It's even got the cool aluminum trim around the top edge -- a look I've loved every time one of these comes in for work. This one is refinished and customized up the wazoo but dang if it's not cool as heck. Everyone gravitates towards it when they walk-in the shop.

Tone: The neck pickup is warm, full, and sounds superb with some drive on it but it will do the "clean, jazzy" thing as well. The bridge pickup is bright, biting, and clean with just a bit of a mids-hump and a little scoop to the very highs so it's not ice-picky. It will absolutely snarl when given some drive.

Feel: The neck is a big, fat C-shape and it has a wider, 1 3/4" nut width, though the board has a "modern" 10" radius which definitely helps it.

Interesting features: Well, all of the modifications, right? Someone cut the body to accept the control plate, pickup, and pickup mount from a National lap steel of the same era. The body was then also cut-in to accept a half-Tele-style bridge with compensated brass saddles. The modder is also, presumably, responsible for the medium-brown refinish job to the whole instrument and, presumably, for the cool "batwing" extra pickguards/detail plates that are all over the place. It also has a set of old Kluson tuners at the headstock which I believe are not standard for this model (Waverly units that are openback are what I normally see) but are nice to have.

Repairs included: Jose had to struggle-through righting some of the modding failures on this guitar -- better-fitting both the pickup and its control plate, cleaning-up the look (well, somewhat) of the bridge-cut area, and then leveling/dressing the frets and setting it up properly. It's now a spot-on player and has a great, unusual sound.

• Weight: 5 lbs 11 oz
• Scale length: 25 1/8"
• Nut width: 1 3/4"
• Neck shape: big C
• Board radius: 10"
• Body width: 10 3/4"
• Body depth: 1 1/4"
• Body wood: poplar
• Bridge: cut-off Telecaster-style
• Fretboard: ebonized maple
• Neck wood: poplar
• Pickups: 1x original DeArmond (neck) 1x 1950s National lap steel pickup
• Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 46w-10
• Truss rod: non-adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: medium-lower

Condition notes: It's been refinished, the strap buttons, bridge pickup, wiring, bridge, and tuners appear non-original, and it has additional pickguards which have been mounted all over the place. The tone control is currently non-functional but the volume and 3-way work. I could rewire it if desired by the next owner. The 3-way had some scratchiness in the video but I sprayed it out and it's working with less noise, now.

It comes with: It's got a gigbag.

Consignor tag: DCHM