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| DescriptionHARMONY
H-44
1957
STRATOTONE
“Mr. Blues”
A Real Mean Blues Guitar.
“That old Mr. Blues…”… a guitar with years and tears of pain, anguish, and sanctification played into it.
An honest to God and Devil “relic” of a blues man’s life.
I bought this guitar many years ago at a local auction. The auctioneer told me that it came from the estate of a “local man who played blues on it for most of his life”. Who owned and played this guitar? No one knows at this point but there was a piece of masking tape in the case that had dried and fallen from the back of the guitar that read in crooked script: “Mr. Blues, My Guitar”. Unfortunately that piece of tape finally fell completely apart and was thrown away. But the spirit and songs of its past owners and players can be seen in its rough finish and well-worn wood. Some call it “character” but I call it “experience”. Yes, this guitar is “experienced” and shows every show it has played. Forget the fake “relic” guitars. This one is the “realest relic” you will ever see.
It has been played a lot and sounds as good now as it ever sounded. It is still a growling and mean “Mr. Blues”. All blues guitarists know about the iconic Harmony Model H-44 “Stratotone”. It is sings the blues instead of sounding them with most of its “mojo” coming from its thick wood “body” which is really a large wooden timber from which wood is taken away to shape the headstock and the neck. It is a thick neck. Maybe the size of a small baseball bat. And it is “decorated” with additional solid wood “wings” to make it a guitar “body”. Atop that body is a single pickup. It is “hot” and uses the solid wood body to bounce sound off of it and into the air around you. Notes seem to be flow best from this guitar and catch in the body and in the air-almost floating.
If you play the blues and want the blues to play you, buy this guitar.
Here are the specs: Width 10"7/8 275 mm Length 36"1/8 918 mm Body depth 1"3/4 43 mm Scale 25"1/4 642 mm Neck at nut 1"3/4 44.6 mm Neck at 12th 2"1/4 55.8 mm Weight 5lb 5.5oz 2420 g Trapeze tailpiece Rosewood-based bridge with Ivroid saddle Dual plastic control knobs and a single-ply white pickguard. Neck: Chunky “baseball bat” style neck with neck-through-body design. Bound rosewood fingerboard with small pearloid dot inlays and a 1 ¾” nut. Three-on-a-strip nickel tuners with Ivroid buttons, Pickups/Electronics: Original single-coil pickup in the neck position with master volume and tone controls and an on/off tone switch. Pickup: 3.49K Ohms.
And from the original catalog description:
[1957 catalog]
SOLID BODY ELECTRICS MODEL H44 - "STRATOTONE" SPANISH GUITAR
The thin-body easy-to-handle Spanish Electric that has become a national favorite. Light weight, designed in smooth cutaway style for easy fingering down to the last fret. Has responsive built-in pickup, with tone and volume controls. Special slide-switch permits quick change from bass emphasis used for rhythm playing, to treble emphasis for take-off or solo work. Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, compensating tailpiece. Beautifully finished in a lustrous copper-bronze coating. Length overall 36", width 10 5/8", length of scale 25 1/4". Plastic guitar strap included.
H44 Guitar $75.00 - C44 Carrying Case, extra $8.50
COMMENTS about the HARMONY H-44 guitar:
Have one H44 from -53, best sounding blues guitar I played! Man, these H-44 Harmonies are so great. It has the thickest blues tones around and it just has character that many of my handmade guitars just wish they had. Through a vintage tube amp, it doesn't get better. Plus it is solid as a rock with the neck through construction I actually do love it to play solo Jazz tunes for myself. It is so fun to play and i love the big neck. The DeArmond PU is the ticket, these are rare and fetch a pretty price now and i can see why. It is resonant and just a great old guitar. “Don't refinish that old guitar! It has more value in original condition. The wear and patina gives it irreplaceable character. New is not better! It took me 2 years, but I finally snagged one on these beauties off of EBAY. I thought I paid too much for it, but when I heard the great, woody, bluesy tone thru my '70 Fender Champ amp, I knew I did no wrong. I hear that Tom Waits is playing these now. I am thankful to have got it before the price goes up more. Mine was played hard by the prev. owner, a blues cat from the Midwest. The pickguard is broken and cracked and it's missing a knob, but it sounds fantastic. It needs no pedals or anything to improve its tone. It is just right, going into a slightly overdriven amp.
CONDITION OF THIS GUITAR: Finish. The original Copper colored paint has been poorly stripped from this guitar and it was badly coated with a sealer that has worn off on most of the guitar. Wood. There is a large gouge on the front of the guitar along with lots of other scrapes, scars, scratches, and other cosmetic damage on every inch of the guitar. Hardware. All hardware is in very good condition. Electronics. Pickups and pots are in excellent condition. Neck. Straight.
Comes with non-original case.
TERMS OF THE SALE:
For buyers outside the continental USA, please ask for shipping quote before buying this item. Thank you.
Please remember to read our policies and procedures listed below.
The guarantee. The guitar is in GOOD cosmetic condition and is as described in this ad. The guitar is in fully operational condition. Buyer has 48 hrs. to inspect the guitar or have it inspected. Any defects, damage, misrepresentations or other problems must be reported within that time period in writing to the Seller. In the case of damage during shipment, Buyer shall immediately inform seller of such damage and will maintain all original packing materials and box for inspection by the transportation company. If other problems are discovered, Seller will either arrange for repair etc. at a location near the Buyer or request that the Buyer return the guitar to the Seller (Seller will reimburse Buyer for cost of shipment of guitar back to Seller). Seller will correct indicated problems and ship the guitar back to the Buyer within 7 days of receiving it. In the event that the guitar cannot be repaired or replaced with a similar item from Seller’s inventory, the Seller will give the Buyer Credit toward current or future purchases from inventory of Seller. No refunds or returns for Buyer Remorse or Buyer Mind Changing. If there are any undisclosed physical attributes of this guitar that will prevent buyer from playing it successfully, e.g., neck to wide to be played with arthritic hands, guitar too heavy to be played due to back, shoulder, etc. problems, then we will, upon return of the guitar, issue a Credit Memo to Buyer in the amount paid for the guitar plus the cost of shipment paid by the Buyer against the future purchase of a guitar from us.
Shipping SHIPPING CHARGES. The charges listed in this ad are for the continental US only. Shipment outside that area is at actual cost and Buyer must pay all tariffs, duties, and other charges that may be levied on the item when it is imported into its final destination. And for foreign buyers, please request a quote for shipping cost before you bid. No surprises are always good. And please do not ask that we use a lower value for an export shipment. NOTE: WE WILL NOT SHIP TO ANY THIRD PARTY AND WE WILL NOT DO SHIP TO ANY FIRM, SUCH AS Shop Airlines America or sekaimon WHO RESHIPS THE ITEM OUTSIDE THE USA. SHIPPING DAMAGE. Any external, or internal, shipping damage MUST BE REPORTED to Seller and to Carrier within 24 hours of receipt of delivery. IT IS THE BUYER?S RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY SELLER IMMEDIATELY IF THE INSTRUMENT HAS INCURRED ANY DAMAGE DURING SHIPMENT. IN THE EVENT OF SUCH DAMAGE, PLEASE RETAIN ALL SHIPPING MATERIALS FOR INSPECTION.NO EXCEPTION.
Terms of Sale 1. Payment must be received within five days of the end of the auction. 2. NO REFUNDS. Please ask your questions before you bid. As noted under "Shipping", we will repair any defective item. This does not apply to shipping damage or to damage after receipt. Please note that every guitar we sell has been fully audited, tested, set up,inspected, and photograph prior to shipment.
About Us ABOUT TUNEYOURSOUND. Tune Your Sound Sound Your Tune Guitars make Sounds ! Guitar players make Tunes. But which guitar makes your Tune best?The beginning point in making a tune is You. The music in your head goes to your hands which form chords and notes. The end point is the Tune heard by those listening created by the Sounds of the instruments in between. Our job at TuneYourSound.com (TYS) is to fill in the middle. Or, in other words, "complete the chain". We are guitar players and collectors at TuneYourSound.com. Collectively we have personally owned and played over 1800 guitars. And we have seen guitar players play-from Jimi using his teeth to Jimmy using his bow. And now, we want to tell you what we have learned over the years and under the stages. First: There should be two primary guitars in your life. The one you start with (by choice or coincidence) and the one you finish with (once you find it, you'll know it and keep it). But of course, humans are acquisitive by nature, so we are prone to own more than we need-but a guitar player must have what he really needs. Two: Sometimes it's better for a guitar to be heard than seen and other times it's better for a guitar to be seen than heard. So, play it both ways. Buy a guitar that does both. Three: Avoid the hype. Especially now with the Internet overloading us with data. Buy a guitar that you trust from someone you trust. Four: Make it personal. Establish a relationship with your seller. That way you will never be disappointed-nor abandoned. After all, it is still about money-your money. And you deserve to get more than you give. At TuneYourSound.com, we have the answer!
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