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1960 Harmony Meteor H70 Airline-Branded Vintage Electric Guitar w/ Gold Foils

Estimated price for orientation: 1 149 $

Category: Electric Guitars
Class:











Description
Brand: Harmony Dexterity: Right-Handed
Model: Meteor H70 String Configuration: 6 String
Body Type: Hollow Exact Year: 1960
MPN: Does Not Apply Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
UPC: Does not apply


Up for sale, a 1960 Harmony Meteor H70 in excellent condition and in perfect working order. This vintage Meteor features the "Airline" brand on the headstock, and was made by Harmony in the USA exclusively for the Montgomery Ward catalog. As such, this model has a couple unique aesthetic touches exclusive to the Airline variant, with an ornate harp tailpiece, black "mustache" gold foil pickups, and brown cupcake knobs. What has made the Meteor an enduring favorite and a unique instrument among Harmony hollowbodies is the spruce top, which has a more complex and rich tone than the maple tops seen on all the Rockets, Rebels and assorted H prefix models! It's no wonder that Meteors found their way into the hands of players such as Keith Richards and Dave Davies early in their respective careers, as this model is particularly versatile, powerful, and detailed sounding.There's really nothing that can match the balance, clarity, and overall tonal character of a good pair of gold foil pickups. They have a percussive snap and twang, tight bass, and a harmonically rich midrange that sounds great when each pickup is singled out or when paired together. Both pickups have strong output, and when mated with the fully hollow body and spruce/maple tone wood combination, the sound benefits from both the immediate attack of the maple and the warmth and fullness of the hollow construction. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, this Harmony Meteor boasts fresh 11-50 strings and low, comfortable action.The maple neck has a deep and round C shaped profile that's firmly in "baseball bat" territory, with big shoulders and a very substantial feel. This profile fills the palm yet is still very manageable for smaller hands and chords easily. The original slender fretwire is intact on the bound rosewood fretboard, and these frets are in remarkable shape having been leveled and crowned in their lifetime and and only showing very light wear strictly beneath the plain strings on frets 1-3. The guitar plays cleanly up the neck with no buzzing or dead spots and the neck is very straight with ideal relief. The original hand-carved bone nut measures 1 3/4" in width. On the headstock, the original raised metal "Airline" badge is present, and the stock Waverly tuning machines hold pitch as they should.On the body, all of the original hardware is intact including the multi-ply pickguard, adjustable Brazilian rosewood bridge, chrome harp tailpiece, rosewood pickup risers, and clean "cupcake" Volume and Tone knobs. Visible through the segmented F hole, the original 1960 date stamp is still clean and intact on the inside back of the body.Cosmetically, the guitar is in great shape with a rich and unfaded original nitro lacquer sunburst finish. There is notable pick wear on the bass side upper bout as well as vertical lacquer checking and an assortment of tiny nicks and finish scratches on the body. The guitar is structurally sound, with no serious wear of any kind, and this is an honestly played and very original vintage example of one of Harmony's most sought after models.This guitar is a genuine, vintage USA-made guitar, crafted by Harmony for Montgomery Ward's "Airline" brand, and should not be confused with the modern import Airline-branded guitars that don't come close to the feel and tone of the real thing!
Please check out our shop "Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar" on the web, and feel free to call us directly with any questions at 206.399.8518.Shipping in the continental USA will be $60, fully insured and shipped via FedEx Ground. Expedited shipping available for an additional fee at buyer's request. We will happily ship WORLDWIDE, but please contact us for an accurate international shipping quote before bidding or buying, as cost varies by buyer location.
International orders will be declared as “merchandise,” and the value of merchandise will be declared as the amount paid. We cannot declare anything as a gift or for a lesser value. No exceptions! The customer is responsible for all taxes and duty, which may be collected upon delivery, as well as any additional charges involved with import.We do our best to describe all items with honesty and accuracy, but to be sure, please contact us with any questions or concerns prior to bidding or buying. We require payment within 48 hours of auction end. In the unlikely event of a return, buyer pays all shipping costs. Your positive feedback and five star ratings are very important to us, and we appreciate your communication in resolving any issues!