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Harmony Rocket, Re-necked, Vintage 60's Body, Check it out!
Estimated price for orientation: 575 $
Category: Electric Guitars
Class:
Description Condition: Used: An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read moreabout the condition Brand: Harmony Body Type: Hollow Body Color: Cherry Sunburst Model: Vintage
You are looking at a Harmony Rocket H54 with a neck built in New York City by Luthier Ric McCurdy and myself, together.I had this original Harmony Rocket guitar, but there were problems with the Neck. Then a friend gave me another Harmony, I took the neck off of that one and put it on this one, it had the same problem as Harmony #1. My Luthier/Teacher, Ric McCurdy said "Let's build a good neck for it!". So we did. It was fun and it came out great!The Neck is a lovely piece of Flame Maple, with an Ebony fingerboard. There are side dots and no inlays. Also, just for fun we made a "Gibson" headstock.If you look at the pictures, you can see the grain of the flame maple for the back of the neck. Ric gave me this neck wood, and I think it sat in his shop for at least 10 years, aging, before I was lucky enough to get it.The guitar was originally a Harmony H54 made on Aug 17, 1964 or 1965, the numbers aren't clear inside the body. It had two DeArmond gold foil pickups and a trapeze tailpiece which rattled. The pickups were good sounding, but hummed a lot and I couldn't use them on gigs. I replaced them with Seymour Duncan Mini Humbuckers. What a huge difference in tone, amazing!The pickups, to me, sound like P-90s with no hum. So, a cross between single-coil and humbucker pickups. You can get a really nasty/cool funk tone with both pickups. The bridge pickup by itself gives you a great rock tone and it can scream with distortion! Yes! The neck pickup is warm but not woolly, it's very clear and you can also use it for blues and rock. I have used it on a jazz gig as well, neck pickup only, and it was a really great tone.I also replaced the Tailpiece, made a new Pickguard, and a matching diamond-shaped piece for under the 3-way switch. I replaced all the wiring, caps, pots, and output jack. The 3-way switch, lower half of the bridge, bridge wheels, and the body are the only things left that are original. Just for fun I bought a vintage Gibson sticker for inside the guitar and put it there too.There are 2 foam inserts made to fit the F-Holes, and they block any Feedback. The action is super low with no buzzing. I just gave the guitar a new setup with 10's, and it has really great playability.Original Case from the 60's included as well.Serial # inside guitar; 6752H54, 565P, Made In USA.Any other questions, please let me know.
Description
| Condition: | Used: An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read moreabout the condition | Brand: | Harmony |
| Body Type: | Hollow | Body Color: | Cherry Sunburst |
| Model: | Vintage |
You are looking at a Harmony Rocket H54 with a neck built in New York City by Luthier Ric McCurdy and myself, together.I had this original Harmony Rocket guitar, but there were problems with the Neck. Then a friend gave me another Harmony, I took the neck off of that one and put it on this one, it had the same problem as Harmony #1. My Luthier/Teacher, Ric McCurdy said "Let's build a good neck for it!". So we did. It was fun and it came out great!The Neck is a lovely piece of Flame Maple, with an Ebony fingerboard. There are side dots and no inlays. Also, just for fun we made a "Gibson" headstock.If you look at the pictures, you can see the grain of the flame maple for the back of the neck. Ric gave me this neck wood, and I think it sat in his shop for at least 10 years, aging, before I was lucky enough to get it.The guitar was originally a Harmony H54 made on Aug 17, 1964 or 1965, the numbers aren't clear inside the body. It had two DeArmond gold foil pickups and a trapeze tailpiece which rattled. The pickups were good sounding, but hummed a lot and I couldn't use them on gigs. I replaced them with Seymour Duncan Mini Humbuckers. What a huge difference in tone, amazing!The pickups, to me, sound like P-90s with no hum. So, a cross between single-coil and humbucker pickups. You can get a really nasty/cool funk tone with both pickups. The bridge pickup by itself gives you a great rock tone and it can scream with distortion! Yes! The neck pickup is warm but not woolly, it's very clear and you can also use it for blues and rock. I have used it on a jazz gig as well, neck pickup only, and it was a really great tone.I also replaced the Tailpiece, made a new Pickguard, and a matching diamond-shaped piece for under the 3-way switch. I replaced all the wiring, caps, pots, and output jack. The 3-way switch, lower half of the bridge, bridge wheels, and the body are the only things left that are original. Just for fun I bought a vintage Gibson sticker for inside the guitar and put it there too.There are 2 foam inserts made to fit the F-Holes, and they block any Feedback. The action is super low with no buzzing. I just gave the guitar a new setup with 10's, and it has really great playability.Original Case from the 60's included as well.Serial # inside guitar; 6752H54, 565P, Made In USA.Any other questions, please let me know.