11/30/2023 0 Comments Harmony rocketThe reissue mustache pickups have some of the guts of the originals, but seem just a tad bit bright. The wooden bridge is not compensated, so intonation gets funky up high. Very lively in my hands, the finish is not nearly as thick as say an Epiphone. Fit & finish is typical Korean, so no complaints there. The neck angle was correct, just like a correctly set up original, so the action and pickup spacing was very good. Had a surprisingly chunky neck for an Asian import, though not obnoxiously fat by any stretch. All were played through a Deluxe Reverb Reissue, which seems to be a good baseline amp that I am familiar with.ġ) H59 3 Pickup Rocket. Bear in mind that I was trying them out at a relatively busy store, so my tests were somewhat hurried. So, here's a quick rundown of the models I had a chance to play in order of my personal preference for them. However, for the price they are a very poor value considering you can get an original for less. hollowbodies, and to be honest I was surprised at how close these are. I love the old Harmony / Kay / Silvertone etc. There is also light buckle rash on the back and a few assorted nicks and scuffs, but no serious wear of any kind.Had a chance to play a few of the Harmony reissues today and I thought I would share some info on them, since there seems to be relatively little available. There is a light ghosting of a few letters that were affixed to the bass side lower bout of the body at one time and subsequently removed. The pickguard is a modern reproduction that matches the shape, thickness, and bevel of the original, and the carved rosewood bridge with bone saddle is also a modern, custom made part.Ĭosmetically, this guitar is in good overall shape, with a vibrant red sunburst nitro lacquer finish. The chrome on the vibrato unit is near spotless, and it responds very smoothly with the original spring, jumping back into tune well and providing a surprising amount of range and nuance. On the headstock, this Barclay has a unique six-on-a-side design with stock tuners that turn smoothly and hold pitch as they should.Īll of the electronics work as they should, and the original chrome vibrato unit and white DeArmond knobs are present as well. The neck is straight, the truss rod is responsive, and the guitar plays cleanly in all positions with no buzzing. The frets have a decent amount of height and roundness, showing moderate wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-5 and sparingly little wear further up the neck. The dyed maple fretboard sports original fretwire and aged white creme binding with pearl block inlays. The maple neck has a medium C shaped profile, with shoulders that are nice and round. Each pickup has strong and consistent output across all strings, and when mated with the fully hollow maple body, the tone gets both the immediate attack of the maple and the warmth and fullness of the hollow construction. This pair of gold foils sound great individually, with a particularly full and even tone with both pickups engaged. 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. There's really nothing that can match the balance, clarity and overall tonal character of original DeArmond Gold Foil pickups. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with fresh 11-50 strings and low, comfortable action, this Harmony Rocket is dialed in and ready for stage and studio use! Fully hollow and featherweight at only 6lbs 2oz, this Rocket has a bright and crisp acoustic tone that translates well through the pickups. One of the rarer variations on the classic Rocket, this upscale model features a double cutaway body (only available from 1968 onward), a chrome Bigsby-esque vibrato tailpiece, and a pair of original "moustache" DeArmond gold foil pickups! Branded "Barclay," this Harmony was made exclusively for the Brash Suttons, one of the biggest music retailers in Australia in the '60s. Up for sale, a 1969 Harmony Rocket model H54/1 in excellent condition and in perfect working order.
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