1969 Harmony H53 Rocket – Redburst – Original DeArmond Gold Foil

A wonderfully characterful 1969 Harmony H53 Rocket, made in the USA and finished in its original Redburst, with the original DeArmond gold foil “moustache” pickup that gives these vintage Harmonys their distinctive sound. Lightweight, resonant and extremely comfortable to play, it has a warm, woody and articulate clean voice that becomes wonderfully raw and gritty when pushed – particularly good for blues, garage and roots styles. The guitar is largely original, including the pickup, pots and vintage Bumblebee capacitors, with replacement control knobs being the only known change. As you would expect from a 57-year-old instrument it has plenty of genuine vintage character, with various small dings, chips and finish wear throughout. There is a crack near the output jack which was already present when I bought the guitar and has remained stable, together with evidence of an older internal repair/excess glue visible inside the body. The pots can also crackle slightly when adjusted and would benefit from a clean, but everything functions correctly. Internally dated summer 1969 and supplied with its original chipboard case, this is a lovely, honest example of a late-’60s American Harmony with bags of character and a superb original DeArmond pickup.