In the early '50s, the electric guitar was just getting started. Fender debuted the Broadcaster in 1950, and then in 1952 Gibson rolled out the Les Paul. That same year, Harmony introduced the Stratotone—a department-store electric guitar designed with budget in mind. While the Les Paul was a high-end, fancy model, the Stratotone was more in line with Leo Fender's streamlined approach. But Harmony went way further and was even cheaper—the Stratotone is a guitar for the people!
Over the years, the Stratotone evolved into different models, and this 1960 was given the "H47" designation. It shows some slick features not available with other Stratotone iterations. The H47 features a fully-hollow single-cutaway body outfitted with a single DeArmond goldfoil pickup. In 1959, Harmony introduced the "Stratotone Mercury Multi-Purpose Switch" as a means to get the most flexibility out of the single-pickup design. In the "Bass" position, both volume and tone control function as normal. When you switch to "Treble," the tone control is removed from the circuit. On "Rhythm," the signal goes through a capacitor for a mellow, more subdued sound.
Considering this model was a cheap guitar intended for beginners, this 1960 Harmony H47 is in impressive condition for its age. All of the electronics function as they should, and the goldfoil pickup sounds fantastic—crisp, metallic, slightly overdriven, and warm. At some point along the way, someone replaced the tuning machines with generic MIJ replacements that look to be pretty old, but not as old as the guitar. The nut has been replaced, and a strap button was added to the body at the neck joint. Interestingly, the strap button was installed at an angle, which actually makes it a little easier to fit a stiff leather strap around the button.
There are some expected paint chips, finish checking, and cosmetic bumps, but take a look at the photos—this 1960 H47 is pretty clean! The current setup is excellent. A lot of these old Harmony guitars have playability issues, but that's not the case here—every note rings clear and true, and places nicely all the way up the neck. Authentic vintage tone and unique charm. This guitar is a vibe. It includes its original chipboard case.