As rock n' roll took hold in the early '60s, every department store and mail-order catalog wanted to make sure they had plenty of electric guitars in stock. Mass-produced axes from brands like Harmony, Silvertone, and Kay often featured parts made by other manufacturers, and there is perhaps no pickup more sought-after than the DeArmond Gold Foil.
The Harmony Hollywood H39 is an auditorium-sized archtop with a single DeArmond S Gold Foil pickup mounted to the top. This model was aimed at the student/intermediate market, so it features the "Hollywood" motif complete with an Oscar decal on the headstock. Perhaps the Gold Foil was used to complete the red carpet vibe, but whatever the reason, we're fortunate the S-grille Gold Foil is there because it sounds as good as it gets. This pickup produces a crisp, metallic, slightly-overdriven sound.
This 1964 Harmony Holloywood H39 has been nicely preserved over the years. At 58 years old, it's in nice playable condition, and the original Gold Foil pickup sounds great. Like any old archtop, it packs acoustic resonance and projection, but this Harmony is definitely intended to be an electric guitar (pickguard rattles slightly when you play acoustic). Plugged in, it sounds like a big jazz box. But the Gold Foil has unique bite, and it breaks up nicely when you push it more into overdrive territory.
This 1964 Harmony Holloywood is a good-playing vintage archtop with a lot of character. It has a full-feeling neck profile, and it plays clean and true up and down the fingerboard. At some point along the way, the tuners were upgraded to Kluson Supremes. It includes a period chipboard case to complete the whole vibe.