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1960s Silvertone 1446 Chris Isaak Vintage Guitar by Harmony USA w/ Gibson Pickups, Bigsby & Case

$2,299.99

+ shipping

Out Of Stock
Up for sale, a 1960s Silvertone "Chris Isaak" Model 1446 in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. Manufactured by Harmony in the USA and featuring a stock pair of Seth Lover-designed (and Gibson manufactured) mini humbuckers, this unique model boasts quality electronics and hardware beyond what's seen on most Harmony/Silvertone offerings.

The fullness and upper midrange focus of these pickups is fantastic, with more open, shimmering top end than a standard humbucker and bass response that is nice and tight, further improved by the fully hollow body. As the architect of the PAF (and later Fender's Wide Range humbucker) Seth Lover is a luminary of guitar pickup design, and the pickups in this Silvertone are true golden-age Gibson humbuckers, right down to the patent stickers on the baseplates. Lightweight at only 7lbs, this Model 1446 benefits from a professional setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 11-49 strings and easy-playing action.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Shape: Chunky C, measuring .920” 1st fret, .955” 9th fret
-Fretboard: Dyed maple, multi-ply binding, pearloid block inlay
-Frets: Slender, light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-5
-Scale Length: 24 1/4”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, bone
-Tuners: Waverly open-gear

Body Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Pickups: Gibson-made mini humbucker x2, patent # decals on baseplates
-Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2, Three-way pickup selector
-Hardware: Brazilian rosewood bridge with bone saddle insert, Bigsby B3 vibrato
-Plastics: White molded pickguard, cream “cupcake” knobs, diamond switch surround

The original Black lacquer finish exhibits some checking, most prominent on the rims, and there are a couple short, professionally-addressed splits in the multi-ply laminate maple rim at the input jack. There is an area of buckle rash central to the back, some minor dings at the lower bout, and a few additional tiny marks on the body as a whole consistent with decades of careful usage. The neck profile retains its smooth lacquer gloss, with a few shallow marks and palm wear along the treble-side shoulder from frets 1-3. The tuners were at one time swapped for Kluson-style strip tuners. A set of vintage Waverly gears has recently been reinstalled to restore the instrument to stock.

A modern black tolex hardshell case is included.