1962 Silvertone Stratotone Jupiter 1423 Vintage Guitar by Harmony USA w/ DeArmond Gold Foils

Up for sale, a 1962 Silvertone Stratotone Jupiter in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original two-tone case. Manufactured by Harmony in the USA and virtually identical to their "H49 Stratotone," this Silvertone model 1423 has a Black Sparkle finish that was exclusive to the Silvertone-branded version of this guitar, available via Sears. This model was only offered from Winter 1959-63, and was one of Silvertone's more expensive offerings.The pickups have strong output and the clear, percussive quality that you only get from a DeArmond Gold Foil (this particular iteration of the gold foil design has silver diamond covers). The tone is full and dynamically responsive, with a distinctive woody bite when picked with authority, and a glassy clarity in every pickup position. The body is fully hollow, which adds a certain richness and soft attack to the notes that you simply can't get with a solidbody instrument. The guitar weighs a mere 4lbs 15oz. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with comfortable action and 10-46 roundwound strings, this Silvertone is ready for stage and studio use.The neck has a chunky C profile carve with generous shoulder and ideal substance, measuring .880" deep at the 1st fret and .905" at the 9th. The dyed maple fretboard features multi-ply binding and pearloid block inlay, and the original slender frets have their full factory height and well-rounded crowns, showing virtually no wear. The guitar plays easily up the 24 1/4" scale, and the bone nut is a full 1 3/4" wide. The headstock retains the original complete metal Silvertone raised logo, along with the original Waverly open-gear tuning machines.On the body, all of the electronics work as they should including the ingenious "Blender" knob. This knob acts as a balance control between the two pickups when both are selected, giving the player a smooth gradient between the Bridge and Neck positions. This is easily one of the coolest features of the Stratotone Jupiter and one found only on this model. The pickguard retains its complete set of mini black DeArmond bell knobs along with a replacement rotary pickup selector paddle knob, and all of the black silkscreen text is intact on the guard. Under the pickguard, the harness features untouched solder joints, with mini CTS pots that date to the 23rd week of 1962. Both pickups have Rowe Industries foil stickers on the baseplates too, with matching date stamps from August 23rd, 1962. Hardware includes the original dyed maple floating bridge and nickel trapeze tailpiece. There's light patina on the tailpiece, and the chrome pickup covers and bezels are positively gleaming.The nitro lacquer Black Sparkle finish has densely packed sparkles, with some requisite light pick scuffing across the pickguard. Cosmetic wear is otherwise limited to a few minor marks and light finish scratches on the body, mostly relegated to the back, light wear on the top headstock edge, and just a couple nicks on an otherwise smooth neck profile.The original two-tone blonde/gray chipboard case is included with a red plush interior, retaining the original latches and handle.