{"product_id":"1964-harmony-h78-vintage-electric-guitar-airline-branded-w-dearmond-gold-foils-bigsby-b3-case","title":"1964 Harmony H78 Vintage Electric Guitar, Airline-Branded w\/ DeArmond Gold Foils, Bigsby B3 \u0026 Case","description":"Up for sale, a 1964 Harmony H78 in near mint, collector-grade condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original two-tone chipboard case. A one-owner example that's 100% original aside from a new hand-carved bone nut, this particular USA-made Harmony iteration is branded \"Airline,\" indicating that it was made exclusively for the Montgomery Ward catalog. The H78 was at the top of Harmony's vintage guitar line, featuring three DeArmond gold foil pickups, a figured curly maple body, factory-installed Bigsby B3 vibrato tailpiece, and nitrate tortoise appointments. Professionally setup here at Mike \u0026amp; Mike's Guitar Bar, we've dialed in this Harmony with 10-46 strings and low action.There's really nothing that can match the balance, clarity, and overall tonal character of a good trio of gold foil pickups. They have a percussive snap and twang, tight bass, and a harmonically-rich midrange that sounds great when each pickup is singled out or when paired together in any one of seven combinations. Unlike many gold foils, the ones on the H78 also feature adjustable pole pieces, so you can really dial in the balance between the strings. All three pickups have strong output, and when mated with the fully hollow maple body, the tone benefits from both the immediate attack of the maple and the warmth and fullness of the hollow construction. The guitar is also featherweight at 7lbs.The maple neck has a round \"baseball bat\" C-shaped profile carve with generous shoulders and ideal heft, measuring .945\" deep at the 1st fret and .999\" at the 12th. The Brazilian rosewood fretboard is a dark, tight-grained cut of this hallowed tonewood, framed by multi-ply binding and boasting pearloid block inlay. The original fretwire has been freshly leveled and crowned, showing zero wear and playing cleanly in every register. The scale length measures 24 1\/4\", and the carved bone nut is 1 3\/4\" in width. The headstock sports a deep red nitrate tortoise overlay and matching truss rod cover, made from the exact same material as Fender tortoise pickguards of the era, and very three dimensional and glossy. The thin metal raised \"Airline\" logo is fully intact atop the tortoise too. The original nickel Waverly tuning machines are present as well and turn smoothly.All of the extensive electronics work as they should, including the pickup switches and all six Volume and Tone knobs. Additionally, all three Rowe Industries DeArmond gold foils have their original \"Rowe Industries\" foil labels on the baseplates, each individually dated to January 30th, 1964. Visible through the segmented F hole on the body, the 1964 date stamp is present, along with the \"H7230\" model stamp, which was the official Airline designation of the H78 model. Hardware includes the Brazilian rosewood bridge with bone saddle insert, working in concert with the Bigsby B3 vibrato tailpiece which has a smooth, easy-actuating response. Plastics include the four-ply tortoise pickguard and matching control plate, with a trio of long baton cream pickup selector switches and a sextet of lighty ambered mini Dearmond bell knobs. The Red Sunburst nitro lacquer finish is positively glossy and stunningly well-kept, highlighting light curly figuring in the maple on the back and on the lower bout on top. Cosmetic wear is limited to light pick scuffing across the guard, some light finish scratches on the back, and a couple lines of superficial checking adjacent to the input jack. The gloss on the neck profile is free of palm wear and nigh flawless.The original two-tone gray\/blonde chipboard case is included with a red plush interior, functional latches, and the original handle.","brand":"Harmony","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40498746458298,"sku":"ISI14791","price":2299.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/4437\/4714\/products\/medium_b624147c-566a-4df8-bdab-ea7051204bd9.jpg?v=1751525821","url":"https:\/\/mmguitarbar.com\/products\/1964-harmony-h78-vintage-electric-guitar-airline-branded-w-dearmond-gold-foils-bigsby-b3-case","provider":"Mike \u0026 Mike's Guitar Bar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}