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Harmony Roy Smeck H7208 Stratotone 1962 - $900 (Chico)
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Equipped with DeArmond gold foil pickups, the Stratotone offers crisp, dynamic cleans and gritty overdrive when pushed. The tone is distinctly vintage—bright but full, ideal for blues, early rock, and awesome slide tones. These pickups are not original to the guitar. They have been spliced on to the original wiring.
This example has seen some work, all hidden under the pickguard. The pickguard is a replacement. You can see the shadow of the original guard when the replacement is removed. New screw holes were added to mount the pickguard. The top has been altered under the pickguard as well - for some reason, someone has cut the top cavity access - see the pics. The bridge is an add-on that required two holes to be drilled in the top. A couple of the bridge saddles vibrate a bit when the guitar is played.
The frets have been very professionally replaced. The neck plays perfectly. The truss rod is effective and has room for future neck relief adjustments. The tuners, pickups, knobs and tailpiece are all original.
The Harmony Roy Smeck Stratotone models were named for famed guitarist Roy Smeck, known as “The Wizard of the Strings.” Produced from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, these instruments were used by countless blues and garage musicians for their gritty tone and affordability. The H7208 remains one of the most collectible Stratotone variants thanks to its DeArmond pickup and distinctive copper finish.
Real user reviews of early 1960s Harmony Roy Smeck guitars from online forums:
“Beautiful old-school tone and great feel.” – The Gear Page
“The Hershey Bar pickup is pure vintage magic.” – Harmony Central
“Light, punchy, and records like a dream.” – Reddit r/Guitar
“Looks like a time capsule from the early ’60s.” – MyLesPaul Forum
“Perfect lo-fi blues and garage rock tones.” – TDPRI Forum
Specs:
Color: Natural
Weight: 5lbs 7oz
Top: Maple
Body: Maple
Body Date/Code: See Pics
Neck: Maple
Neck Profile: Medium Chunky C
Fretboard: Bound Brazilian Rosewood
Inlays: Mother of Pearl Block
Frets: Original
Fret Count: 20
Nut: Looks replaced, not 100% sure.
Nut width: 1-3/4"
Radius: 12"
Scale: 22-3/4"
Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .945"
Neck thickness at 8th Fret: .97"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 3/32"
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 3/32"
Overall Length: 38"
Lower bout: 13-1/4"
Waist: 8"
Upper bout: 9-1/2"
Body depth/thickness outside edge: 1-13/16"
String gauge: 10-46
Hardware Color: Nickel
Bridge Pickup/Brand: DeArmond/Rowe Goldfoil single coil
Pickup Reading: 9.82k
Original?: Yes
Neck Pickup/Brand: DeArmond/Rowe Goldfoil single coil
Pickup Reading: 11.37k
Original?: Yes
Bridge: Non Original Jazzmaster Style
Tuners: Original
Knobs: Original
Switch: Original
Pots/Codes: Original
Case: Modern Gig Bag
G-1960