Silvertone Barn Find

Cobra1957

New member
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While visiting a friend we stopped by an old friend of his. This dude played in a band with the same guys for 40 years. In his barn he has quite a setup, small stage, drum set, monitors, equipment everywhere.
He had an Ibanez on a stand that must have been sitting there for quite sometime as the strings were rusty and it was way out of tune. I asked him if he still played and he said not much anymore because of the arthritis in his hands and fingers. So, he just sits and sings Karaoke which he is very good at.
He said see that case of there? Open it up, so I did. He says that case hasn’t been open in probably 30 years. In it is the guitar above. He said it was bought sometime in the sixties.
Is it worth anything and should it be cleaned up or just left alone?
I’ll be going back in a couple of weeks to play with him and the few remaining members of the band. He says he might let me take it and clean it up.
 
Re: Silvertone Barn Find

LOVE those pickups they are perfect for nailing period-correct tones. Playability might be an issue most of those guitars had a lot of fight in the action. But if you like a high action or play slide that is a gem.
 
Re: Silvertone Barn Find

plug that into a small old amp and its a fun slide rig for sure!
 
Re: Silvertone Barn Find

love those old harmony/silvertone guitars. those pickups are really great for bluesy/mild-rock/jazzy type sounds. My buddy had that exact guitar as his first... gave it to his sister-in-law. Bet he wishes he could get that back.
I would say - don't clean it. A guitar like that has a petina (not that they are ultra valuable) and that is half the charm. If you do insist on cleaning it I would only use a damp cotton cloth and do so sparingly. Just my 02. cool find, thanks for sharing.
 
Re: Silvertone Barn Find

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This is a 1956 Harmony H44... My wife bought it at a yard sale for $15.00, it had a broken pickguard, and needed to be rewired, but it works great, has a nice dark tone and loves a slide!
 
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