YEARS AGO, HARMONY and Silvertone guitars were mostly seen as low-level pawnshop prizes, funky junk or, at best, short-money noisemakers that might cut a dashing figure in garage bands or punkblues outfits. But the people who designed and manufactured those guitars took pride in creating the more elevated models that ended up in the hands of stars like Roy Smeck, Buck Owens, Elvis Presley, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James and Keith Richards.
Today, many guitarists now value those upmarket models as viable instruments that have a sound, vibe and look all their own. Moreover, they can help the player say something original onstage or in the studio, and do so with a sly sense of cool.
BUDGET JAZZ BOX
The Silvertone Model H63 Espanada featured here is just such a guitar. Designwise, this instrument isn't far off the template of Gibson's ES-175 model from a few years earlier, before the new PAF pickup arrived on the jazz box in the late '50s. In fact, this Silvertone carries a pair of Gibson-made single-coil pickups that aren't a mile away from the P90 formula, as well as a single-cutaway body with a pressed archtop made from laminated maple, a glued-in neck of maple (rather than mahogany), a floating rosewood bridge and other features that put it in the ballpark. The elevated looks are there, too, in the multi-ply body binding, single-ply fingerboard binding and pearloid block inlays.
This story is from the August 2024 edition of Guitar Player.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2024 edition of Guitar Player.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Mother Folker
Dubbed the Queen of the Beatniks, Judy Henske ruled the roost on High Flying Bird.
An ES for Less
Offered by Silvertone and Harmony, the H63 Espanada was the poor-man's version of Gibson's ES-175.
DEATH BECOMES THEM
Tik Tok gave Mother Mother a second lease on life. Now they take on the Grim Reaper with Grief Chapter.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
West Coast luthier Ron Thorn took a trip to the Big Apple. He came back with his stunning new Florentine Empirial.
NEVER BE THE SAME
Four decades in with Crowded House's ever-changing lineup, Neil Finn takes a trial-and-error approach to music - and guitar. \"The mistakes make it interesting,” he says.
THEMES FOR IMAGINARY WESTERNS
Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez weave haunting guitar instrumentals evocative of spaghetti-western scores. With Sonido Cósmico, they show why they are the most exciting guitar duo of our time.
TIP SHEET
How did Peter Stroud become the right-hand man to Sheryl Crow, Don Henley and many others? It took talent - and these five rules.
MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS
Four decades down the road with Winger, Reb Beach sheds his hair metal past with this quintet of metal and fusion cuts.
THE SESSION WHISPERER
Shred like the best of them with these 10 techniques gleaned from Steve Lukather, the legendary studio ace and Toto guitarist.
WONDER WOMEN
With her new solo acoustic One Guitar Woman, Sue Foley pays tribute to guitar's female trailblazers, from Elizabeth Cotten and Lydia Mendoza to Maybelle Carter and Charo.