Product: Silvertone 1446 Chris Isaac Price Paid: US $750 used
Submitted 05/24/2006
at 05:33pm
by Me
Features
:8
'64 1446. Two pickups, 2 volume, 2 tone knobs. Nice neck, grover tuners (not original). Bigsby tremolo. It's a guitar. What can you say about features? It's basically the same as any other guitar.
Sound
:10
This guitar sounds amazing. I love the tone and gain this thing puts out -- just the right amount of power. Great smooth, even tone - not too midrangy like some Les Pauls I have owned. Not too twangy, like some teles I have owned. Not too weak. Everything is just right. I love the sound.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:10
Maybe I got lucky, but this thing is perfect. The action is low and there is no buzzing at all. The neck is straight and sturdy. The frets are in excellent shape. The finish is really worn off, but I don't care about that at all. It's cracking and peeling in some places (not the wood, just the paint). The guitar is light and the sustain is excellent. I am really happy with it.
Reliability/Durability
:9
The hardware seems very good, but the guitar seems a little fragile. I'd be afraid to drop it. Strap buttons are solid, I would use it in a gig without a backup (except that my songs vary and I need more than one guitar for changes in tone and tunings). Again, the finish is significantly worn, but that's a non issue and this guitar is 42 years old. All that said, I am careful with it, and as long as it didn't take a hard fall it should be ok.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
n/a
Overall Rating
:10
I have been playing for 15 years. I am 28. I have played in a nationally touring rock band. I am the singer/songwriter and lead guitarist. I have owned tons of guitars -- 56' goldtop reissue les paul, 75 telecaster deluxe, oscar schmidt OE-30, Jacksons, Ibanez, Fender bronco, Washburns, american standard telecaster, 74 les paul '55 reissue, audition jaguar, fender jagstang, fender mustang, fender jazzmaster, gretsch jet firebird, strats, and more. I owned an orange AD140TC amp, and now I have a vintage '65 Vox AC50. I bought this guitar on a whim, and I am really glad I did. Right now it is my favorite. I just can't put it down. It sounds full and warm, just the right amount of bite. It must have gotten better with age. I don't usually do reviews on here but this guitar was great, so i just had to. I wouldn't change a thing about it, and if you find one of these, definitely pick it up. They are inexpensive enough and better than many big name brands that cost 2-3 times the price. If it were stolen I would be really upset and I'd try my best to find it. If I couldn't, I would certainly get another. It's a really fantastic guitar.
Product: Silvertone 1446 Chris Isaac Price Paid: US $450
Submitted 09/25/2004
at 04:58pm
by James
Features
:8
This is basically a Harmony Rocket with different pick-ups and a different paint job (black with with trim and a white pickguard). It's also got a Bigsby on it. Smart looking guitar that feels nice in your hands. Good neck, but on the short side, kinda of like a Gibson. The sound, like others are saying, is Gretsch-like. Great for blues or rockabilly. I've read that the pick-ups on this guitar where made by Epiphone by Seth Lover, designer of the PAF (I think). Could be true. May not be true. Either way, they are NOT the Dearmond's you see on Harmony Rockets.
Sound
:10
I love the sound of this guitar. Usually I play it through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. Clean setting is great. Doesn't sound as good through a crappy smaller amp, like my little Kay. Either way, this is one of my favorite guitars.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:8
This is guitar, I'm guessing, was a medium decent cheap guitar in its time and that's the way it plays.
Reliability/Durability
:8
I wouldn't drop this. Also, as is the case with Harmony Rockets, the wood around the jack is starting to crack a bit. Gotta be careful with that part. Still, it's been around some 40 years and it was definitely played and it is still here making music.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:10
I like guitars from off the reservation so this suits me fine. If you're a roots person or you want something that won't have an aha, that's a Strat, Les Paul, Tele sort of reaction from people, this could be for you. Personally, I think it's a great guitar for not a lot of money.
Product: Silvertone 1446 Chris Isaac Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 08/14/2003
at 12:45pm
by jerry-san
Features
:8
Hollow-body thinline electric from the '60s, single (venetian) cutaway, bolt-on neck. Black with white trim, including multiple binding on front side, single-ply on back. Two mini-humbuckers, separate volume and tone controls, Bigsby tailpiece.
Sound
:8
It sounds fine, especially given that it's a Harmony. I bought this guitar primarily because of nostalgia, not because I was looking for a particular sound. That being said, it performs nicely, and is suitable for rockabilly, blues, jazz, and country. It is kinda Gretsch-like, I guess.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:9
The guitar I purchased was set up very well, and plays easily. I agree with the previous poster, however, that these things can range anywhere from great to awful, depending on the particular specimen. On a guitar as old as this, a lot will depend on how well it has been cared for. Fortunately for me, someone took good care of this one.
Reliability/Durability
:No Opinion
Can't say much about this. The finish on some of these seems to flake off pretty easily with heavy use. The pickup covers on mine have tarnished badly. Functionally, though, it's still in great shape.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
N/A
Overall Rating
:9
I've been playing for almost 40 years, and I have been looking for a good example of this guitar for just about half of that time. I have other guitars, so this is not something I view as my main axe, but rather as more of an extra. If it were lost or stolen, I would probably try to find another eventually, but I would certainly exercise caution, and play it before I bought it. I love the overall looks, the Bigsby whammy bar, the outrageous pickup surrounds, and it is a nice guitar to just pick up and noodle with. The ultra-slim neck is OK, but I prefer someting wider. And that wacky pickguard has to go! All in all, it is what it is, and is a fine addition to any collection of axes.
Product: Silvertone 1446 Chris Isaac Price Paid: US $500 used
Submitted 07/19/2001
at 01:42pm
by Glenn
Email: glenn_mariko<at>earthlink dot net
Features
:5
Black semi-hollow body body with white triple-binding, two Gibson mini-humbuckers and corresponding volume/tone knobs, 3-way PU selector switch, block MOP inlays on neck, and Bigsby. Pickguard, tuners and PU selector are cream-colored plastic, although they may have been white when new. Mine is date-stamped 1960 and 1962 in the body cavity, so go figure! I've noticed that the earlier models (like mine) have an aluminum Silvertone logo on the headstock, while later ones are printed in white. It was manufactured for Sears by Harmony in Chicago, and is essentially the same as the Harmony Meteor (as played by Keith Richards and Dave Davies in '64-'65), except for the finish, pickups and Bigsby. The Silvertone 1446 has become associated with Chris Isaac, who plays one in concert.
Sound
:10
I've mainly used this through a Vox AC30 and Vox Berkeley (tube version). I use heavy guage (.011's) flatwound strings on it for that vintage archtop tone. In the treble PU position it has a bright, cutting rock'n'roll tone. With both PU's selected, you get a nice deep rockabilly twang, very much like a Gretsch. The bass PU yields a fat blues/jazz tone. Very versatile, if roots-y music is your bag.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:10
Having played 3 or 4 of these in recent years before finding a playable example; they seem to be rather hit or miss. Most don't seem to have aged well over the years, or maybe Harmony's quality control wasn't too strict (they WERE "cheap" guitars, after all). I found it beneficial to sand down the wooden floating bridge about 1/8" in order to get better action. The factory installed tuners on mine still work great, and it stays in tune, even after extensive Bigsby'ing. Intonation is good too, despite the floating bridge.
I think this is one of the coolest looking guitars of all time!
Reliability/Durability
:10
I have used this as my mine axe (over a Rickenbacker 330!) for the the past year and it's never let me down. The only repair work I've had done was to resolder the ground wire to the pick-ups and glue a plastic strap button in place. I love this guitar!
Customer Support
:No Opinion
N/A
Overall Rating
:10
I've been playing since 1977, and also own a Rick 330 and 360/12v64. It took a few years to find an acceptible example of this guitar, and it was worth it. I wouldn't recommend buying one through the mail like I did - I just got lucky. MOST OF THESE GUITARS HAVE POOR ACTION. Take the time to check it out before buying. The good ones are a real sleeper in the vintage guitar world, and will undoubtedly continue increasing in value. The sure don't make 'em like this anymore!