N(p)BD: Harmony H27 bass

[sunshiner]

They used to be cheap. I don't know about the basses, but the guitars have an identical harness of potentiometers and bumblebee capacitors to 59 Bursts and people were hunting them in order to gut them for that

[Gavin]

looks great

[NickS]

That missing pole piece screw... I've got a couple of old Höfner pickups and I've lost a screw on one of them and it really bugs me. I keep hoping it will turn up...

[Nick]

Yeah, it's a bummer....although it's the last thing I'm letting myself worry about.

Crazy that it's been almost a full year since I did anything with it...I waited all winter for good weather to do the refin, but spent so much of the year wedding planning and probably other stuff that spring and summer came and went. Gotta finish that while I still can, then wiring and setup, when it's complete I don't doubt I can find a threaded slug to go in.

I just ordered a set of 4 of these: not an exact match since I think the originals have recessed centers instead of protruding, but they look the part visually and have the dot indicator, also a lot cheaper than originals (which aren't even available right now in the color I need)

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[Bacchus]

Thread is exciting me for an awesome NGD post that I need to make and accompanying project.

[Doog]

but will probably try to darken the corners a bit

[Dillon]

^ I don't get the reference but that made me chuckle anyway

Love the color you chose. This is shaping up to be a real beauty.

[MattK]

(Stephen Malkmus of Pavement whose fourth album is Brighten the Corners)

[Nick]

I've got the finish about where I want it, important since we're running out of warm days here in NY - I ended up using Varathane Water Based Polyurethane Gloss for the clearcoat. Brushed it on with foam initially, then continued to rub on multiple coats with disposable microfiber towels. Wet sanded to 1,000-1,500, then buffed with Scratch Doctor Nu Finish polish.



Very happy with how the clear turned out. The pics don't do it justice, I'll try to take some in better light once it's all together. It's not without flaws, there were a couple spots of clearcoat runs on the sides/back, which when corrected, left the stain a bit light lighter in places. But this is a near 60 year old guitar with some deep scratches, extra holes, buckle rash, etc. It has a history, and perfection isn't what I'm after.

I now just have to wait for the final bits to come in - some 2 conductor + ground wire from the pots to the 3 way switch, and some plain tinned copper for grounding. Also the 3 dots I'm missing for the neck...the dots I already bought are slightly too small 1/4" (6.35mm) and also too white...I ordered some 7mm that should hopefully fit exact and have more variety of pearl to choose from.

So, I started some wiring and reassembly. The headstock pickguard has been reglued, output jack installed with wiring to the 3 way hole. Fortunately, a previous owner already cut a massive hole so the switch can load in from the top. The headstock logo will go back on last but I do have that.

[Bacchus]

That looks great. The finish matches the headstock in a way that I didn't think would be possible. Usually tort/pearloid headstocks look out of place and sort of incongruent to me, but that flows lovely.

[plopswagon]

Looks fantastic!

[MattK]

Glorious!!

[sunshiner]

It looks gorgeous.

That looks great. The finish matches the headstock in a way that I didn't think would be possible. Usually tort/pearloid headstocks look out of place and sort of incongruent to me, but that flows lovely.

The pearloid headstock veneer makes me think of those pre war and post war acoustics that had pearloid veneer over the headstock and fretboard

[NickS]

Nice work!

[dots]

man, that is a looker.

[Nick]

I'm gonna call this done, happy with how this turned out.

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[MattK]

Just fantastic, what an absolute gem! Hope you enjoy it for many years.

[NickS]

What a transformation!

[NickD]

That looks great!

[BoringPostcards]

That looks awesome. I love old Harmonys. I have a Rocket from 1960. Haven’t played it in forever, but it’s a great old guitar.