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Family : Stratotone solid body

Other brands : H44 Stratotone was also sold as Alden 9908 solidbody | Montgomery Wards 8379

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Original catalog description

[1957 catalog]
SOLID BODY ELECTRICS MODEL H44 - "STRATOTONE" SPANISH GUITAR
The thin-body easy-to-handle Spanish Electric that has become a national favorite. Light weight, designed in smooth cutaway style for easy fingering down to the last fret. Has responsive built-in pickup, with tone and volume controls. Special slide-switch permits quick change from bass emphasis used for rhythm playing, to treble emphasis for take-off or solo work. Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, compensatinq tailpiece. Beautifully finished in a lustrous copper-bronze coating. Length overall 36", width 10 5/8", length of scale 25 1/4". Plastic guitar strap included.
H44 Guitar $75.00 - C44 Carrying Case, extra $8.50

Original price

  1956 : $72.50
  1957 : $75.00

Verified production year(s) : 1953-1957
others years possible, not verified.

14 comments | Add your comment !

• Jedson - 2006-04-19
  Have one H44 from -53, best sounding bluesguitar I played !.
  Listen to my H44 on the link below (mp3).
  http://www.swedenblue.com/GMF_Gig/Hustle_II_jedson_ted_broman.mp3
  Yours
  Jedson
• Phantom Jazz - 2006-04-20
  Man, these H-44 Harmonies are so great. i ahve a gold finished all orignal, made for Silvertone name by harmony. The exact same as the one above. It has the thicest blues tones around and it just has character that many of my handmade guitars just wish they had. Through a vinatge tube amp, it doesn't get better. Plus it is solid as a rock with the neck trhough construction. It isn't a d'Angelico but it wasn't built as one. I actually do love it to play solo Jazz tunes for myself. It is so fun to play and i love the big neck. The DeArmond PU is the ticket. I only use Rhythm Chiefs on my archtops and in this guitar the mounte PU is unmatched by other Pu I have had. These are rare and fetch a pretty price now and i can see why. It is resonant and just a great old guitar.
• Roscoe - 2006-09-21
  Very weird. I am re-doing a harmony acoustic archtop and was trying to identify it when I came across this guitar. Mine has the same simple painted "A" surrounded by a bit of scroll on the head stock. The serial number is 3523H1227. Any ideas?
• François - 2006-09-22
  Roscoe, this 'A' means Aldens. Aldens was a Chicago catalog company. They had many Harmony made guitars in their catalog.
• Dave C. - 2006-11-03
  I have a harmony H-44. I originally bought as a teenager. The copper paint started to change color with sweat and the paint scratched very easily. Soooo I painted it with a 1965 oldsmobile aqua colored paint and in the 70s I painted it white otherwise everything else is original.
  Shame on me for painting it I understand it might be worth something today.
• rok n rol - 2006-12-15
  Could someone clear up for me what Harmony's connection to Silvertone is and what "Stratotone" is or stands for? thanks a lot.
• François - 2006-12-26
  Everything was rocket, stratospheric, meteor, space-related in the fifties... So I guess Stratotone means nothing more than strato(spheric) tone... It's interesting to note that Harmony invented this name and sold the H44 (1953) before the Fender Statocaster (1954), so they did not copy the name as we read from time to time. But Fender may have been inspired by the Stratotone...
  Silvertone was a brand name for guitars sold in the Sears & Roebuck catalog, since 1941. Harmony made many of the Silvertone guitars, but not all of them. Kay also made many Silvertone's.
• Jason Gutierrez (Jimi Hairless) MAINTAINBAND.COM - 2006-12-28
  I will always associate this guitar with Richie Valens. The H-44 Stratotone was probably his first electric guitar. He painted his green in his school woodshop and recorded all of his early demos and probably most of his songs with that guitar. I have an original copper one that definitely has that Richie sound. A very hip guitar with a big natural woody tone!
• John - 2007-06-04
  I have just been given a H44, it's kind of rough, and I want to know is it worth putting any money into it?
• durite - 2007-07-24
  i recently dicovered the treasure i have,, it belonged to my dad,, it is copper just like the photos,, i would like to refinish it for him,,, where would i find the correct paint???He bought it when he was 16,, he played it for several years in the FFA band in high schooll and several in the early 70's. i would like to put it back in mint condition for him..he will be 62 in Jan,, it would make a great b'day present.
• Shufflin - 2008-01-01
  durite, don't refinish that old guitar! It has more value in original condition. The wear and patina gives it irreplaceable character. New is not better!
• sensory77 - 2008-03-24
  Hello can anyone tell me where to find the serial on my H44? In addition my H44 only says harmony with no stratotone logo is this an older model possibly more rare? ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!
• François (webmaster) - 2008-04-08
  Sensory, yes, we saw some very early models (1952) without the usual logo, only wearing the Harmony name.
• SENSORY77 - 2008-04-13
  WOW THANKS A TON FOR THE INFO! ILL TAKE SOME PICKS AND SEND EM OVER SOON AS I GET IT BACK FROM THE SHOP HAVING A PICKGUARD FABRICATED OTHER THAN THAT SHE IS ALL ORIGINAL! THE TONE IS OUTTA SIGHT! REGARDS!