 H49 - Stratotone Jupiter
Electric hollowbody - Natural
Production year(s) : 1958-1965 (other years possible, not verified)
Usually they have spruce top, but some of them have a maple top. Silvertone S1423 is a sister model.
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41 comments | Add your comment ! - workknot - 2006-02-19
Does anyone have the diagram for the 2 pickup model Jupiter? - François - 2006-02-28
For diagram, check "schematics" section from the homepage. For parts, check ebay or register and ask in the Harmony forum, see links page. - Hubhunts - 2006-10-10
I have one just like the natural one and could not find a bridge and made one out of an allparts rose wood bridge for an archtop had to do alot of sanding but it works great.Turned a non player into a real fun guitar. - JRH - 2007-08-21
God, I almost got tears in my eyes when I saw these photos. I remember mine was identical and I was 17 yrs. old, playing it in my first band. What I wouldn't give to have it back. Thanks for the photos - Mike - 2007-10-23
I've had one since 1958. Was in a car when rear ended and had some damage. Fixed the damage, refinish, new pick guard material and added Humbuckers a Les Paul switch and bridge. What a screamer! - stratotone - 2007-12-13
Hi l have made a tool for the H49 guitar knobs but not sure of the colour.l know they call them amber but does anyone have a close up picture that could help. Cheers. Kev - Gary - 2008-01-06
Had One in 1973, when I was 13........I gotta' wipe some tears like the other guy!
I gotta find one now after these pix. Thx - Frasse Sweden - 2008-01-08
I own one of this type in 1963, playing in my first band The Ghosters.
When I bought my first Fender i sold it.
Think if I have had it today- - cj holley - 2008-01-22
Well you guys can have another one soon - the H49 is about to be re-issued. Get behind me - i'm first! - Bill/Indiana - 2008-01-22
Got one for my 15th birthday!Traded or Gibson SG Standard in 1968. Didn't see again for 10 years. Bought it back and had since then. Money can't buy it. Happy Pickin'!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Mark/Connecticut - 2008-03-03
Great page! So glad to find it. I have a Jupiter, bought from a good friend whose dad owned it. He must have bought it used, as it has remains of the name "Janet Angel" on it. I have, of course, name the guitar after her. I need 2 knobs. - jlloyd3112 - 2008-03-06
Had mine since '81. Honky-tonk picker I got it from WORE OUT the fingerboard, then his son decided to 're-finish' it. Found a junker with a good fingerboard by sheer luck just a few years ago. Did the transplant,then refinished back to black. No original knobs, changed the pots but kept the original caps. Added Schaller tuners, and a custom bridge from Stew-mac.Certain oldies we play just don't sound right without the twang this old war-horse talks with !
Great site ! Love it ! Thanks a gazillion ! - Eric Knudson - 2008-05-02
I DO have tears in my eyes. This guitar was my first electric guitar when I was 12. It was in my Dad's closet when I found it. Yes I got in trouble or that one. In fact he'd probably chit if he knew it's with me right now. I'm going to play it this week in Los Angeles at a Blues gig for the Ambassador of Finland. YES I still have it, it still works and is in great shape. Until tonight I had never tried to find when it was made. I'm stoked to know it's a 1962 model. I had to dig it out again after I saw a band of young guys playing old looking guitars. When I asked " Hey what kind of guitar is that ? " this kid said " It's a copy of a Harmony ". I laughed and stated, "Hell dude I still got the real one !!" Cheers to all on here. Thanx for the info and the emotional moment. Eric Knudson - E.K.G. - knudsonband.com - islandblueser - 2008-05-11
Hey - My dad got me one in 1966 when I was 12 ( my first Electric gitter) and I still have the thang. Still plays, still sweet. Love that twangy thing in the mid position...
Love this site too.Peace - kid - 2008-07-07
15 years old inherited exact model when i was 5, no scratches, original parts, been playing for 5 years, literally greatest of all my guitars. - Guitartec - 2008-11-01
I've literally owned hundreds of electrics, but my two Jupiter H-49s are my all-time favorites. One I custiomized with a LP toggle and a tune-o-matic bridge. The other is all stock. The one with the toggle and bridge is the real player, though. IT TOTALLY SCREAMS! Every time I bring it to a jam, everybody creams over it. It's soooo Deco.
AN AMAZING GUITAR! - blued - 2008-12-01
I have an h-49 jupiter that needs a bridge and pots to be complete.Cant wait to try her out. - Deano - 2009-01-23
I have two Jupiters. The first one since I was 14, my first good guitar. And one I bought recently. The new one (c. 1960) has a two piece back. I have looked at a lot of Jupiters and have never seen this before. They must have run out of big pieces that day in the factory. - Henning Hojen - 2009-05-15
This was my first true electric guitar, which I bought in 1962 from new as I joined my first band. I played it for several years and found my excellent sound when I bought a Gibson GA77 amp from a friend - I guess the sound was never exceeded, as I remember it, it was a perfect match and had a tremendous "bite" as a rythm-guitar by using the "blender" control, and from there there was a very good short-cut to solos by turning either the neck or the bridge pickup on, whatever suited the best sound for the purpose, and the volume balance from rythm to solo using it that way never needed further adjustments.
Meanwhile I was so stupid to sell it, I know it came to Norway. I have tried to trace it, but unfortunately I haven't sucseeded yet!! If someone knows I should like to have it back anyway! I changed the logo on the headstock and wrote my name on the truss-rod-cover -
To my memory it was the best-sounding electric I ever had!!!!! - Later on I played both Fender and Gibson - - and still : The Harmony had "the sound" !!
I don't know if the pickups of the new Harmonys have the same sound os the ancient INDOX-pickups, if someone know, I should like to be informed !!
Henning Hojen - Denmark - henning@hojen.net - bigbadstef - 2009-07-29
I got mine from the mother of my original rhythm guitarist. He died in 1977.Exact model down to the red lined case. Gave it away to a protege in 2008. The kid adores it as if it is gold, even though he has a new American custom Strat. Wish I had it back - mart nobbleman - 2009-10-14
When I started to play in a 60's garage band almost twenty years ago i needed a guitar that fit with this music style. I bought this H49 in a guitar shop here in Montreal, brought it to the best luthier in town, Mr. Laporte, who fix it straight and playable. A real good work. A real charm, this guitar kill. But a f***** stole it in my van two years ago! I found another one last year on the web and bring it to the same luthier who is now fixing it. He found it so nice, so cool that he will take some pictures of it to put on his website. This is one of the niciest guitar ever. Take care of your H49, it's priceless. - Clem Kadiddlehopper - 2009-12-02
I've wanted an H-49 Jupiter for quite a while. I finaly snagged one on Ebay for $650. No case included, but I consider that a steal.
The guitar is nothing short of AWSESOME and I couldn't put it down all night after restringing it. It resembles a Les Paul and is lightweight and easy to handle. It sounds amazing and even after playing with it's own combination switches, I plugged it into a modeler and opened up a whole new world. - cdabob - 2010-03-16
I have an original H49 Jupiter that my Dad bought for me in 1960. i was 9 years old and i was just beginning to take music lessons. i never knew what it cost until today and i'm amazed at how much he paid back then for his son to have a fine guitar. I have the original case and it has no damage and works perfectly. It looks exactly like the pcitures and this was so great to find this web site. I just wish i could play it like it probably deserves to be played. - Curto - 2011-10-26
I just purchased a very fine example made in '65. It is really a wonderful guitar. Collectors seem to be noticing this jewel and prices are rising. Get one before it's too late! - Doug G - 2012-01-15
I have had mine since 1960 with original case. Thought it was 5 years old at the time i bought it used - but at least a 1958 or earlier production. - tintag27 - 2012-03-10
Unbelievably, my first electric guitar has resurfaced after 45 years! Apparently I sold my Jupiter to a friend of my brother, to finance a Strat when I was a student, and the owner found it in the attic and has given it back to my brother! It is in pretty good condition, but unfortunately the electrics are not working too well...! - MusicAngel - 2012-04-13
Hi there everyone, I actually have an ORIGINAL, (not re-issue)Harmony H49 Jupiter hollowbody with 7(cant remeber if it was 6 or 7 Pickups..)Anyway, It took me a while to figure all that out about it, and i have done some research and realize that MOST all of the Vintage H49's have something wrong with, be it a missing knob or what have you. Anyway, mine has NOTHING at all wrong and i am selling it. e-mail me at urtaa3@yahoo.com if you are interested... - KGlover - 2012-09-24
I just inherited my great-grandma's original 1963 Harmony! The only thing wrong with it was a broken lead at the cable jack, but I did a quick solder and now it's singing sweet as ever! So pumped to be able to play such a fine, vintage instrument! - Don - 2014-05-18
I have one, mintish, never use it,ever. It collect dust. I guess I miss the point. - Anthony - 2015-01-09
I picked up a 1961 H49 a couple of years ago, its one of my favourite guitars to grab and dime the amp. Ill get around to changing the pickups back to the proper gold foils eventually. - Sparky2 - 2015-02-22
I learned to play in 1965 on a model H49 Jupiter Stratotone, black with gold flecks. It was the Sears version SILVERTONE MODEL: JUPITER - 1423L STRATOTONE. It played remarkably well, with good intonation. The neck was fat, but that was okay. I never understood the Blend Control until I looked up the wiring diagram recently on the Internet. I could have bought a used one for $125 in the late 1990's, but they are $750 - $1450 now. It would have been a nice nostalgic item. It was a greater starter guitar. After playing it for 6 months, my dad bought me a new 1965 Fender Mustang, and I have a Fender Strat, Gibson Les Paul and others now. - Paul Logan - 2015-07-14
Hi. I have a Harmony Stratotone Re-issue. It does not say Jupiter on it anywhere, but it looks like the one yall are calling a Jupiter. I can't find a schematic for the re-issue. I'm figuring that the wiring is different from the original. And anybody help me out here. Ours isn't working right and we're having a heck of a time finding out the right way to wire it! Thanks in advance!
Paul - Michael - 2015-08-18
I've had mine since about 1961/62. Many years ago a luthier shaved 1/4 inch off the neck which made it a stunning guitar to handle. Sadly one of my pick-ups needs fixing and I need to replace the tone switch. Otherwise all original. My baby... - Knight - 2015-08-18
I just inherited this H49 - Stratotone Jupiter Guitar, but sadly I need to sell it. Please email me at gungfuknight@gmail.com I'm asking for $1100. - Doug Pratt - 2016-05-21
I'd discovered that my Jupiter has a wide tonal range, including Grizzly Growl with tone turned down and Gain on my Danelectro Nifty Fifty amp set at 4.
But when my buddy took the Jupiter for a test-drive, he discovered the neck pup with the amp set clean, will produce a beautiful acoustic tone as if it had a Piezo in it.
What a versatile and beautiful axe! - Brett B - 2016-09-10
I ended up with this guitar, a MINT 1959 maple top with a matching amp; a Harmony model H410A, like new. A family friend's mother had them since they were new in '59. They came out of a music store in Sacramento. Unfortunately the "tech" that worked on the guitar, who I won't name here (who has been in the business for 50+ years) took the original pickups out and put some mini hum buckers in. And he screwed the wiring up BAD. As in half the knobs don't do anything BAD! Anyways, still a GREAT sounding guitar. My Strat, LP, and Tele don't have the blues like this guitar. - Jeff - 2017-09-09
I recently fixed a Silvertone 1423, really a fine versatile guitar. The blender knob makes for some clean, cool and interesting sounds as you dial between the neck and bridge pickups, though you can't use the volume and tone controls when switched to the two pickups/blender setting. From surf to jazz box and all in-between. The two other switch options are the single neck pickup, or the single bridge pickup. I can get more volume on the individual pickups, and the tone knobs bring depth and richness. I play mostly rhythm, but when I do play lead I just switch to the appropriate individual pickup with the volume set higher and the tone adjusted for the particular song. Then back to blender mode for my rhythm chunks.
I had to replace the rusted/crusted blender rotary switch which originally was a three position/three pole switch. The closest I could find was a three position four pole rotary switch from eBay seller "pickersparts"(great seller!). My able guitar tech friend at Dusty Strings Seattle wired it to work perfectly well using three of the four poles. The only problem was that the switch was about 1/8" too tall to fit in the thin body guitar. I could have just drilled a big hole in the top and attached the switch to the pick guard plastic, but I was wary of breaking the pick guard. I solved that by hollow-grinding the inside of the top with a big flat Dremel stone. Too big to go through the existing hole from outside the guitar, so I passed the shank up through the hole from INSIDE the guitar, chucked it in my Dremel and carefully pulled and ground away the inside of the top so as to not overheat the wood and mar the finish, and not to break through anywhere. This left about half the top thickness in that area, gave sufficient clearance for the switch, and left enough bulk on the top to support the pick guard when I tightened the switch against it. I did take a few pictures and if anyone is interested I'd be happy to show them in Kitchen Lutherie.
I ended up with a guitar that I gig with (band Durable Goods), though the neck needs a little work which is my next project. This axe has joined my stable of Harmony electrics, an H-78, an H-19, and soon to be an H-79 twelve string to replace my Korean Gretsch Electromatic twelve (BTW a pretty good guitar that one). I also have the H-66 Vibrajet which works great, and my acoustic is an Opus X, "the Last Sovereign", SO fine... Man I need a bigger guitar stand, and gigs do get more confusing late in the night! - DRock - 2018-03-27
I have one with the maple top. The original case just recently literally fell apart in pieces.I just cleaned the pots. The Blender knob seems to only work in the middle position which makes sense. A pretty good guitar to still be working after 53 years. Played through a Boss ME-25 multi pedal and it sounds as good as any guitar out today. It is a shame that the company that re-made them went out of business. If they had changed the crappy tuners the thing would have been a best seller. A totally cool guitar. - Ton - 2020-02-05
I recently bought a H49 for a ridiculously great
price. It is missing a tuner bushing. Would swapping them out for some Wilkinson 3x3's be a sacriledge? Trying to clean yhis thing up to see what it sounds like. Made a bridge for it. Cant wait to play it. - Michael Burns - 2020-07-20
Saw a Facebook ad for a guitar for sale for $50, went and look at it.
Turns out to be a Harmony Meteor SN# 2844H8448 F-58-F JW.
What a find!
It a bit scratched, but it came with 1960 UNIVOX U-10GTX.
What a find...Christmas came early. - David Michael Heckman - 2024-09-10
My mother got hers from Sears in 1960. My brother lost it in 1978. I found it on eBay in 1980 and bought it back H49 has the best blend system. Don't know why it hasn't been used elsewhere.
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