H66 - Vibrajet
Electric hollowbody - Redburst
Production year(s) : 1961-1965 (other years possible, not verified)
Electronic Tremolo - works with a 1.5V battery. Flat top and flat back guitar (no arch).
22 images in database mouse over image for file name - click to enlarge
16 comments | Add your comment ! - Todd - 2006-02-26
To add to the dates of production, the Vibra circuit in mine is dated Jan 11 1965. Thanks very much for the photo of the circuit as my unit is missing the battery and one resistor is unattached. Since I can't find any schematics, another photo of the insides would be appreciated. - Brian - 2006-07-06
What voltage battery did this unit take. 1.5 volt AA or a 12 volt camera type - François - webmaster - 2006-12-04
I checked and the battery I use is a Duracell "N", also known as "LR1" or "KN" under other brands. It's a 1.5V battery, used in pagers, car keys, etc. (At first it looks like a shorter AAA, LR03, the common 1.5 small sized. But on a closer look it's larger in diameter than a AAA...). I got it at a photo shop. The negative is to be on the top of the guitar side, touching the spring on the metal cap, and positive facing back of the guitar... Sample sound : harmony.demont.net/media/H66_vibrajet_tremolo_01.mp3 - Rocky - 2007-04-23
Just bought my H66,I'd say a 75-85% condition. The production date n the back of the metal tremelo plate is Dec. 6 1961.It seems the battery may have corroded itself in. - golfrx - 2009-03-09
I have one that my parents bought for me in 1962 in Birmingham Alabama. It is good to see these on your site. This guitar was an easy playing instrument that has an incredible mellow rich sound. - Tadsworld - 2009-04-12
Hi Francois! Mine has a date stamp of Oct 23 1960. Oddly no date stamp inside the body of the guitar only "insp by 515 RU" and "4075H66" It has a great neck and sounds like all the other great Harmony guitars with Gold Foil DeArmonds! Unique flat top is cool. - Richard - 2009-11-10
I'm pleased to have come across your site. I bought a Harmony guitar 2nd hand in 1967 which was badged as a 'Meteor'. It went it's own way some tome ago and just recently I have been looking for a Meteor the same as I had online to buy. The Meteors advertised for sale have been with arched backs and of course no tremelo units. The mystery is now solved. My sincere thanks Richard - Perth Australia - sherman34 - 2009-11-24
This guitar is behind John Lennon on the picture taken in Rushworth's music store (John and George are presenting their Gibsons J-160E). Picture is in my The Beatles Anthology book, but i can't find it in the internet. - Jol - 2011-06-13
Fantastic site. Just rebuilding my mum's H66. She had it repainted in the 80's and it was a real hack of a job, so now I'm tracking down parts to get it done right. The biggest problem is the Tremelo unit is missing. Does anyone know where I could track down a replacement? - paulg - 2012-06-02
i have a harmony h66 i bought in '66. anybody any idea of it's value. it's in quite decent shape.
- Aaryn - 2013-05-04
I have not opened my vibro unit up yet to see the date, but am very excited to, now that i know it's there. Thanks for the pictures. I have had mine since about 1997, when a friend of mine found it headed for the trash and saved it. I LOVE this guitar! - jeff - 2016-02-12
Bought my Vibrajet off Craigslist last month, it has been refinished black, poor replacement bridge, and the headstock has had the edges rounded off for a different art-deco kind of vibe. Not bad, but not Harmony stock-looking. I paid $375, more than I wanted to, but the seller lives in a trailer park, and, well, I don't. The tremolo unit needed a little work but functions properly now. It's a playable axe at present but I will be doing a thorough setup to really maximize its potential. I play rhythm guitar in a band. I gig with my H-78, also an H-19 Silhouette, so while I don't really need this guitar, the tremolo is great, with lush sound for a couple of the blues songs we have in the set list. Even with a pro setup I doubt that it will knock the H-78 out of my hands, but it is a mighty fine guitar in its own right. And the tremolo feature is undeniably cool! - jeff - 2016-11-03
Back again. I spent some time setting up this H66, and it has been time well spent. I put on a bone nut, and replaced the existing bridge with a Rickenbacker style Tune-O-Matic chrome bridge I bought on eBay for maybe 20 bucks. The Harmony "Slim-line" neck requires narrow string spacing at the bridge, and the Rickenbacker style bridges work very well at this spot. My H-66 is a solid guitar on its own, and the tremolo option is a great feature. In my band I gig with a triple-pickup Harmony H-78 (yes, definitely awesome) plus a Harmony H-19 Silhouette, but I have no trouble bringing this H-66 to a show and going with it. Throwing the tremolo switch brings such a lush sound to the music, a most satisfying fun. Yeah, I could get a tremolo pedal I guess, to go amongst the 7 others on my board, but, I like this guitar tremolo, I really do! Even without it, this is a gig-worthy guitar. Add the tremolo, you won't find anything else like it. So glad I got this axe! - David - 2017-04-01
Greetings I picked up a h66 actually it was given to me it needed some TLC and a few parts and a serious polish job the paint is cracking superficial and finding the 1/8 "nobs real chore and expensive now I have to find the correct battery and hopefully all the electronics work on it I'll keep you updated goodnight - Mark M. - 2017-06-20
I have a 1963 H66 Vibra jet that my mother bought when I was born. It's a great guitar, plays very well. I had to do a lot of research to get everything working again. The 1.5 battery for the tremolo is alot easier to get than most people think. Radio Shack has them...( Camera Battery).Awesome axe for blues - Guy - 2020-05-06
This may be obvious but it stumped me for a while. I couldn't figure out where the battery went in the tremolo unit. I thought it was inside, so I took the unit out of the guitar. Wrong. The battery access is under the chrome nipple on the outside face of the tremolo unit located near the base of the guitar. It didn't screw off, it just popped out using my fingers. And as another comment notes, the battery goes in positive (+) end first.
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