 H78 - 3 pickup
Electric hollowbody - Redburst
Production year(s) : 1965-1972 (other years possible, not verified)
3 pickups - Same as H77 but with Bigsby vibrato
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Related to this model
26 comments | Add your comment ! - Joe Momma - 2006-01-06
I have the Silvertone H78, single cutaway and it's the best sounding guitar I have ever owned. It has to be one of the sexiest guitars I ever laid eyes on. It's a perfect guitar, three pickups, six knobs and three toggles to turn each of the pickups on and off.....perfect! All that control give you such a wide range of sounds. Such clear tones for rock-a-billy, blues, and rock! - Daves Guitars - 2006-01-12
Yes, I picked one up 4 years ago in a new/used shop, the 78 red to black burst w case AND brochure and orig. cord! Lacquer is checked and looks /plays great. Needs a spring for Bigsby (don't use it I'm a finger vibrato hardtail guy)and the 'thin-slim neck is not too thin and perfect.Nut is abit wider than most so it it better then my 335 Gibs. Interested in purchasing it? Can't go wrong..email me at dmforzetting@yahoo.com or call 330-388-4071 Thanks!
Dave - Gabo - 2006-01-30
I have a very nice and crackless h78 that I am restoring. for the moment i have stripped the original paint and getting ready to finish it in the most original colour possible.
Really fine guitar, played beautyfully in its unrestored state. I am hoping for pure listening pleasure once the job will be done.
One of the prettiest, well balanced guitar i have ever seen! - John L. - 2006-03-28
I highly recommend this guitar if you like retro sounds. The bigsby is great and it plays perfectly in tune. But the SOUND is incredible! Listen to the Beatles version of "Rock-N-Roll Music" and the sound of John's guitar and you are real close to the h78. Cool looking too-I get lots of comments!! John - Dan Palaferro - 2006-04-03
I have an H78 which I purchased as a Harmony/Heathkit back in about 1968. I recently got the guitar out, restrunk it, and played for the first time in about 30 years. The guitar works great, the action is incredible. - Scott - 2007-01-06
Great site! The double cutaway Silvertone model may be known as S1485 as I know of two guitars with that particular numbering (NNNNS1485). Mine is 5428s1485. Also, there is additional marking inside that reads "S-69-W". Any guesses? Any other double cutaway Silvertone owners out there that can verify? Also, I cannot locate any catalog pages listing this particular model by Sears (319.14859). - Plasticsoul - 2007-07-20
I have a Silvertone model with three silverfoil dearmonds. This is my go-to girl. The greatest sounding guitar I have ever played. - Dumont Boy - 2007-07-25
I have a Harmony H78, but the headstock only has the harmony name. It does not have the "fleur de lis" design. How come some have them and some do not? - Bruce - 2007-07-29
I also have an H78 that was a Harmony by Heathkit model that I built in 1967 and have been playing ever since - great guitar! - jason - 2008-02-18
i have one that the pickups say aug-24-64 it plays awsome! - Rob Millis - 2008-10-06
I wish I'd never seen this damned website. In July I bought an H75, in August an H53/1 and this week an H78. The wife will be writing to you at some point, I'm sure. - jerkylips - 2008-10-17
I inherited one from my ex-wifes brother. I love the sound. they called it the poor mans gretch.With my fender hot rod deville it sounds sooo goood. Its definitly one of my faverite guitars. Easy to play and so many tones. The only problem is it sounds a little muddy with the front pickup. I WANT MORE VINTAGE GUITARS. - Allen - 2010-01-16
I have my grandfather H78 as he enjoyed playing it as much as i enjoyed listening. I never learned how to play. Playing Guitar isnt 1 of my specialties. It is a beautiful instrument. - d henry fenton - 2010-03-23
I bought an H-78 in Winston-Salem NC in 2004 and didn't know much about it, I didn't like the bridge so I got an adjustable one put on for play-ability and that made all the difference. It is without doubt one of the sexiest guitars ever made and has a tone that will make people come out of the crowd and ask you what kind of guitar it is...I just played SXSW and people at my last show were raving about the sound of the H-78... if you see one buy it you won't be disapointed - palmwinedrunkard - 2010-05-10
Does the tone dampen on anyone's guitar when turning the volume down? I just bought an h78 and the volume knobs are functioning as tone controls. - Ed S. - 2010-05-28
I Bought a H-78 Back in the late 60"s, I still play it to this day and by far it is the nicest best playing guitar you can ever have. Mine has white edging around the F-Holes, I haven't seen others like it. - Tom Hammel - 2011-03-25
I got the H-78 as a Heathkit in 1967 as my high school graduation present. I still have it but rarely play it (I'm really a piano player) . It is a fantastic guitar and also I view it as a poor man's Gibson ES-355. Great guitar. - Cableaddict - 2012-05-05
I have a gorgeous AIRLINE 7230 / Harmony H78 in sunburst. (Like Dan Auerbach's, but sadly the red edges have turned brown)
Still a real looker, though. I LOVE this thing for slide. Recently decided to try it for general playing and discovered that the trussrod adjustment nut had been sheared off.
Ugh. I'm crushed.
Has anyone ever successfully replaced a trussrod in one of these? Can you even get one in this short scale length?
I'm not sure it will be worth the trouble & expense, but I'd like to explore my options.
-thanks. - Harlan - 2012-07-26
My 11th birthday present in 1972. Although the switches aren't as silent as they once were, this is still my go-to guitar for electric jams with my buddies. The fret board is a little narrow; the pick guard a little loose, but damn, I wouldn't trade this guitar for anything! - old-timer - 2013-02-14
I received an H78 from my parents in 1966... I was 9... it is the 2nd guitar I owned and I still own it today. It's complete with original case, in what I consider to be very good condition. I'm glad I never sold it! - Bcruzin - 2013-03-12
This was my first electric guitar. I got it in the early 70s. I would love to play one again. Wound up trading it in a few years later for a used Gibson ES330. - jeff - 2013-08-02
I put together an H78 from ebay parts which I now play in my band(Durable Goods). The original pots I received had some broken prongs, and no knobs came with the basket case. My friend at Dusty Strings in Seattle wired some new pots for me and I found some amber/clear replacement knobs which look like the originals. I now have a rockin' H78 which has drawn a crowd whenever we play, it is a beautiful guitar with a sound all it's own. Even though I'm just the rhythm guy (but with the more than the occasional lead lick) I get comments all the time on this guitar.
About six months ago I saw a Silvertone three pickup single cutaway on Craigslist. I'm old enough to remember these from the 1967 Sears Christmas catalog! I finally called on it a week later (it hadn't sold!!?) and bought it for 540 bucks, totally original, and if rumors are to be believed and I do, it was owned by the drummer for Death Cab for Cutie! Drummer gave it to the guy I bought it from, but this gem is now kinda my go-to axe. I alternate between the Silvertone and my H78, but the neck on the single cutaway Silvertone is more stable, and somehow I like it's sound a little better through my TUBE amp. Original pots on the Silvertone, maybe that's the difference? I still play both guitars, and it's always a fun decision which one to grab. I can't go wrong! - Rufus Elmoe - 2013-10-17
one of my first guitars a guy that owned a guitar shop owed me about 100 bucks and so being the dyhard fender guy he was not really knowing what he had he gave it to me it had nothing on it except the pickups which are two 1950's deramond danasonics in neck and bridge and the original in the middle i put a new bigsby b3 back on it with a gretch roller bridge and some grover tuners as far as sound and playability it almost as up there my 62 gibson es120 which needless to say is amazing - John R - 2013-12-07
I have a red H78 that I purchased in the mid 70's for $75.00 in a pawn shop in Pasadena, TX. It is a great guitar that will always be mine. It is really cool and I have had many offers from people wanting to buy it. - jeff - 2018-04-28
Last week I saw a Silvertone 1446 (Chris Isaak guitar) for sale in a local music shop. I used to see them at Sears back in the 60's, believe it or not. That Silvertone model has two Gibson mini-humbucker pickups and I have always been curious about how that guitar would compare with my triple-pickup Harmony. I brought my H-78 to the shop along with me to play them side by side, honestly expecting the Gibson pickup guitar to be better. My lead guitar player in our band came along too. I own guitars, he owns the fretboard, yeah that kind of player. We're tube amp guys of course.
The Silvertone is a great axe no doubt, but we both thought it had nothing on my H-78. The humbuckers do not feed back like my single coils, other than that I could dial up any sound the Silvertone made on my H-78 Dearmonds. I was mildly but pleasantly surprised, as was my lead player who plays a Les Paul Gold top, Fender Strat and Gibson hollow-body in our band. He has become more and more impressed with these old Harmony guitars the past few years (like my H-19 and Silvertone 1423).
If you're looking for humbuckers, that Silvertone is a mighty fine guitar and looks WAY cool. But I'm staying with my H-78 and will continue fighting to tame the Feedback Beast, except when I want to use that effect. We actually play "Radar Love" and my Harmony nails that feedback open E! ("Voice in my head, drives my heel...")
- Tom H - 2020-05-15
Hi all!
Is anyone interested in selling a H78? Would be interested in making an offer!
Thanks,
Tom
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