Harmony Silvertone Model 1453 Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar, c. 1968, made in Chicago, serial # 5943S1453, red/black sunburst finish, laminated maple body, maple neck with ebonized fingerboard, black chipboard case.
This rather obscure Silvertone Model 1453 was the Sears cousin of the 2-pickup Harmony Rebel, itself a less well known product of that company's Chicago factory. The Rebel was finished in an unusual green/black sunburst and had the unusual fitting of sliders instead of knobs; the 1453 offered a red/black livery and a more conventional (and functional) 2-switch, 4 knob layout. The body and neck are unbound and the fittings are standard lower-end Harmony, but include two of the cool sounding DeArmond pickups that are now quite sought after.
The Sears offering has a bit of a Rickenbacker-inspired look, although 1968 or so was already a bit late for the Beatle magic to help! The 1453 is a somewhat of a rare bird in the Sears world. It did not appear in any major seasonal catalog, but could be found in the 1970, '71 and '72 Electronics supplemental catalogs at a list price of $69.95. The pots in this guitar are dated 137 6626 but the guitar appears to be from around 1968. This is a good example, the first of these we have had and a fun guitar to play, a budget "kids guitar" from the '60s with its own distinctive character.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 14 in. (35.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 in. (610 mm.). Width of nut is 1 in. (25 mm.).
Overall a this is a pretty clean guitar with some light wear. There are dings, dents and scrapes scattered around and some heavier lacquer checking to the back, but no really heavy wear. The hardware is original and complete, and the original frets show very little wear. The neck is straight and this one plays well, at least as well as these usually do with a great DeArmond Gold-foil sound (although the foil on the pickups is silver!). It lives in an old Silvertone chipboard case that is not at all fitted but may have been original anyway. Overall Excellent - Condition.
