1961 Harmony H53 Rocket short scale bass

This started as a trashed 1961 H53 body that someone had hacked up the neck pocket and added holes in the body for two pickups.IMG_7681

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I rerouted the neck pocket to fit a Gretcsh 30″ scale bass neck, filled the extra holes and smoothed everything out before  painting it with a custom mixed blue metallic nitrocellulose lacquer paint I call Bikini Blue (Thank you Cristina for the inspiration). IMG_7994

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I used a Gretcsh 30″ scale neck and a set of Schaller cast aluminum vintage tuners.

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I used a trapeze tail with a Gretcsh space control bridge with rosewood base

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I used a Rowe Industries DeArmond pickup from a late 1960’s Harmony H-27 bass. I love these pickups and they have such a great full sound.  I wanted something unique for the wiring,  the wiring circuit that is the same as a Stratotone Mercury. The three way switch gives it three separate tone settings. Position one is though the tone pot with a .33 mf cap, position two bypasses the pot and is filtered though a .022 mf cap and position three is direct from the pickup to the amp. I always use USA made CTS pots and Switchcraft switches and jacks.

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This one is a keeper and is part of my permanent collection.