Some Comets pass by only once every thousand years, but the Harmony Comet is here to stay. Built at the same Parsons Street factory in Kalamazoo Michigan where Heritage Guitars are built, the Comet is the star offering of the resurgent Harmony brand. Featuring a compact carved semi-hollow Mahogany body and their unique Gold Foil pickups, the Harmony Comet blends the airiness and vibe of a semi-hollow with the dynamics and bite of a solid body. Don't let this Comet pass you by. 

The US-made Comet features:

• Nitrocellulose Midnight Blue finish
• Semi-Hollow Mahogany body, 6.2 pounds
• True carved top and back
• 12" Radius Mahogany set neck
• Rosewood fretboard
• 1-11/16" nut width, 25" scale
• Bone nut
• Custom Gold Foil humbucker pickups
• Tune-o-Matic type bridge
• Volume and Tone controls
• Pull volume to reverse pickup phase
• Hand-wired pots, orange drop capacitor
• Locking tuners
• Angle headstock (no string trees)
• Includes Mono Vertigo big bag ($299 street value)

The Comet's compact semi-hollow body is stylish and beautifully proportioned, and the all-mahogany construction is lively and responsive. Many "339-ish" sized semis have left us wanting in the mojo department, but the Comet has none of the stiff, tight tone that many of its compatriots seem to possess.

The in-between 25" scale, 12" radius neck and TOM bridge has just the right amount of tension to provide some snap but still play effortlessly. While priced significantly below other products coming out of the Kalamazoo factory, the fretwork is every bit as good, and the Comet is a top-notch player. The cutaway shape is reminiscent of an LP double cut -- one of our favorite looks -- and if you are playing up on the higher frets nothing is going to get in your way.

The Gold Foil pickups are the same as in their solid body brothers, and while Goid Foil is not indicative of any particular construction, these covered humbuckers have a bright and snappy voice that will make it an easy transition for single coil players. However, there is enough midrange grunt to give the guitar a 335-ish flavor, and for many of us that means only one thing....Steely Dan licks. And the midrange profile of these pickups also makes them great with pedals, both overdrive and modulation. This little Comet can rock, and distortion tones are punchy and thick, with lots of detail and harmonics. The bridge pickup has a sparkly high-end response and thankfully none of the nasal midrange bark that some humbuckers have. But as you up the gain, rolling off the tone control a little will help soften the high end.

Speaking of pedals, we did find these pickups sensitive to capacitive loading. In other words, a signal chain with lots of pedals will "load down" the pickups, attenuating their highs and emphasizing the midrange. More so than with other guitars, the character of the Comet "straight in" is noticeably brighter and livelier than when through a half-dozen pedals, true bypass or not. This can be compensated for by using a buffer at the end of your pedals, an EQ pedal, or even a compressor. Using a Walrus Deep Six compressor first in line we could pretty much get the tone back to it's "natural" state. It's a good reminder that every pedal and cable is a "tone control" even when it's off.

We dig this guitar: The shape is both sexy and comfortable, and if you are drawn to the idea of a semi-hollow but find the 335-shape bulky, this will fit the bill. The pickups have a pliable touch-sensitive nature that responds well to playing nuances, but they can also get down and dirty if the mood strikes. It's a hard guitar to pigeonhole, as it's neither a true "jazz" guitar or a "rock" guitar. But at the same time there is not a lot it can't do in the realm of pop, rock, funk, country or fusion. The Comet is a refreshing take on the semi-hollow concept and is a great option for players looking to approach their music from a new direction.