The Harmony H-62 model was one of the company's top of the line archtops. It featured a 16" cutaway body with 3 1/2" depth. The body construction included a Spruce top with Maple sides and back, along with a set neck also made of Maple with Rosewood fingerboard.. Gibson P-13 pickups and a quality electronic harness were standard. The catalog showed only a Blonde finish, but Sunburst was also offered. Harmony first introduced the H-62 in 1953. In 1956 they added the much needed truss rod. The body depth was narrowed to 2 1/2" in 1960, making the 1956-1959 versions the most desirable. This guitar was manufactured in 1958 at the original Harmony factory in Chicago Illinois U.S.A. The guitar is super solid and well made. It has no breaks, cracks or repairs and feels really well-made. The binding is all in very nice condition. The guitar is set up and ready to play-it needs nothing.
The body feels firm and the original sunburst finish shines attractively. It has that nice vintage gloss that reflects just the right amount, with no haze. There is typical handling evidence including some rub wear on the sides and a spot in the middle of the back-see photos. The edges are crisp and the binding is well-set with no issues. The neck joint is really solid and and excellent fitment. The neck angle is perfect.
The neck itself is straight and smooth. It has a Vintage full-C profile and the seriously wide 1.76" nut for incredible string spacing. The neck depth measures .896" deep at the 1st fret and .980" deep at the 10th fret. The tuners all function well and the guitar stays in tune excellent. The headstock and logo display very well. The inlay is in excellent condition as is the logo. The Rosewood fingerboard is smooth and in excellent condition. The frets are the factory jumbo sized units and have been professionally leveled, crowned, cleaned and polished. They look near new condition-see photos. The action is set very low for an easy playing experience. It can easily be raised higher with the bridge adjustment wheels-if you prefer that. The string height is currently .010" at the 1st fret and .055" at the 12th fret. The guitar plays great up and down the fingerboard-it really has a nice feel.
The pickups both have na excellent strong signal and great balance. The neck position measures 7.25 ohms and the bridge position measures 7.15 ohms. The tone is really what gives the H-62 its charm: rich articulate warm tones ideal for jazz, rockabilly or blues. The controls all function smoothly and quietly. The potentiometers were replaced long ago-but everything else on the guitar appears to be factory original. The tone capacitors are the original bumblebees that Gibson used in the late 50's. The rosewood adjustable bridge is fixed to the top most likely with a thin layer of adhesive-I can not see any signs of it, but it stays in place so "if it ain't broke-don't fix it." The original harp tailpiece is made of Nickel. The knobs are the original Bakelite ribbed-sided pieces and are in very good condition (no cracks! -yay!)
The guitar is very lightweight, it only weighs 6.35 lbs. It is very comfortable to play and sits in your lap nicely. These guitars are a real value in the vintage market, not many 1950's archtops have good neck angles and low action like this one for modern music.
