Harmony Guitars has brought a classic – and in many cases sought after – archtop back from the dead in the shape of the H62 Reissue, and it might just be one of the coolest jazz guitars of the year.
The a “faithful reproduction” of the arch-top of the 1950s but we’d argue it is better. Those mid ‘50s models didn’t have a truss rod. The reissue does, making setup tweaks that much easier.
Aesthetically, too, this has the look of a more upscale hollowbody guitar, and where a clean example of a ‘50s H62 might set you back about $2,500 on the vintage market, this at $849 looks a steal.
And it really does look like has been teleported here from the 1950s. Finished in a high-gloss 2-Tone Sunburst, the H62 Reissue has a spruce top, figured maple on the back and sides – a pair of F-holes to let the air in and the sound out.
The H62 Reissue has a glued-in maple neck, shaped into a user-friendly C profile. Cream binding ties the whole thing together, with tortoiseshell found on the pickguard and the diamond-shaped mounting plate for the three-way pickup selector.
Where you might find the Gibson-made P-13 pickups on original H62s – a pickup that divides opinion – this second coming features a pair of Harmony-designed units. Warmth and articulation are the watchwords when it comes to their voicing. A pair of volume and tone controls for each pickup is also very Gibson. So too the 12” radius on the rosewood fingerboard.
Elsewhere, we’ve got a 25.5” scale, 20 medium jumbo frets on a fingerboard whose block inlays look a bit bigger than some of the original H62s we have seen. Another elegant talking point is the hardware – just look at that Lyre trapeze tailpiece, which is paired with a tune-o-matic bridge mounted on a rosewood block, with chrome vintage-style “ButterBean” buttons to accentuate that time machine vibe.
So by the time you adjust the very cool, über retro Bakelite control knobs you’ll already be thinking like a ‘50s jazz cat, with a guitar that looks every inch the part.
The H62 Reissue is made in South Korea, and ships with a set of .012s, which will be fine for jazz comping and speedy arpeggios but you might want to size down the electric guitar strings if string bending blues guitar is your thing and you lack Stevie Ray Vaughan's power in the fretting hand. Either way, this looks a good bet for jazz, blues and old rock 'n' roll.
Available now, the H62 Reissue is priced $849. See Harmony Guitars for more details.
