 H72
Electric hollowbody - Burgundy Red
Production year(s) : 1966-1971 (other years possible, not verified)
Fender-style headstock, special design "f-holes" - H72V is the model number with Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. 4 ply bindings (wbwb)
 72 images in database
mouse over image for file name - click to enlarge 
Related to this model
19 comments | Add your comment ! - Tamjam - 2006-06-07
Thanks for the info on my H72v Harmony. For years I thought it was a '64 but apparently not! I love this guitar unnaturally and together with my Roland jc120, I have created beautiful warm tones I have never been able to duplicate with any other guitar. After every show (I am a solo artist) I am always approached by several people, often musicians, asking about my guitar and the beautiful, unique sound it produces. - Timothy - 2006-08-24
I own a very nice H72 and it has the classic separation at seam on back of headstock as in one you have pictured on your web sight. 3 out of 5 that I have seen have this separation. I belive that the seam opens because of the plastic type material on face of headstock shrinks just enough over the years to cause this on so many of them. Climate has something to do with shrinkage there for some do some do not. This seam is always cosmetic and is usually very stable and will not have any effect on the play or function of guitar. If you get a chance to play one DO, you will be amazed how nice they are. - Bob Diddley - 2006-10-17
Lovely photos of a lovely guitar! I have one in very good condition, and I agree that it is an addictive experience to play it. It's light weight, plays chords or leads equally well - it just feels RIGHT! With a DOD Tube Overdrive into a Fender Princeton (of the same vintage) it wails, moans and screams - great for controlled feedback.
Ooh! I wish mine had a Bigsby...but then, I'd never be able to keep it in tune. - GMAC - 2008-08-18
Bought mine in a pawn shop in about 1967. Traded it in 1972 for a Gibson bass. A few months later I had given up bass playing for the US Navy and wanted my H72 back. The fellow still had the H72 and I got it back. It then went under the bed for 35 years. Opened up the case Oct of 2007 and have begun to really learn how to play the guitar. The ole H72 is pretty banged up. pick guard long gone, but still has that sweet sound, and ease of play that I will always enjoy. - Joebee - 2008-12-11
I have one but the tailpiece is different. - Fenton James - 2009-07-30
I just got one of these this week. I have a hard time putting it down!!! I use a small 25 watt Traynor amp, with gain, bass, treble and reverb all at 10. This guitar is the bomb. It sounds amazing and plays itself!!!!
If you find one, get it!!! - Matt K. - 2009-11-29
This guitar has been my main axe for several bands, mostly punk/rocknroll/rockabilly. It is SOLID - it takes my frenzied abuse, and, even though I heavily utilize the original Bigsby, while everyone else is tuning up in between songs, I am always surprised that I am perfectly in tune. I love this guitar and would be lost without it. FYI - I changed out the DeArmonds with 1970s Dan Armstrong humbuckers, and I was forced to install a small toggle kill-switch to control unwanted noise/hum/feedback in between songs, etc. Oh, and a Tune-o-matic bridge, and upgraded tuners, and straplocks. I forgot how much I've done to this guitar. It is not very close to original anymore, but it is my favorite player, and I will never sell it. Thanks for this site, very informative!!! - Matt K. - 2009-11-29
P.S. I have the seam separation on the back of my headstock, also. It is a good thing this model happens to be one of the few (two?) models Harmony made that has 6-in-line tuners, so there is no string-pulling stress on the side of the headstock that is splitting. I am afraid, though, that I am going to bump the headstock on something someday and the superficial side will break off. - Arian - 2010-06-02
I stumbled over this guitar and bought it because it looked like an Trini Lopez ES.
If you start to play you just cant stop,the sound of this guitar has vintage written all over it,JUST GREAT.
I also have got the seem separation on the headstockcome
The electronics are still working good and the string action is very low without fretbuzz.
These golden tone PU's are very good ,if you can get your hands on this guitar buy it!!! - H72Owner - 2010-09-30
I also have one with a crack in the back of the headstock. No big deal--I just filled it with proper glue and it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. I also have ANOTHER H72V without that separation. It seems they used both the old style of bridge, with the bone saddle piece on top, and the later style with steel/chrome saddles. - lpgt1970xreg - 2010-12-26
As a 14 year old I would hang out at my local guitar shop and listen to the owner play jazz and blues on a H72V. The sweetest guitar I ever heard. It was a special order and the guy never came back to pick it up. After a year or so, he asked me if I wanted to buy it. It's been my baby for 41 years...still singing sweet notes. And boy, does it rock!! Perfect sustain and feedback. For the past 20+ years, Jim Mouradian is her personal physician. - Twain - 2011-01-21
I've had my H-72 for about 12 years, I bought it off of my best friend, it was his uncles guitar that he used in a band he was in. I love playing it and I've never come across another one. It has the Bigsby on it and still has the original case as well. Too bad they don't make guitars like this anymore that are affordable. - guitar_mike_69 - 2011-02-10
I have a Harmony H72 that I bought from a neighbor almost 30 years ago with the original (beat up) case. (which is in shreds and I still can't throw it away) I had been playing around 5 or 6 years and this was my first hollow-body guitar and the first I'd heard of the Harmony brand. (mine has no split at the headstock seam, btw) Today I have over 50 Harmonys in my collection and there is no way I could ever part with my H72. It plays great and sounds like no other guitar can; sweet, smooth, mellow, and off the chart with a dimed tube amp. These are truly amazing guitars! - Danny - 2012-05-04
I started getting serious about playing when I was in my early teens. 13 I think. At the time I had a department store Tesco solid body with 3 single coil pickups.{a real p.o.s. if you follow me.} One day in 1978 when I was at a buddies' house that I traded riffs that we had learned back and forth with...his dad broke out a 1967 harmony h-72 that he had gotten off his brother,who had bought it brand new. It was in perfect condition and as soon as I played it...it was so far superior to my junk that I instantly fell in love. After graduation in 1984...I immediately joined the U.S.M.C. After a 10 year stint...I came home. 18 years passed and out of the blue,I got a call from good ole Joe. He explained that he was going to jail for a while on a petty drug charge and that his Harmony was currently in pawn. He didn't want to lose it and had obviously remembered what a hard on I had for it way back when. He then asked if I would buy the pawn ticket for $200 and if I would sell it back to him when he was released. I promptly agreed with the stipulation that he had to convince me that he had gotten his shit together before I sold it back to him. when I picked it up I noticed that he had refinished it from factory red, to natural wood.He did a very good job as he was an auto body pro. Anyhow...about a year later I got a call from an old friend telling me Joe had been killed in a car accident. {very sad news} I still enjoy it today despite all of his shitbird family members trying to claim it shortly after his tragic demise. I have no clue what it is worth but I own Gibsons, Fenders,Jacksons,and Ibanezs that don't play and sound as good as the old Harmony. - Carmsy - 2014-05-25
I worked at a bakery Saturday and Sunday mornings cleaning up after the bakers to save up 150 dollars to buy the H72 @ Peiros School of Music. It was 1967 and I was 13 years old. After finding this site, I pulled her out and she talked to me sweeter than ever. The only change I made was I installed Grover tuners. I also have the split in the headstock but has never caused any issues. I almost sold her years ago to a friend that had an Ovation 1989 collector edition. He wanted the H72 and 400 beans for it. My wife wouldn't wouldn't let me sell her. I just went upstairs to thank her again and gave her a big kiss. - Guitar Tim - 2015-07-01
The H72-V (Bibsby) was the first guitar I ever bought on my own. It was 1967. I was 16 and saw it at a downtown L.A. music store each day as I rode the old #6 bus home. I fell hard for that red beauty in the window, and saved every penny I earned from gigs. I was playing in South Central night spots (chitlin' circuit) and earned good money. I paid $200 cash for it during the school year. By 1968 I was a working pro (in my mind LOL!), and took that Harmony to Viet Nam as part of a USO tour band. We played for GI's all over Nam and Thailand in July '68 and again in August '69. That Harmony never broke a string or lost its tone in that hot, humid, rainy climate! Now my nephew has the guitar and is restoring and playing it as of 2015. Great guitar! Thanks for allowing old fans of this brand chime in on this database. Tim - I just bought a 72v. I swear it looks brand spanking new! How I don't know! I love this thing! The 24 - 2018-08-05
I just bought a 72v. I swear it looks brand spanking new! How I don't know! I love this thing! The 24 1/4" scale fits my hands perfectly! After playing this thing forget it Gibson! - RankDT - 2018-08-05
I just bought a 72v. I swear it looks brand spanking new! How I don't know! I love this thing! The 24 1/4" scale fits my hand perfectly. After playing this thing forget it Gibson! - Greg - 2019-02-23
Bought my H72 new when I was 15 (1971). Still playing her every night. Sweetest guitar I've ever played. Slight crack in the headstock. Needs a pickguard.
|
