The Gibson Hummingbird guitar is a guitar that has been incredibly well built. From its conception, to its design to its finish, this is a guitar that has seen a lot of care. Gibson are renowned for their excellence in construction and the hummingbird is no exception.
One of the key features of the Gibson Hummingbird is the brace. The brace gives wonderful sound projection through its excellent construction. It is a bracing that can normally only be found in limited runs. The bracing in this guitar, like all Gibson guitars, is hand scalloped. The brace achieves very worthy sound projection by focusing the sound centre-ward. The ‘X’ bracing design in the Gibson lends itself to improving every sound range in the guitar.
One of the greatest testaments to the construction of this guitar is its acoustic pick up system. It is an L.R Baggs element ES. It’s very durable and fitted to the guitar very intelligently. It has a low profile under saddle element, which is more stable than standard ribbon pickups. To remain out of the way and unobtrusive, the volume control is mounted just inside of the sound hole. They have removed the need for internal components with the design and placement of this pick up system.
The fingerboard is sturdily constructed and gives quality sound. Just as many classic Gibson acoustics do, it has traditional binding over the fret ends. Gibson meticulously choose their processes and materials to build their guitars. The fingerboard is made from very resilient rose wood. This wood lends itself to providing the chords with excellent clarity and is very stable. The parallelogram inlays are built from real mother of pearl. They are inserted to ensure that there is no need for fillers and no gaps.
The body of the Gibson acoustic electric has been designed to produce fantastic sound and ease of play. It is bound with 6 ply on the top and 4 ply on the back. For Gibson, two of the most important parts of the guitar building process is selecting the right wood and the right way to dry it out. Mahogany makes up the sides and back, whilst stika spruce makes up the guitars top. The sound this creates is unparalleled. It is through this process of construction that this guitar gains its rich lows, balanced mid-range, and crisp trebles. The Gibson hummingbird is a square shoulder dreadnought and this allows easier access to the upper parts of the fingerboard.
The Gisbon Hummingbird provides the musician with wonderful versatility. It really can play any style. Whether you want to flat-pick further up the neck or play first position chords, this guitar will deliver easily. Whatever you want to play, you can rely on this guitar every time.
The Gibson Hummingbird is one of the most loved acoustic-electric guitars of all time. Released in 1960, it has become the icon guitar of the Gibson acoustic line. Its constant use by legends like Gram Parsons and Keith Richards, are a testament to this beautiful guitar. The Hummingbird was Gibsons first square shoulder release.
Gibson went no holds bar on the design of this stunning guitar. Every process used and material chosen was for a specific purpose. All this care and consideration has created the very excellent sounding and versatile Gibson hummingbird.
