The Gibson Hummingbird is getting a whole dedicated episode today. Why? Because the Gibson Hummingbird is one of the most iconic guitars, especially when it comes to its playability and aesthetic qualities.
This episode of Acoustic Tuesday will dive into the Gibson Hummingbird and how it redefined the artistic and aesthetic possibilities of the acoustic guitar. On top of that, I’ll feature 5 awesome alternatives to the Gibson Hummingbird that are a little cheaper but still feature the must-haves of the Hummingbird.
If you’ve ever wondered why the Gibson Hummingbird is such a sought-after guitar, then be sure to watch this episode of Acoustic Tuesday!
As always, you can watch Acoustic Tuesday at 10 am every Tuesday in these four places:
- Acoustic Life YouTube channel
- We Play Every Day Facebook Community
- Get show notes emailed directly to your inbox.
- Listen to audio-only below or in iTunes
This Week on Acoustic Tuesday
5 Reasons Why You Should Play a Gibson Hummingbird
This entire episode is dedicated to talking about the Gibson Hummingbird. I want to celebrate one of the most eye-catching guitars and talk about alternatives that still hold up to the Gibson Hummingbird.
To start this Hummingbird themed episode, I want to talk about the TOP 5 reasons why you should at least consider playing a Gibson Hummingbird.
Reason #1: All current Gibson Acoustics are made right here in Bozeman, MT
Now, I’m currently living in Bozeman, so there’s a little bit of a bias, but I still think this is significant. The Bozeman factory has a very high standard for production, especially when making as many guitars as they do!
Supporting the local economy and builders/technicians in my community is always a plus. Be sure to watch the episode to see the inside look at Gibson’s Bozeman factory!
Reason #2: Gibson’s flagship square-shouldered dreadnought is the Gibson Hummingbird
Before 1960, there wasn’t a Gibson square-shouldered dreadnought that was mass-produced. Martin seemed to dominate the market prior to 1960, but when the Gibson Hummingbird came out, it changed the market forever.
Differing from Martin’s square-shouldered models, the Gibson Hummingbird had pizzazz and a completely different aesthetic look that has captured the hearts of guitarists for the last 50 years. When you pick up a Gibson Hummingbird, you’re holding history…and I think that can’t be ignored.
Reason #3: Aesthetics Trifecta
After talking about the square-shouldered design, I realized that the Gibson Hummingbird really captures an aesthetic trifecta. What do I mean by that?
The first thing that makes the Gibson Hummingbird a beautiful and balanced guitar in its looks is the split parallelogram inlays on the neck. The contrast between the classic, rigid lines of the inlay on the smooth rosewood neck is just awesome to look at.
The second notable visual quality on the Gibson Hummingbird is the cherry burst top. The color of the Hummingbird’s top is unmistakable, copies widely, and is absolutely gorgeous.
The third quality that completes the trifecta is finely engraved pickguard. There’s a little bit of a hippy-vibe, a country-vibe, and a nod to the beauty of the natural world. There are very few guitars that are so clean, classic, and iconic.
Reason #4: Comfort
You might have heard about the scale length of the Gibson Hummingbird, but if not, just now that this guitar is incredibly comfortable and suitable for players of all sizes.
The first thing that makes the Gibson Hummingbird is the scale length. The scale length is 24 3/4 inches as opposed to 25 1/2 inches on other dreadnoughts. The Gibson Hummingbird also a very slim nut-width. This allows the string spacing to be smaller, accomodating small hands and fingers.
The final thing that makes playing the Gibson Hummingbird incredibly comfortable to play is a slim, tapered neck profile. For a guitarist with smaller hands that wants the sound of a big-bodied dreadnought, you can’t go wrong with the Hummingbird.
Reason #5: The Birth of a Gibson Series
Think of the Gibson Hummingbird as the lead domino in a trend of Gibson guitars. To me, the Hummingbird kicked off Gibson’s dedication to birds.
It all started in 1960 with the Gibson Hummingbird. From there, we move to the Gibson Dove. After that, there was the Gibson Doves in Flight, the artistic take on the Gibson Dove. After that, we moved to the Gibson Firebird acoustic with phoenix engravings. Then, we move to the Eric Church Hummingbird model. And that’s just the acoustic guitars dedicated to birds!
As a special little bonus, I found a SWEET article that talks about the engraver that created the Gibson Hummingbird design. Click here to read the article.
Link: https://www.kalamazoomuseum.org
Bluebird Cafe Documentary
While not absolutely related to the Gibson Hummingbird, I wanted to tell you about a documentary about a place called the Bluebird Cafe.
Now, besides both being birds (bluebird, hummingbird) these two topics have a tangential relationship. See, the Gibson Hummingbird is popular among singer-songwriters…and many singer-songwriters end up at the Bluebird Cafe — you following me?
This documentary about the iconic cafe has just been released. I highly encourage you to check out this awesome feature about an unforgettable place.
There are artists from Taylor Swift to Garth Brooks that had big-breaks at the Bluebird Cafe.
In fact, our own Tony’s Acoustic Challenge member Eryn Michel won a songwriting competition and had the chance to play the Bluebird Cafe — watch the episode to see her perform! Thanks, Eryn, for letting me feature you in this episode!
If you want to know more about the Bluebird Cafe, be sure to watch the documentary or visit their website today!
Link: https://bluebirdcafe.com/
Blackberry Smoke: Artist of the Week
Now, I struggled with adding this group to this episode — mostly because they aren’t entirely an acoustic-only group!
But, I figured it was worth it to include these incredible musicians on Acoustic Tuesday. If you like southern rock, something that’s similar to the Allman Brothers or the Black Crows (with a little folk added in), be sure to check out Blackberry Smoke.
Now, in the video above…did you notice the guitar that singer Charlie Starr is playing? Yep, that’s right! He plays a beautiful Gibson Hummingbird.
Blackberry Smoke has a classic sound that seems to sit in the cracks between folk and southern rock.
The instrumentation is awesome, as well. Their percussionist doesn’ even play drums or a Cajon! That’s right, he’s playing a modified guitar with tons of percussive elements.
Before we move on, I want to leave you with a beautiful song written by Blackberry Smoke called “Aint Much Left of Me.” I love this song especially because there’s so much classic harmony that is totally rooted in ’60s/ ’70s rock.
3 non-Gibson Hummingbirds
Upon researching, I had a hard time finding exact clones of the Gibson Hummingbird. There’s plenty of slope-shouldered options, but very few square-shouldered options.
Nevertheless, I’ve dug up some good alternatives to the Gibson Hummingbird, just in case you want to try something that is not a Gibson per se.
#1 The Epiphone Hummingbird Pro
For those of you who don’t know, Epiphone is a brand of Gibson. Epiphone offers a lot of Gibson models that are similar in style, just made with typically cheaper materials.
The Hummingbird Pro by Epiphone absolutely holds its own. While it doesn’t have the same resonance that the Gibson model does, it’s about as close as you can get in the aesthetics department without being an outright copy.
#2 Martin D18-SS
Last week we covered how awesome the D18 was…but imagine the D18 just with a short-scale neck!
This Martin D18-SS is very similar to the Gibson Hummingbird, but is just the Martin version. It has the signature Martin tone, but unfortunately, this guitar has been discontinued. You can still find this guitar, but it’s not a stock option.
#3 Kopp Guitars’ The Bird
For a truly beautiful instrument that almost seems like a tonal improvement of the Gibson Hummingbird, you can’t miss The Bird.
I’ve had the chance to meet the builder, Kevin Kopp, multiple times. I am so impressed with his craftsmanship, and I highly recommend everyone to give Kopp guitars a try if you can!
I have larger hands with longer fingers, so I prefer my Gibson Songwriter. As you know, it shares many of the attributes you described for the Hummingbird.
It seems to me that your hands are good examples of how our species is evolving. So I wonder why so many players relish narrow fingerboards. Perhaps flat pickers like the strings closer together to allow faster picking, but those who are really good at speed picking often sound to me like they can’t wait to finish the song, which interferes with its musicality. There are exceptions of course, as there always are – Django for instance. Finger pickers, on the other hand, might find it easier to execute their craft if they have a little more room in which to play. Most of the time, their artistry depends on each note lasting long enough to be heard as a unity within a series. In any case, nice to hear someone likes extra room.
Tony, great show as always. Great mention about the ballcap. I have been wondering why there are no hats on your site. I will be first in line if you decide to include caps in your store. Second, I have a recommendation for a book to assist in the mental part of practicing. The book is called “PRACTICING – A Musician’s Return to Music” by Glen Kurtz. An excellent read and super for the mental aspect of music in general and practice specifically. I love the mental imagesHowar and it resonates with me. Guitar Geeks unite…
So what about the opinion of the Gibson Heritage. It was supposed to be the top of the line with better quality materials; rosewood?
Really enjoyed Blackberry Smoke. I hope nobody minds if I incorporate their songs into my gigs. Thank you Tony for your incredible insight!! I play both Taylors, 855ce 12 and a 416ce LE. Good fit for this group.
Tone, I remember coveting “The Dove in a downtown music store in San Jose in 1966. At the time I didn’t know a Gibson from a Stella. The price tag was I believe around $300. I walked our with my first guitar, a nylon string classical by K. Yairi ($99), still have it. Nice to now know so much about that beautiful Dove of my youth.
Hey Tony,
I was strumming my new Epiphone Frontier at the very moment you were talking about it on this episode– it is amazing.
The other Epiphone Masterbuilt that is being re-issued is the Excellente. It should be awesome.
I have Martins and Gibsons. The Epiphone Masterbuilts– both from Indonesia and from China sound ust as good in my opinion..
The Gibson J-50 (and J-45) has the same short scale (24.75′) and is even slightly narrower at the nut (1.69″ vs Hummingbird’s 1.72″). It’s more slope-shouldered than the very square Hummer, so even more comfortable for a smaller person (like me). It has pretty much that same big Gibson sound too… if not all of the Hummer’s bling.
Yes I bought mine in 1976, for £600.00. I hadn’t realised it was a Short Scale, I do have small hands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESWsjGmKk1U All my Music Theory “Structure in Sound”, was worked out with this Guitar. http://bigsis1.bandcamp.com/ I do need to get it repaired though, due to a bit of Dead Spots, and Buzz’s on certain frets. Not bad for an old girl of 44 years old. I think mine was made in Gibson factory Kalamazoo Michigan: https://heritageguitars.com/
Hummingbird is a great guitar. I have owned one for years along with a Song Writer. Love them both.
Well I have a Westwood guitar made in 1977 still plays well, not a Gibson but I love itl I watch your show every Tuesday
It is one of the lawsuit guitars that look like the Gibson. Got it new in 1977 and still enjoy playing it. The pick guard is missing a lot of the bird and flowers, but love the finish
This was my first acoustic Tuesday and it was excellent. I was fortunate to play 3 times over the years at open mic night at the Bluebird and I would encourage anyone (especially Guitar Geeks) to try to have that remarkable experience if you get to Nashville. You put you name on a piece of paper and they pick about 20-24 names of those who get to play that night. If you aren’t picked they give you the paper back and explain that if you come back again on open-mic Monday you bring the paper to the person in charge and you will automatically be in that night. I actually laminated my paper and brought it back a YEAR later and got to play. So, I encourage my fellow Guitar Geeks to try to have that experience if possible.
# thumbs up Col Kyle. the use of the Hummingbird front & center for Blackberry Smoke didn’t go unnoticed by me either LoL. Tony knows his product placement.
Hi Tony, excellent show as always. Was on a night flight to Turkey a few years back and couldn’t sleep. I happened to catch a fellow passenger a few seats up to my right watching what looked like Young Frankenstein. Or Frankensteen? I must’ve woken up a few people as I couldn’t stop laughing.
Made the flight much easier to cope with.
B.t.w., is it pure coincidence that you and Tony Esposito have the same name? Goalies to boot.
Would you comment on the Taylor Builder’s Edition 614ce WHB and how it would compare to the Martin D18 or D28 and a Gibson J200 or Humming bird.
I saw Blackberry Smoke along with Allman Betts Band in Punta Gorda, Florida, I want to say last October. It was a week after seeing Chris Stapleton in Tampa. They are great. Boom, Slam, Bam, Holy S#$t, WOW! Allman Betts were why I went and I lean more to them but Wow! Good Stuff.
How cool to see a Douglas A-4M Skyhawk II the first time I watch your show…I worked on those when I was in the Marine Corps. Aircraft AND guitar geeks unite!
Just finished watching “Bluebird” on Amazon. Great movie and inspiring as well. I’ll have to put playing at the Bluebird on my bucket list.
Only been in TAC a few months and have been spending some money on many of your album recommends. This weeks’ look at Blackberry Smoke by far the best for me. Bought 3 and am watching a concert on Amazon Prime. Thanks!
I played a 68′ Gibson Hummingbird through the 70’s. It took a real beating from spending so much time under that hot stage lighting. Sold it in 86′ for $600 with the neck separating, bridge bulge and lift, and warped pick guard. I still miss that guitar.
My best friend from the last 50 years died last year and I now have his ‘66 Hummingbird.
He was a roadie for Keith Richards and supposedly got this bird from Keith.
Is there any way I can verify this?
BTW, my friend wanted me to have it, and everybody knew it. On his death bed he told me to take, but he loved it so, I would’ve felt like a grave robber, soIdid not. His family made me pay $2500 for it. The joke is on them if it really was Keith’s. But I am not selling it.
Karma.
It’s pretty beat up but sounds like heaven.
My best friend from the last 50 years died last year and I now have his ‘66 Hummingbird.
He was a roadie for Keith Richards and supposedly got this bird from Keith.
Is there any way I can verify this?
BTW, my friend wanted me to have it, and everybody knew it. On his death bed he told me to take, but he loved it so, I would’ve felt like a grave robber, soIdid not. His family made me pay $2500 for it. The joke is on them if it really was Keith’s. But I am not selling it.
Karma.
It’s pretty beat up but sounds like heaven.
Great episode, It was nice to have someone relate the differences in dimensions, esp. scale length, to the play-ability of a guitar. I have long fingers. It helped me to understand what my hands feel when trying different guitars. Some guitars feel cramped but I didn’t understand why.
I have a separated right shoulder that has never healed properly.
Love the sound of a Dreadnought but found them very uncomfortable to play.
Disappointed, I almost didn’t buy a guitar. Then a friend let me try his Martin OM style.
The shallower body depth did the trick.
Being new to guitar, I had no idea Gibson made acoustics. I thought they just made electrics. So I never tried any Gibson acoustics. After watching this episode, if shelter in place ever ends, I am inspired to try a Hummingbird and Dove.
Maybe I can have my dread and play it too.
I noticed that there is ample information on Martin, both from Martin and other sources. There is much less information on Gibson Acoustics.
For example, what is the body depth of a Hummingbird? a Dove ? etc..
Could they be close to Martin OM depth?
Meantime I hope my favorite local shop survives the lock down.
Today they sent an email asking for help in the form of buying a gift card or two. Will do what I can and sign up for one.
Do I work at home or live at work? Either way it’s now much easier to take a guitar break at work.
Thank you for introducing us to Blackberry Smoke. They immediately took me back to my younger days and nights. Growing up in the Tampa Bay area, I was a huge fan of southern rock. The Outlaws “down in Tampa town”, Molly Hatchet, Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, Tom Petty. The list goes on. Four measures into “Ain’t Much Left of Me”, I was hanging my feet out the window of my best friend’s Maverick cruising down the beach without a care in the world.
Tony, just came across something interesting. I was watching a video on Youtube about the history of Keith Richards guitars. Back in 1966 Keith received, from Gibson, a Hummingbird guitar, which he used to record the intro for Street Fightin’ Man and Jumping Jack Flash.