Gibson Hummingbird

Hey Talula-thanks for the requests.

I decided to go with one of your suggestions and check out the Gibson Hummingbird this time around. First thing, the Hummingbirds come in a few different varieties. I tried the Gibson Hummingbird Acoustic-Electric and the Gibson Hummingbird Artist Acoustic-Electric. These are both high-end acoustic guitars made in the good 'ole USA.

Here's what I think:

Gibson Hummingbird Acoustic-Electric



Gibson Hummingbird Artist Acoustic-Electric



Looks:
Well the Hummingbird (top picture) definately has a pretty unique looking pickguard. I think you either love it or say "what's with the bird?" Personally I'm not a fan of the etched hummingbird, flowers, and the butterfly but you may like it. It's pretty old school...like Little House on the Prairie. The Artist version (bottom picture) has a smaller more suttle pickguard.

Finish:
The finish on both models is super nice. Not a high gloss finish but the aged look is very nice. The Hummingbird has chrome Grover toners that are great if you like chrome versus gold or ivory (I like chrome - shiny). The Artist has slightly cheaper looking tuners with ivory knobs. The one thing that did stick out was the bindings on these babies. They were obviously very simple cream bindings but they even covered the ends of the fret wire. Now that's paying attention to detail!

Action/Playability:
If there was one downside to both of these guitars it was the high action. It looked like the saddle was a little bit too high for my liking. Don't sweat it though I'm pretty sure in the hands of the right luthier or technician the bridge could be lowered to correct this.

Sound:
OMG! This thing sounded unbelievable! Soft strumming, hard strumming, up and down the neck, fingerstyle, power chords they all sounded great. Even with me playing it. Both models are wired for sound and can be plugged into your favorite amp. There are no volume controls or an equalizer to make adjustments while playing. It's just plug and play. I did't have the chance to plug either in to hear them through an amp. Sorry.

Price Tag:
$3000 (Hummingbird) / $2300 (Hummingbird Artist)

Pro's:
Sound, overall construction of the guitar, sound, made in the USA, oh did I mention the sound?

Con's:
High action, price tag (you're looking at a couple of mortage payments here...foreclosure...Gibson Hummingbird...decisions decisions).

Well that's it for now. I actually tried these out in the Epiphone line too. Since I'm actually shocked you read this far I've decided to include them in my next post (you're welcome). See you next time!

ez8