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Gibson Hummingbird (1960-present)
Gibson hummingbird guitars were gibson's first square shoulder dreadnought guitars , although the guitar was a little pricy when it was introduced in 1960 it was an immediate success .
The Hummingbird "was and is" an eye catcher and plays acceptionally well ( rich tone), it opened and paved the way for other household named flat top gibson acoustic guitars with square shoulders such as the dove custom guitar , country western and the gibson heritage .
Many collectors debate on whether this guitar is truly collectible because of its square shoulders , in my opinion the hummingbird is a significant part of gibsons' history and according to the trend its price value keeps on going up year after year .
From 1960 till present there was no drastic changes to the hummingbird accept for minor features .
In 1960 the hummingbird was 16 .25" wide , it had a rosewood bridge , mahogany body back and sides , engraved hummingbird on pickguard , bound body and neck , gold tuners , double parallelagram fingerboard inlays , and were made in cherry sunburst .
In 1963 some hummingbirds were made with maple back and sides ( which was optional ) , and pickguards were a little smaller , in 1965 gibson added humminbirds made in natural finishes , some pickguards were attached with screws in late 60s .
In 1970 the hummingbird had non adjustable bridge saddles, and a 3 piece mahogany neck . In 73 they started making them with block inlays on the fingerboard , during the early 80s parallelagram fingerboard inlays were reintroduced .
Vintage Guitar Price Values For 2007 :
1960 - 1962 > $4200 to $4700 ( mahogany )
1963 - 1964 > $3800 to $4200 ( maple optional )
1965 - 1968 > $2500 to $3500 ( natural finishes were added in 65 )
1969 - 1983 > $1500 to $2500
1984 - 1999 > $1200 to $1700
1960 - 1962 > Avg Upward Trend Of 15% a Year since 2000
1963-1964 > 11% 1965-1968 > 7% 1969-1983 > 5% 1984 - 1999 > 3%
Note : Pre 65 models are very difficult to find and were made in limited quantities . Prices above are according to 4 different vintage guitar price guides and rounded off to the nearest dollar .
If you want to buy a gibson hummingbird , you can find used or vintage gibson hummingbird guitars for sale on Ebay, however they don't have them all the time ....
If you have any vintage gibson guitars that are posted on this site ,you are always welcome to post a review,comment or detailed features ,im sure other guitar players who visit us would love to know ... Domenic
Important Note : Due to the overwhelming amount of comments on this blog i cannot answer all the questions although id love to . You can still post questions hopefully some of our viewers can help you out ... Thank You
Important Note : Due to the overwhelming amount of comments on this blog i cannot answer all the questions although id love to . You can still post questions hopefully some of our viewers can help you out ... Thank You
Gibson Hummingbird
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25 comments:
just acquired a 68 bird a 7 in condition pu non adjustable bone saddle on neckbow up at body joint corrected by filing frets some bow in soundboard normal for x bracing aged guiars that are resonating correctly the good part lightas afeather and full sound even volume on lows mids highs really has a sound of correct authority for acoustic purpose 2150 cost a real nobrainer keeper if you can get one DO
awesome post , luv your site ...thnx
I have a 63.. Fabulous
Important to add that this guitar was made famous by the Rolling Stones; Keith Richards and Brian Jones were playing with the Hummingbird.
Mick Jagger joined them later. Still today the Stones uses the Hummingbird.
after reading this post theres no way im selling my 65 hummingbird .. ( lol ).. thnx
There are also other famous guitar players that play the hummingbird ... its a great guitar thats underated in todays market. In my opinion these guitars will be worth double in a few years from now.
I've got a '60 that I inherited from my great grandfather upon his death. Plays like a dream- warmest tone I've heard from just about any acoustic. Mine is a little lighter color than the pics I've seen though- but maybe that's just the pics.
Anybody know what year a 108877 is?
1963
What year would serial# 163549 Be
serial numbers on hummingbirds made from 152990 to 174222 were made in 1964
Dad recently passed away and mom could use some cash. He left behind a Hummingbird "Made in Kalamazoo" square-shouldered dreadnought in a cherryburst finish. On the entire back, running down the center, is fine inlay only about 1/8" wide. Stamped on the headstock is A407295 and no "Made in the USA" below it. Can someone please place a model type, year, and approximate value on this beautiful guitar?
Dad recently passed away and mom could use some cash. He left behind a Hummingbird "Made in Kalamazoo" square-shouldered dreadnought in a cherryburst finish. On the entire back, running down the center, is fine inlay only about 1/8" wide. Stamped on the headstock is A407295 and no "Made in the USA" below it. Can someone please place a model type, year, and approximate value on this beautiful guitar?
I jusy acquired a 1961 Hummingbird, truly a special guitar.
these are beautiful guitars
I just bought a hummingbird with serial 563047, what year would that be? Found the serial on the back of the headstock ( paper inside soundhole missing ) Thanks dannobir
Need to know year of manufacture of a Hummingbird s/n 218688 very good original condition.
I have a 63 and I love it! Good blog!
Just a tip, I purchased mine through Used Hummingbird Guitars here.
Keep up the good work!
"Many collectors debate on whether this guitar is truly collectible because of its square shoulders"
Probably got that off of http://www.provide.net/~cfh and couldn't be more untrue. The square shoulder line up is just as desired if not more than the round shoulders and jumbos. You'll see more Gibson square shoulder dreads being the choice of mainstream pop/rock artists than others. Bottom line, they sound fantastic and look amazing.
I have recently acquired a Hummingbird, my dream guitar, but know nothing about the year made. The serial # is on an orange oval card #22583 and also impressed on the back of the headstock. Does anyone know what year this guitar was made? Please Help!
I have a Gibson Hummingbird that has been passed thru my family. Not sure what year it is or its value? The serial # is 34826. Made in Kalamazoo. Anybody have any input?
Charles, you'll find the info regarding the vintage of your Hummingbird on this site -
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/gibson.html
Serial numbers near the bottom of the page.
Mine's a '61 Hummingbird which I've had for 30 years...what a friend. She just gets better and better. While it doesn't have the volume of an old Martin D-28, it's tone is second to none. Recording engineers I've worked with constantly comment on its beautiful tone...a great guitar to record with. I'm playing it through a Phil Jones Acoustic 100 Cub amp....which does the ol' Bird justice.....glad to see other Birds are bringing so much joy.
Have just acquired a '65, it is amazingly BEAUTIFUL - exceeded my wildest expectations. Out of curiosity I had a play on a brand new model today in a guitar shop, interesting to hear the difference in sound between a new one and an old one - ain't no sustitute for time. I've owned my Martin HD28 for 26 years, but lately, I'm a bit of a Gibson convert, if I could afford it I'd happily get myself another Hummingbird - only this time I'd get a sunburst so I could have one of each. I can't say enough good things about this guitar.
I have seen some late sixty Hummingbirds with the bridge reversed. Was there a certain year or reason this was done on some of them? I have seen it on three Hummingbirds and two Country and Westerns.
i have an prototype of a gibson hummingbird i was was woundering in what price range it would be in and also its one that the person that i got it from her dad is the one that made the dies for them if you want email me at
gothboi669@msn.com
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