Gibson’s first foray into square shouldered flattop acoustics came in the form of the Hummingbird in 1960, vaunted in the catalogue as “A fabulous new acoustical guitar—one of the finest ever made for voice accompaniment. The sound is big, and round, and full with the deep rumbly bass so prized by guitar players.” . The size, shape and X braced design gave the guitar a warm, rich tone that complemented the voice. An almost instant success, the guitar became popular with artists such as Gram Parsons, Jimmy Page, John McLaughlin and Keith Richards and is heard on countless records.

This is a great example. The top is in fantastic condition which could also be said of the back and sides where the cherry really brings out mahogany grain. There is some wonderfully checking all over too, adding to the character.

The neck is in good shape too with no real signs of wear which is the same on the fretboard. The original frets have some life left in them and don’t show signs of excessive wear.The headstock is in good shape. The tuners and nut are correct. 

The saddle has been replaced with a Tusq saddle that does a great deal for the tone. The rosewood saddle is included in the sale. The guitar is also fitted with an undersaddle pickup and endpin jack.

The guitar comes with a hardshell case.

This guitar has a wonderful  presence that can be lacking in other Gibson acoustics. Chords ring out and the guitar has a fantastic dynamic range that reacts well to either a light touch or a heavier hand. There is no doubt as to why these were so popular. Being a Gibson of the late 60s, this guitar does have the narrower 1 9/16” nut width though don’t let that put you off.

A rare bird indeed, this would make an excellent addition to any collection.