Question about Hummingbird finishes

[Lamar Fandango]

I have been looking for just the right Hummingbird, and I couldn’t help but notice three main contenders start to emerge (new or mostly new). There are some classy and subtle cherry sunburst finish, the darker alluring vintage HB finish, and a circus clown red finish. You may have figured out, I’m not buying bright red guitar. It makes me thinks it’s a Ronald McDonald signature series (the red and yellow are blaring). If you’re into h’birds, I suppose flashy works. I can’t do it though. I have a few questions that maybe have an answer somewhere.

 

1. 
    
   
2. What drove the change from the subtle heritage cherry burst to bright red fire engine burst?
   
3. I’ve read many times that the burst paint job was created to hide imperfections. Are the new H’bird Standards just not nice pieces of sitka?
   
4. Do the older subtlely finished H’Birds sound any better or worse?
   
5. Would it be insane to have one of the newer birds refinished like one of the other two? That’s crazy talk, right?
   
6. Is there a standard H’bird with a finish other than red? (Not talking about the Pro)
   

[j45nick]

Most of the original 'birds (1960's) were a fairly bright cherry when they were new. The red dye Gibson used in those first years was very uv-unstable, and the guitars faded in a variety of ways, depending on the dye lot and the amount of uv exposure the guitar had.

 

Modern 'birds have come in a variety of 'burst finishes, some replicating an original faded 'burst in various forms, some the brighter un-faded 'burst.

 

The modern pigments are pretty stable, so what you see is probably what you get, at least in the short run.

 

Do not even consider re-finishing a 'bird (new or vintage) to another type of 'burst. Just keep looking for one you like. The variety is almost endless.

[62burst]

Nick has given a good overview of the red Hummingbird story. Guessing that you've checked out the 'Bird in the eBay Australia listing I'd posted a little while ago. It's finished in the Heritage Cherry Sunburst. Normally found on the mahogany HB Standards. The bright red that you've seen is the Cherry Red Sunburst, but that finish will also occasionally be called the Heritage Cherry sunburst. Fun, right? The contemporary bright red maple examples are a tribute to the early '60's 'Birds that were built with maple back/sides, which are now hard to come by, and can be quite expensive. Those who really wish to celebrate that lineage will love the red reissue birds, and go all in for that era of Hummingbird. Personally, my preference would be for one of the originals, where the red pigment has faded with the passage of the decades, leaving what became known as the Iced Tea burst (burstophiles, correct me if I've gotten this wrong).

 

In reference to your questions, yes, originally Gibson adopted the sunburst to hide less than top grade woods, as the spruce was being used in the War effort (WWII), even though sunbursts have been around for much longer than that. And since any given guitar can sound different from it's twin, one can't judge a guitar by it's finish.

 

Your question 4; it's too involved to do a refin on a perfectly fine guitar just to change the color. Maybe if it had a damaged top. . . However, word is, that Gibson is now taking custom orders through it's Custom Shop once again, but the price might be prohibitive, the turnaround would be lengthy, no returns on a custom, regardless of how the guitar sounds, and Gibson is currently going through some troubled waters (which might calm down after August), so if your dealer could order one for you, it might be best to wait until after then.

 

2009 HB Birdseye:

 

[Jinder]

My Hummingbird is an oddball-a 1990, natural finish, Fullerplast lacquer and paddle neck joint. Despite (or because of) all that, it’s an insanely great guitar.

 

I wouldn’t worry about the burst vs natural grain pattern thing. That may have been true back in the ‘40s era of tiny bursts, but Gibson are using some great tonewoods. A grain imperfection needn’t necessarily equate to structural or tonal issues, though. I’d always buy with ears first.

[Lamar Fandango]

Thanks for the info folks. The idea to refinish a new guitar was a wild hair. I just really don’t like the McDonald’s color scheme no matter how vintage it is. It’s tough to play a few h’birds in a row when all we have is Guitar Center and Sam Ash, and GC only has the bright red ones (sorry, they look like clownbirds to me). Sam Ash only has one and it’s older. It sounds OK, but they downplayed my request to put new strings on it. I downplayed their suggestion that I buy it, so it evened out. It’s no longer on sale, so I have less incentive to go back (1 hr away).

 

I have a business trip to NYC in June. Maybe the big Sam Ash will have a decent selection. Looks like much of the former music row in NYC is gone. Where can one go to play multiple h’birds side bu side these days?

[Mafy31]

Faded burst finish that looks a bit more "natural" actually might be the Heritage Cherry sunburst, it does not look red at all and let all the grain visible :

https://www.gear4music.be/fr/Guitare-and-basse/Gibson-Hummingbird-Heritage-Cherry-Sunburst/1BLY

 

That's the kind of bird i have and it looks more like honey/light brown with a light burst.

[j45nick]

Faded burst finish that looks a bit more "natural" actually might be the Heritage Cherry sunburst, it does not look red at all and let all the grain visible :

https://www.gear4music.be/fr/Guitare-and-basse/Gibson-Hummingbird-Heritage-Cherry-Sunburst/1BLY

 

That's the kind of bird i have and it looks more like honey/light brown with a light burst.

 

 

I wouldn't go by the name of the finish alone. I would want to see the actual finish on the guitar. The "heritage cherry" in that listing would be the equivalent of a VERY faded cherryburst from the mid 1960's. Some did fade like that, even though they started life as very bright cherryburst finish.

 

But not all faded cherryburst finishes are that extreme, where there is virtually no hint of red at all. Gibson electric (maybe acoustic, too) did a similar finish a few years ago, but they called it an "ice tea burst", not heritage cherry.

[fortyearspickn]

If you've seen one H'bird, you've seen one H'bird !

No, seriously - most of them have subdued coloration. Just enough tint so you can see red, and not just brown. The new ones may be getting more red, but if you cruise Guitar Center's website and search on them - you'll see most are 'honey', 'tobacco'... auburn, russet, rust and wine. . Usually you can see more grain on an H'bird than a standard J45 type burst.

If you desire a darker brownish tint - look for a 'Vintage' model. Not "True Vintage. The later "Vintage' has a terrified (IE heat-treated) top that looks much closer to brown.

Of course, it would be insane to want a Ronald McDonald Signature Model. Or to refinish the top of a new H'Bird - but if you look further and are patient, you'll find a great one in a pleasing shade of. G'Luck!

[Mafy31]

I wouldn't go by the name of the finish alone. I would want to see the actual finish on the guitar. The "heritage cherry" in that listing would be the equivalent of a VERY faded cherryburst from the mid 1960's. Some did fade like that, even though they started life as very bright cherryburst finish.

 

But not all faded cherryburst finishes are that extreme, where there is virtually no hint of red at all. Gibson electric (maybe acoustic, too) did a similar finish a few years ago, but they called it an "ice tea burst", not heritage cherry.

 

the ice-tea burst is actually rather reddish.

The heritage cherry has no red at all. It is rather brown/honey. At least it was true, dunno about newer models.

 

Heritage looks really like this :