1969 hummingbird dilemma to play or not to play

[Sunburstdigger]

Hi brand new to the forum I have a crazy question.. I scored an amazing deal and picked up a 1969 hummingbird from a neighbor of all things, I play pretty frequently just mostly non bar gigs churches or outdoor stuff, Ok here's where I need your advice, I really want to perform with it but had 2 people say you're crazy keep it at home and record with it.. but I'm not that guy,.. I also know a pickup is needed because the old one isn't responding to that style of saddle.. my dilemma is do I get non invasive pick up installed and use it or sell it for a 2017 hummingbird pro that I wouldn't be scared to play.. thanks!

[aliasphobias]

Welcome to the forum. I don't know much about the 2017 Hummingbird Pro but the Hummingbird Pros that I have seen and sampled aren't Hummingbirds at all (only in name).

The '69er isn't really of much interest to collectors so I would do as you please with it.

Enjoy!

[E-minor7]

Make the old guitar real. Bring it out and play it till it glows.

But get a good stable stand - no one would like to see the head explode in a fall.

 

And do post a photo - you are not the only sunburstdigger here.

[zombywoof]

First welcome and congrats on the new guitar. Hummingbirds do seem to be all over the forum as of late.

 

Do not want to be rude but those people who tell you keep the guitar at home are on a puppy chow. A guitar is a tool. It needs to get the job done for you. Adding a pickup (which someone had apparently already done) is not going to devalue a guitar anymore than a strap button if that is what they are worried about. And if they think the guitar is fragile or something those '69 HBs are pretty heavily built. A friend of mine refers the top bracing in these guitars as railroad ties. While that is a bit of an exaggeration the braces in that year Bird are pretty thick. But do what you need to do to the guitar to enjoy it. It is not going to do you much good sitting at home when you are walking out the door needing something you can plug in.

 

And photos are a necessity. Without them the guitar does not really exist.

[QuestionMark]

Guitars were meant to be played. Including vintage Gibsons. Plus, it’s very cool to be at a gig playing an old Gibson or any Gibson and having someone in the know come up to you while you are playing and recognize you are playing one cool guitar.

 

As a suggestion, if you are looking for a non-invasive pickup, you might try a Rare Earth Humbucker soundhole pickup that is easy to put on and remove. I move mine between guitars quite often and let the cord dangle out of the sound hole. Nothing invasive, easy to put on, and no damage to the instrument.

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

[OldCowboy]

A '69 Hummingbird that sounds good to you and plays comfortably needs to be played - '69 was an interesting year for Gibson acoustics that I've owned previously or have seen and had the opportunity to play. A time of transition that can offer you some fine varietal combinations and results (and some not so fine😒), but fascinating to explore if you're a Gibson fan. That said, most collectors don't consider it to be an especially worthwhile interval - so players have a nice advantage☺

[Jinder]

Make the old guitar real. Bring it out and play it till it glows.

But get a good stable stand - no one would like to see the head explode in a fall.

 

And do post a photo - you are not the only sunburstdigger here.

 

This.

 

It’s a guitar that’s been around for 49yrs and is still in one piece-with the correct care if’ll be good to go for at least another 49yrs! It deserves to be played and heard.

 

I have a ‘67 J45 which I gig with regularly. It’s got plenty of playwear and has gained a few more war wounds since I’ve owned it, but that’s what they’re for-I love my J45 and it gets so many remarks, compliments and audience members cooing over it and asking questions about it. It makes people happy. All of my Gibsons, old or new, are working instruments and are only allowed to stay if they earn their keep.

 

I wouldn’t use my J45 for gigs I have to fly to, but for everything else it’s fair game.

 

I’d recommend something like a Rare Earth Blend soundhole pickup if you want a removable unit for it. Failing that, K&K pickups work well with the adjustable bridge models, if yours is one of them.

[Murph]

Guitars are made for gigging.

 

Leaving guitars at home is guitar abuse.

 

I agree, get a Hercules or better stand and keep an eye on it.

[fortyearspickn]

If you trade it for a GC Special 'hummingbird' Pro - you'll find you have the same dilemma.

This Real H'bird that fell into your lap - sounds like the Perfect gigging guitar.

Life is too dang short - play the best guitar you're able to get your hands on.

[zombywoof]

Gibson had returned to the 1 11/16" nut by 1969 undoing, in my opinion, one of worst (in a list of many) design decisions Gibson made in the 1960s.

 

Sounds like fate played a role in your getting this guitar. And I have learned never dismiss what is basically some good old dumb luck. I have never gone out with the intention of buying a guitar. They just tend to show up out of the blue. I just always looked at it as fate - that guitar was meant to be mine. Funny, though, for me a guitar built in 1969 is still "newish." Just frame of reference I guess because the newest guitar I own was built that year.

 

String choice might be a bit tricky. The bulky bracing combined with the oversized stiff laminate bridge plate all Gibsons with ADJ saddle have tendency to suck up the energy moving through the instrument. But I guess if you play plugged in most of the time it will not really be an issue. But I base everything on how the guitars sounds and responds on its own with no help.

 

I stopped using guitar stands. That guitar leaves my hands, it goes into its case. We just got my wife's 1960 J-200 back from the shop for a crack repair which occurred when somebody else guitar and stand fell over onto hers which by the way was at her church.

[jvi]

a guitar that dosnt get used is just a chuck of tree with steel wires hanging off of it. imo

[dhanners623]

Play the darned thing. That's what it was built for. Sometimes, I think people coddle their guitars way too much. Take care of it, yes, but it's not like you just bought a Faberge egg.

 

I'll admit I used to suffer from the same reticence at times. Before my wife and I moved to Kuwait in 2014, I worried about bringing a guitar that was hand-built by Kevin Schwab, who then worked in Charlie Hoffman's shop in Minneapolis. A few weeks before we left, I went over to Hoffman's to ask Kevin about taking the guitar to a desert -- a climate very different from Minnesota -- and whether I could just leave the guitar in his care while I was gone. I had nightmares of cracks and every bad thing that can happen to a guitar. Kevin and I were talking about it and Charlie (whose own hand-built guitars fetch quite a bit) overheard and laughed. He said, in essence, "It's a guitar. It is meant to be played. Keep it properly humidified and you'll have no problem." I brought the guitar to Kuwait and Charlie was right. It has aged beautifully. Similarly, the 2016 J-35 that I brought over has acclimated well and is a great guitar.

 

Play the thing. It's a cool guitar. Show it off to the world.

[E-minor7]

Play the darned thing. That's what it was built for. Sometimes, I think people coddle their guitars way too much. Take care of it, yes, but it's not like you just bought a Faberge egg.

 

 

 

Play the thing. It's a cool guitar. Show it off to the world.

Ha hehe, , , totally forgot Fabergé eggs - a hilarious concept (though I would respect an honest Egg-man/woman out there anytime, of course).

Here's a link for other F-egg-forgetters aboard - https://www.google.d...iw=1366&bih=609

Even though we just went through Whitsun, not Easter.

Regarding stand or case, I hold on to the first. Though the setting may be a church, the Gibson is a part of a 'show'.

Waiting for action it's there on the stative and people look at it - many get a bit mesmerized, , , until the player grabs the Bird and makes it fly.

Remember a decent sound-check to find the delicate spot where the acoustics of instrument and the room meet to make that blissful blend.