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Gibson Hummingbird True Vintage sound and colour??


FrederikThaysen

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My Bird has already landed yesterday, but it is a 2,5 hour drive, so I'm going to get it this monday. So I only have to wait too days!!

 

When coming to think of it, maybe the black/yellow case isn't that bad after all. I'm sure they will both look great. Does anyone know what determines if you get a brown or black case?

 

If your Hummingbird looks like the limited edition, then you're very lucky! I envy you a lot, because they are so beautiful. I have asked Jarvis who has made a comparrison between the True Vintage and the Modern Classic, and he told me that the only difference there is between the True Vintage and the limited edition is that the limited uses hide glue and the other one doesn't. So the colour should be the same?

 

 

So...... did you get it yet.....!?! \ :D /

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So...... did you get it yet.....!?! \ :D /

 

Yes, now I can officially call me the proud owner of a Gibson Hummingbird True Vintage! My biggest dream has come true!!!

 

The guitar sounds, feels, looks and even smells amazing! It is a big lighter than I had first expected, but that is a good thing though.

The colour is a bit different in real life than what I had expected, but overall I'm very excited with it!

 

The guitar came with .011 strings but the salesman adjustet the guitar, so it uses .012 now. Was that a clever- or a not so clever move? Hm, I like the sound of it, so I guess it's okay.. The strings he put on her is called "Everly Sessions .012", I have personally never heard about that brand before. What do you guys think about that brand?(if you are familiar with it of course)

 

And now, approaching the Hummingbird trademark - THE PICKGUARD! I simply LOVE the handpainted pickguard, and it is just as stunning as I had dreamed about! But my only problem with it is that there are quite a lot of air bubbles underneath the plastic and they are pretty visible. Should I just live with it or do something about that?

 

If I can figure out how to post pictures in here, I will do so in a few minutes! :-)

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The pickguard comes covered with thin clear plastic, that may be your bubble problem, you need to remove that. Might be some on your truss rod cover too.

 

Your Bird is beautiful.. and yes 12 guage strings are what you want on a Bird. Not 11s, takes too much volume away.

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The pickguard comes covered with thin clear plastic, that may be your bubble problem, you need to remove that. Might be some on your truss rod cover too.

 

Your Bird is beautiful.. and yes 12 guage strings are what you want on a Bird. Not 11s, takes too much volume away.

 

I'm not sure that I understand. Where exactly should this thin clear plastic be? On top of the pickguard or underneath it? It can't really be one top of it, because I can feel the handpainted motives directly into the pickguard. It looks like the air bubbles are caused, because air wasn't pushed out of the glue before they placed the pickguard.

 

Thank you, after I have been playing her all day, I have become even more in love with her! It sounds amazing and I have finally gotten that certain acoustic sound that I have been searching for in 8 years!! I'm so happy with it! My only concern is the air bubble problem.

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there's no protective plastic on the Hummingbird TV pickguards, they're are hand made, and those are air bubbles in the adhesive, and it's quite common...is more noticeable 'cause the pickguard is very transparent compared to the classic tortoise guards...

congrats, stunning Hummingbird!!

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I am absolutely drooling... this is a spectacular looking guitar. Congrats on the new sound- looks like the color you had in mind - the 12s would be my choice for strings - I've gotta start saving my nickels for one of these.

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The bubbles/air pockets under under the pickguard are the same as on mine. They are only visible in a certain light, doesn't bother me.

 

Beautiful 'Bird.....guess it was worth the wait...I know the feeling!

 

Enjoy!

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there's no protective plastic on the Hummingbird TV pickguards, they're are hand made, and those are air bubbles in the adhesive, and it's quite common...is more noticeable 'cause the pickguard is very transparent compared to the classic tortoise guards...

congrats, stunning Hummingbird!!

 

Thank you so much! I'm completely in love with it already!! I got such a warm, full tone. And I was afraid that it wouldn't be good for fingerpicking, but it actually sounds pretty great!

 

About the air bubbles, can I do anything to get rid of them? The pickguard is one of the most beautiful elements of this guitar, so I would prefer getting rid of those bubbles behind it. The red plastic pickguard is very transparent in certain lights, so I would wish that it could be clean underneath.

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Thank you all SO much! It is truly a joy to play this guitar, and it makes me feel that I have finally reached my ultimate goal as a musician!

 

The colour is not quite as cherry red as I had expected, but in certain lights it really looks beautiful. So I am more than happy with it! I wouldn't trade it for anything!

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Thank you so much! I'm completely in love with it already!! I got such a warm, full tone. And I was afraid that it wouldn't be good for fingerpicking, but it actually sounds pretty great!

 

About the air bubbles, can I do anything to get rid of them? The pickguard is one of the most beautiful elements of this guitar, so I would prefer getting rid of those bubbles behind it. The red plastic pickguard is very transparent in certain lights, so I would wish that it could be clean underneath.

 

 

I dont think there is much if anything that can be done......?

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1333489548[/url]' post='1169328']

So, there is no possibility of removing the pickguard, put on some new glue and place the pickguard back on carefully without creating air bubbles?

Is virtually impossible to prevent the formation of air bubbles, because the pickguard's thickness and stiffness preclude the perfect adhesion to the soundboard (which is also not totally flat, I mean obvious little imperfections, not clearly visible to the human eye...keep in mind that we're talkin 'bout wood!)Your pickguard have very few bubbles than others Hummingbirds I've seen...Don't try to remove the pickguard, it's perfect!

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I have changed pickguards on quite a few guitars, and air bubbles is always a bit of a problem. I can imagine that the Hummingbird guard is quite stiff so that it basically has to be "dropped" in place. With a more flexible guard you can start at one end and gradually sort of roll it in place removing bubbles as you go. Removing the guard and doing it again could leave you worse off. I would leave it as it is.

 

There is no such thing as a cosmetically perfect guitar :-)

 

Lars

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Congratulations... beautiful guitar :rolleyes:

 

i was a little perturbed by the air bubbles when i first got my HB TV, then i realized its part of its charm also.

 

I notice you have a volume control knob in the sound hole.. is this correct? Did it come with a pick up installed.. ?

 

My Bird was REALLY red when i first got her.. she came direct from Bozman... she is actually starting to mellow in colour and turning more browny/red but in some lights still deep deep red. [biggrin]

 

Was wondering if this is how nitro finishes age and change in time... I love how she is mellowing..

 

enjoy your beauty

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Congratulations... beautiful guitar :rolleyes:

 

i was a little perturbed by the air bubbles when i first got my HB TV, then i realized its part of its charm also.

 

I notice you have a volume control knob in the sound hole.. is this correct? Did it come with a pick up installed.. ?

 

My Bird was REALLY red when i first got her.. she came direct from Bozman... she is actually starting to mellow in colour and turning more browny/red but in some lights still deep deep red. [biggrin]

 

Was wondering if this is how nitro finishes age and change in time... I love how she is mellowing..

 

enjoy your beauty

 

Thank you very much! I love her very much already ;)

 

I have not seen so many air bubbles as mine have in other True Vintage models, but I guess it is just a part of the charm. But I would certainly get rid of them, if I got the possibility though.

 

This guitar also came directly from Boseman, and she didn't have a strap knob or pickup, but I have both installed, because I'm going to use her for live gigs and concerts. I use a LR Baggs Element pickup, and it sounds amazing. I couldn't be happier with the tone I'm getting!

 

The tone of my bird is kind of brown/red. It looks cherry red in certain light, and brown/dark orange in other lights... But I really love the colour now, after having a couple of days to get used to it :)

 

You could be right about the nitro finish, and I can't wait to follow my Bird's transformation over time!

 

I sure will enjoy my beauty, thank you! And you should do the same with yours ;)

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To those of you who want to see my Bird in action, I have just uploaded this video on YouTube:

 

I apologize for the poor sound quality, but most important - you can see her true colours and hear the sound... It's so amazing when listening to it in person and I'm so thrilled about it!

 

You can leave a comment at my video on YouTube if you feel like it ;)

 

Cheers.

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Thank you very much! I love her very much already ;)

 

I have not seen so many air bubbles as mine have in other True Vintage models, but I guess it is just a part of the charm. But I would certainly get rid of them, if I got the possibility though.

 

This guitar also came directly from Boseman, and she didn't have a strap knob or pickup, but I have both installed, because I'm going to use her for live gigs and concerts. I use a LR Baggs Element pickup, and it sounds amazing. I couldn't be happier with the tone I'm getting!

 

The tone of my bird is kind of brown/red. It looks cherry red in certain light, and brown/dark orange in other lights... But I really love the colour now, after having a couple of days to get used to it :)

 

You could be right about the nitro finish, and I can't wait to follow my Bird's transformation over time!

 

I sure will enjoy my beauty, thank you! And you should do the same with yours ;)

 

I'd say I have at least that same amount of 'bubbles' under my pickguard.

I honestly don't notice them anymore.

The only time I see them is when I am not holding/playing the guitar, even then only in certain light.

I play it very often, ergo.....I almost never notice it.

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To those of you who want to see my Bird in action, I have just uploaded this video on YouTube:

 

I apologize for the poor sound quality, but most important - you can see her true colours and hear the sound... It's so amazing when listening to it in person and I'm so thrilled about it!

 

You can leave a comment at my video on YouTube if you feel like it ;)

 

Cheers.

 

Thanks for sharing.

Great looking guitar, great sound, great playing too.......... and judging by the amount of smilin' while you play.....great joy and happiness. [thumbup]

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Ah man, that did it, I m getting in the car right now to drive 200 miles and play some of these babies - I got a feeling, hope I can pull one off the shelf that looks and sounds as sweet as yours. [drool]

 

That 1994 Bird looks good and could very well be a superb guitar. I tried a mid90's J-30 last summer. Impressing.

May the force be with you -

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Original poster, new Bird-man - Congrats on the purchase, looks stunning. Could we hear it acoustically ?

 

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