Which strings are you using on your hummingbird?

[E-minor7]

1 hour ago, Twang Gang said:

A week or so after I got my Bird last fall I was loving the tone so much I wanted to be sure I used the same strings as the factory had put on.  So I called Bozeman customer service and the fellow there just said they were Pho/Bronze .12-.53.  I usually don't care that much for PBs, but in this case it seems to do the trick.  I'm tempted to try Elixirs cause I have used them often on Taylor guitars and on Electrics as well, but we'll see?  About due for another string change so might get brave and experiment with something else.  Seems the Gibson Masterbuilts aren't currently being offered on this site.

Strings from the plant have been discussed a lot and the average thought is that they came* with plain Masterbuilt Bronze Lights 12-53. Gibson even announced that themselves.  

I too was very keen on maintaining the original sound and therefor not only kept the first set from my Bird - I also rented another Hummingbird 3 years later and got permission to switch the steel on that one so the original could join my collection. It was then I found out that the factory strings had golden end-balls and the Masterbuilts had silver. Something was strrrange here and I dived into, but never solved it. The issue remains a mystery to this day cause no matter which angle was approached the trace ended blind. 

However I still enjoy Masterbuilt Bronze Lights on my Hummingbirds and like them quite old as it brings a smokey quality forward that suits the honey well.                                                                           Last summer however I tried the new slightly coated Gibson Ph. B strings, but had to interrupt the experiment for reasons too complicated to explain now. Will put them on again this summer and wait till they fade.  And by the way guess what : They have mixed ball-ends = silver-gold-silver-gold-silver-gold 🤓

*except the J-200s which apparently come with their own. 

[fortyearspickn]

Martin SP -   after many years with Elixers.    

[Amanuensis]

I'm currently using  Martin Retros on my '70 'bird.  I'm also fond of John Pearse PBs on that guitar. 

[ALD323]

On my Gibson Hummingbird, My Epi Hummingbird, and all other guitars I own, I use only >> Elixir Nanoweb, 80/20 (.12-.53) >> Exclusively for years. Now those guitars may one day see another brand of strings on them, but not till I'm dead and buried, and someone else owns them!