purchase a 69 dove or a 2007

[Paul14]

On 1/21/2020 at 5:30 AM, Sgt. Pepper said:

Got a wild hair last night and started looking at Dove's on Reverb and the Bay. I think the cheapest one I saw in the US was $2500 in good condition. How many damn Doves are in Japan and are any of them real or are they all fakes.

eBay is the same way. Getting taken over by Japan. Can’t answer your second question, but I wonder the same. 

I got my 2007 off reverb, & negotiated the price from $2,000 to $1750

[E-minor7]

21 minutes ago, deanc said:

ok guys.  i got the 2007 dove off of reverb and  received today, , , 

Congratulations - Doves are amazing guitars.  I'm (almost) sure you chose right. 

My square maples tend to get rather fat'n'round from all that genuine syrup when the steel fades. For that reason Gibson Masterbuilt bronze lights do the job on both. Put on the same date - December 7th 2018.  Enjoy the experiment and don't hesitate to report.  

[Paul14]

1 hour ago, deanc said:

ok guys.  i got the 2007 dove off of reverb and  received today  the guitar looks good , action is nice. the previous owner put DR  vertias on it.  the strings sound pretty good .  Thought i would give it a few days and let the dove settle in to the new home before i make a decision on the strings.  Would like to get an idea  of what strings  the other dove owners use ? 

 

thanks

Dean

Congratulations! Mine showed up with 11’s  bronze. Sounded great, but I bumped them up to 12’s. Didn’t make a huge difference, but maybe a little louder., barley noticeable. (Elixirs)

[deanc]

thanks guys

[62burst]

1 hour ago, Paul14 said:

, barley noticeable. (Elixirs)

some beers are like that.

yes, congratulations on the Dove. A wise choice.  Of course pics , or it never, ever, ever happened.

[deanc]

 

[62burst]

I guess it did happen. Is the top as fine grained as it appears in the photo?

Congrats, and enjoy your NDGWkEnd. 

[Jinder]

On 1/24/2020 at 6:06 PM, deanc said:

ok guys.  i got the 2007 dove off of reverb and  received today  the guitar looks good , action is nice. the previous owner put DR  vertias on it.  the strings sound pretty good .  Thought i would give it a few days and let the dove settle in to the new home before i make a decision on the strings.  Would like to get an idea  of what strings  the other dove owners use ? 

 

thanks

Dean

I used D'Addario EXPs on mine. 12-53. Glad you bagged the 2007!

[Dave F]

22 hours ago, deanc said:

 

Nice!

[BluesKing777]

 

Elixir PB Medium 13-56 on my 2005 Dove!

Yesterday, I bought the last 3 sets that I could find in the whole state, the racks are all empty after Christmas, rang them first, sped over but late by the time I got home. So, this morning, a cup of tea before and the 12s I put on when I first bought it late last year are history and my Dove now has tone, tone, tone. The guitar could do with a new saddle - I don’t know what they were hoping to achieve with whatever they were doing, ninkimpoopery for sure, but that new saddle can wait for another day. The Baggs Anthem could get a new bit of sticky putty too - a gentle squeeze now again is needed to stop it rattling against the guitar. ....

But you know, I got it for a 1/4 the new Dove price from a pawnshop, so......it is plain fabulous!

 

P.S.  I thought I read somewhere that Gibson in Japan use to do a lots and lots of special orders, eg a 2005 Dove in cherry like mine or a 2002 J50  that you couldn’t get elsewhere at the time. Correct me if I heard wrong.

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by BluesKing777

[deanc]

yep the grain is tight   not sure if thats good or not so good but the guitar sound really nice

[62burst]

11 minutes ago, deanc said:

yep the grain is tight   not sure if thats good or not so good but the guitar sound really nice

Yes, anymore, I'm more a believer that a nice tight grain makes for a better strummer, and maybe even a more stable top. 

[E-minor7]

3 hours ago, 62burst said:

Yes, anymore, I'm more a believer that a nice tight grain makes for a better strummer, and maybe even a more stable top. 

Tight grain = better strummer, , , , not so a f-picker !?!

[62burst]

35 minutes ago, E-minor7 said:

Tight grain = better strummer, , , , not so a f-picker !?!

Not sure which f you're talking of- flatpicking? . . .  personally, the more barky grain, with wide strong grain lines as seen in Adirondack, or emphasized on torrefied tops, seem better suited, of course, with the usual (ea. guitar an individual/dependent on setup) disclaimers.

[Paul9!]

I have a 69 dove that I have had since 72.  It has been around the world and has always been on a stand out of the case when in the house.  It has been a tank - never had a neck reset and action is still good.

It has a unique aspect that I don't see people talking about - some 69 doves and hummingbirds have an inlaid marquetry strip down the back.  I am not talking about what appears to be a stripe - but an intricately pieced, multi color strip.  I have not seen that on other years - and I only see it on select 69 doves and hummingbirds.  

Anyone have any insights?

 

[Paul14]

I’ve been using Martin Retros. I recently changed them out for Authentic 2.0. I will change them back to Retro’s at the first opportunity.  I think the Authentic ‘s killed the tone of my 2007 Dove.  

[j45nick]

1 hour ago, Paul9! said:

I have a 69 dove that I have had since 72.  It has been around the world and has always been on a stand out of the case when in the house.  It has been a tank - never had a neck reset and action is still good.

It has a unique aspect that I don't see people talking about - some 69 doves and hummingbirds have an inlaid marquetry strip down the back.  I am not talking about what appears to be a stripe - but an intricately pieced, multi color strip.  I have not seen that on other years - and I only see it on select 69 doves and hummingbirds.  

Anyone have any insights?

 

There has been some discussion of that here. It was apparently done for a year or so around 1970. It has no no impact on value or playability, since it is only a decorative element. Congratulations on owning the same guitar for 48 years. I still have a J-45 I bought, well used, in 1966. Others here have similar stories.

Gibsons tend to be keepers for a lot of us.

Welcome aboard.

[E-minor7]

3 hours ago, Paul9! said:

I have a 69 dove that I have had since 72.  It has been around the world and has always been on a stand out of the case when in the house.  It has been a tank - never had a neck reset and action is still good.

It has a unique aspect that I don't see people talking about - some 69 doves and hummingbirds have an inlaid marquetry strip down the back.  I am not talking about what appears to be a stripe - but an intricately pieced, multi color strip.  I have not seen that on other years - and I only see it on select 69 doves and hummingbirds.  

Anyone have any insights?

Welcome Paul9! Not sure if this is what you talk about. 

[Dave F]

 

 

[Peter Z]

On 1/14/2020 at 3:30 AM, fortyearspickn said:

Purdy.  ( Keep her out of the sun. UV plays havoc with red !  )

Is that true?

You make me worry a little because my Love Dove is red and it sees the sun quite often. What does happen with the finish?

[Peter Z]

double post!

Edited January 13, 2021 by Peter Z

[fortyearspickn]

I was specifically thinking of the fading of the color - not a deterioration of the 'finish'.  Not an expert -  my comment based on years of observation of the effect of sunlight on various objects/colors where red always seemed to be the most affected.  Colors are based on unique chemical characteristics.  UV light causes colors to fade, (degrade) some faster than others based on their unique chemical makeup.   The finish itself will probably be ok, but I would never let solar heat become a factor.  Black absorbs more sunlight, White reflects it -  the former heats up quicker and hotter than the latter.  Sunlight appears to darken the spruce tops - the wood, not the finish.  This is obvious when someone removes a pick guard from a natural topped guitar.  More obvious than a stained or sunbursted face.   Some  'reliced'  guitar purchasers might aim for a faded cherry and a darkened spruce.   Others might not.  G'Luck.

[E-minor7]

1 hour ago, fortyearspickn said:

I was specifically thinking of the fading of the color - not a deterioration of the 'finish'.  Not an expert -  my comment based on years of observation of the effect of sunlight on various objects/colors where red always seemed to be the most affected.  Colors are based on unique chemical characteristics.  UV light causes colors to fade, (degrade) some faster than others based on their unique chemical makeup.   The finish itself will probably be ok, but I would never let solar heat become a factor.  Black absorbs more sunlight, White reflects it -  the former heats up quicker and hotter than the latter.  Sunlight appears to darken the spruce tops - the wood, not the finish.  This is obvious when someone removes a pick guard from a natural topped guitar.  More obvious than a stained or sunbursted face.   Some  'reliced'  guitar purchasers might aim for a faded cherry and a darkened spruce.   Others might not.  G'Luck.

Interesting observations and comments on an ever fascinating topic - the natural aging of our wonderful instruments, the guitars slowly turning vintage. 

But when you say finish, does that include the n-lacquer ?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       My experience tells that nitro goes yellowish over time. Not years, but decades, , , and that this giving the whole thing the same warm-coating  is a delicacy-sublime.