The Hummingbird takes center stage

[E-minor7]

Let's see what good mister Polecastro has to say - and talk when we land on the other side.  

Travel safe
 

 

[ALD323]

Thanks for the Hummingbird video! It was great! I enjoyed it especially because I have a Gibson Hummingbird, and the history of this guitar is amazing! It is a true icon for sure! I do have one comment on the front picture of the pickguard on the video...the one you can see above before you actually begin playing the video. It obviously is a Gibson Hummingbird based on the inner orange Gibson serial sticker. But the pickguard installed appears to be an Epiphone Hummingbird pickguard, at least it looks that way to me.  It is much different than my 2013 Gibby bird pickguard, and it is identical to both my Epiphone Hummingbirds.  ..Or did Gibson at some point in the past use pickguards that look like modern Epiphone guards? Hah! Perhaps its just my new bifocals acting up! lol!   When my Gibson Hummingbird pickguard peeled off early on...I used an extra Epiphone Hummingbird pickguard temporarily on it, till I repared the Gibson pickguard for reinstall....the epi pickguard did fit, and actually didn't look too bad..in fact, it looked just the one above!  Just curios about everything Hummingbird!

[75 Hummingbird]

Fake News ...Fake pickguard .

[62burst]

I'm finished my one hour Hummingbird homework assignment. Even though it was much preaching to the converted, no better time for a topic of warm Hummingbird diversion. 

The NAMM show clip (15:07) showing the Doves In Flight 'guard engraving highlights one more aspect of the human element of making these guitars, but the forum's SirNed will be happy to see his grandfather's contribution (18:00), and Tony suggests the Dove guard might be Hartford's work, as well.

Good of Tony to introduce more folks to Blackberry Smoke's acoustic tunes, though I'm sure their look & vibe already got that party started for him. I personally thank this forum's crazy person Holiday Hoser for submitting his crew's send up months ago of B. Smoke's One Horse Town for giving me a great Hummingbird song to do.

The Hummingbird-like section cued more people into the seldom seen D-18 Short Scale. Gotta admit that one had me curious for a while how a Martin with those specs would sound, but in the end, 'knew there could only be one Bird.

Thanks for the assignment- good to be away in Hummingbirdland for a little while.

[E-minor7]

I'm disappointed.

 Like him a lot, but I don't see Polecastro get into the Bird at all. Might be flying around it, presenting other similar models, artists playing the creature and stuff, but there is no special knowledge, no real insight or soul-mirror. I mean where's the telling of the adjustable bridges/saddles, how they influenced the original sound and were exchanged. We hear nothing about the proud predecessor ! Epiphone Frontier ! - not to mention the critical period of the double X, how the hog-square survived it, eventually returned with ordinary saddle, thus restored its reputation, , , and even in certain cases re-introduced the adj. concept. Details 'bout bursts and tuners are muted, , like the basic differences between TV and Standards, , , , , , the tulips/chromes, the guards, the rest. 

Now, , , T.P. may appear enthusiastic here, but it's his guitar enthusiasm we get, not a faible for H-birds. Don't forget he doesn't own one himself (unless it recently  sneaked in through the backdoor, which I doubt), but rides a slope Southern Jumbo (if memory doesn't fail me). He might respect the Hummingbird, be fascinated by it and acknowledge it's legend. Yet - carries no real feel or glazed lOVE for the complex and vulnerable flier. Sense of nectar ? - what, , , wrong number. .   

What we also notice is that he apparently doesn't check these pages for Gibson information. It's between the lines here and there and obviously is a mistake if you want to know about acoustic Gibsons and the culture surrounding them. This Board has all the information in the world. Not that you need to be a librarian, but if interested, , , , , search and you will find.

I'd say to T.P. :

Don't make so many shows they become pop-hollow. It would be a waste of splendid resource and healthy spirit. Skating restlessly over the surface can be okay for certain models. When it comes to the heavy classics we must dig deeper to reveal the jewel.

CU ^ cheers 

11 hours ago, ALD323 said:

But the pickguard installed appears to be an Epiphone Hummingbird pickguard, at least it looks that way to me.  It is much different than my 2013 Gibby bird pickguard, and it is identical to both my Epiphone Hummingbirds.  ..

The guard looks as if it's the Standard version, doesn't it. I think the Epiphone has it thinner. What puzzles me is the guard-label-rosette-combo. It isn't following the common scheme. 
This is a Gibson Std. 

Check the black-ring rosette. 

Edited March 18, 2020 by E-minor7

[62burst]

True, for the length of it, it did seem to be more of a general, “Reader’s Digest” overview of the Hummingbird. Bear in mind, with 294K subscribers, and some of his videos with between 1 and 2 million views, we have to keep in mind who his target audience might be- maybe “Hummingbird: an introduction”, would be a more appropriate title. 
Buried amidst an hour or more of words, didn’t he mention something about it being Hummingbird week? If so, he might delve deeper. And I thought I heard him mention the Epi Frontier in his Hummingbird-like guitars list, if not as the ‘Bird’s forefather(?). 

If he didn’t seem to want his Acoustic Life brand  to be the go-to place for acoustic guitar’ing, a fair guess would be that he would love to be a candidate for Mark Agnesi’s new position at Gibson. (?)

[Paul14]

What E-minor7 said!

That was time , that I will want back, when I’m on my deathbed.

[Sgt. Pepper]

Just watched it. I've seen short clips of that guy with the beard, mostly I see him with Martins. Question are Gibson suing that guy in Bozeman for making that what he calls The Bird?

[Paul14]

15 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

Just watched it. I've seen short clips of that guy with the beard, mostly I see him with Martins. Question are Gibson suing that guy in Bozeman for making that what he calls The Bird?

Tony, (the guy with the beard) does a lot of stuff with Gibson, including some interviews with Ren Ferguson. 

[E-minor7]

On 3/18/2020 at 2:33 PM, 62burst said:

True, for the length of it, it did seem to be more of a general, “Reader’s Digest” overview of the Hummingbird. Bear in mind, with 294K subscribers, and some of his videos with between 1 and 2 million views, we have to keep in mind who his target audience might be- maybe 1 “Hummingbird: an introduction”, would be a more appropriate title. 
Buried amidst an hour or more of words, didn’t he mention something about it being Hummingbird week? 2 If so, he might delve deeper. 3 And I thought I heard him mention the Epi Frontier in his Hummingbird-like guitars list, if not as the ‘Bird’s forefather(?). 

4 If he didn’t seem to want his Acoustic Life brand  to be the go-to place for acoustic guitar’ing, a fair guess would be that he would love to be a candidate for Mark Agnesi’s new position at Gibson. (?)

 

1 - Yes

2 - Hope so (and yes, he had the H. Snider-detail in place)

3 - Mentioned the E F, but didn't place it in the right context - as the trailblazer it was 

4 - A job offer from Martin might make Mister P. move to Nazareth. Then again he is pretty much his own man, which is 1 of the things I like about him.                                                                                              As a matter of fact wouldn't write this if I didn't expect more. 

[MichaelT]

All I have to say is that after owning my Hummingbird for two weeks, I really love the guitar. It plays and sounds incredible. I've wanted one for years and this is definitely a bucket list guitar for me. I'm very happy with this choice.

[E-minor7]

1 hour ago, MichaelT said:

All I have to say is that after owning my Hummingbird for two weeks, I really love the guitar. It plays and sounds incredible. I've wanted one for years and this is definitely a bucket list guitar for me. I'm very happy with this choice.

They are and will be mesmerizing guitars - glad you found your acoustic s-mate. 

[Lars68]

I watch his shows once in a while, maybe it has just been bad luck, but I think the ones I have watched are missing real insight and content. To me, it appears to be too much product placement.

Lars

[EuroAussie]

I wanted to kill this guy after 1o mins ...soooh annoying.

[Jalex]

I actually enjoyed that thanks for posting.  Not sure he's completely right about the scale length of all Hummingbirds though. My 63' is 25 1/2.

Edited March 24, 2020 by Jalex

[E-minor7]

24 minutes ago, Jalex said:

I actually enjoyed that thanks for posting.  Not sure he's completely right about the scale length of all Hummingbirds though. My 63' is 25 1/2.

Good to hear

Regarding the scale-length it has been up here before. We all brought our measure-stick forward and confirmed that the oldies came in both versions - where the new ones are all short. 

My 3 early squares are short - not so with the 68er. 

[Holiday Hoser]

Thanks for the kind mention 62> I always thought my 64 Bird would go with me to my grave but what a waste that would be... some young 'un should enjoy it as I have. Saw the Smoke this summer with Warren Hayes sang every Blackberry song walked out on Warren. Boring! Not one song I recognized. 

[BoSoxBiker]

15 hours ago, Lars68 said:

I watch his shows once in a while, maybe it has just been bad luck, but I think the ones I have watched are missing real insight and content. To me, it appears to be too much product placement.

Lars

 

14 hours ago, EuroAussie said:

I wanted to kill this guy after 1o mins ...soooh annoying.

I was somewhere in between. His earlier stuff was cool, I thought. Then I saw the contrived and scripted laid-back speak being poorly acted or otherwise phoned in one too many times. Now I don't know what to believe, so I don't bother. I did this one for a little while, though, as it's a topic I enjoy. Kind of dipping my toes back in. It didn't take.

Edited March 24, 2020 by PatriotsBiker

[MichaelT]

On ‎3‎/‎24‎/‎2020 at 7:41 AM, PatriotsBiker said:

 

I was somewhere in between. His earlier stuff was cool, I thought. Then I saw the contrived and scripted laid-back speak being poorly acted or otherwise phoned in one too many times. Now I don't know what to believe, so I don't bother. I did this one for a little while, though, as it's a topic I enjoy. Kind of dipping my toes back in. It didn't take.

I had seen him before and actually blocked his ads and stuff on Facebook after viewing one of them. He was criticizing some other guitar youtube guys or online instruction or something and that doesn't sit well with me. Everyone learns differently and wants to learn different things. Some want to "master the guitar" and some just want to play a few songs with friends. He was critiquing the "mastery" folks. The Facebook Live session with Steve Vai yesterday was really nice and fun whether you're a "shredder" or not. He was talking about how it's not a competition with anyone else but yourself and only as much as you want it to be.