Twang Gang Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 (edited) I have been looking for a maple body dread with a a short scale and they are hard to come by. Then last week came an email from Sweetwater about an exclusive they had built by Gibson which is a quilted maple Hummingbird so I had to jump on it. It arrived today and is exactly what I was looking for. Has a really nice crisp maple tone without being too bright or trebly. Rounded C neck with 12" radius and 24.75 scale on a rosewood board, so exactly what I wanted. For some reason Sweetwater had them stained "Viper Blue" and I would much rather see a maple guitar in a natural finish so you could see the grain, but was mainly concerned with the tone and it has that in spades. The color turned out to be better looking in person than in photos and since it sounds just like I wanted I can live with the hue. A few differences from my "original" Bird in that it has Grover rotomatic tuners and a plain truss rod cover which don't matter to me either. Edited September 10, 2021 by Twang Gang 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreatgumbino Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Congratulations! I've always wanted to try one of the maple "Hummingbirds". I'd love to hear a comparison recording of your two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Buc has a lefty blue bird but I don’t remember the tonewood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunningham26 Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 I first read it as a full-maple hummingdove in blue... a hummingjay? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 Well it does have a Sitka top - otherwise very Dove like, but the difference maker for me is the short scale on the Hummingbird, Doves are 25.5 and usually ebony boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPhx Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Very nice, and congratulations! I saw those last week and was wondering what they looked like in person. More of that beautiful maple quilting showing in your pic than those on line. Not usually a fan of colored guitars, but I like the way the color works on that one. Maple on the back and sides of a HummingBird sounds like a great combination. Just when I thought my GAS was gone... Enjoy that beautiful new guitar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard McCoy Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 (edited) It's a half-translucent finish (same for its cherry counterpart) which allows for the grain to shrine through still. It doesn't seem half bad. Edited September 10, 2021 by Leonard McCoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J185cat Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 I have an ES137 in “Blueburst”. Think they would make a good duo. Some of those color stained guitars don’t work for me but I like this version of the Bird. Congrats and let us know how she sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gossmanster Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Congrats. I'm curious about the sound. I really like the sound of mahogany and would like to know how these compare. Beautiful too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 The difference in sound is subtle but distinct. Unfortunately I don't really have a way to record A/B comparison and put it up on here. The mahogany has a certain dry tone with a pretty fast note decay and not a lot of overtones (compared to rosewood). The maple body gives it a slightly snappier tone, not quite as fast a decay, it seems a little louder than the mahogany one, and I think the best word I can come up with is "crisp". But it has good even response through low, mid, and high frequencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gossmanster Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 I have a maple J185 (actually made by John Walker after he left Gibson). Couldn't be more different from my Bird. Crisp, snappy, is true...but I always struggle to describe these things. But its a different body shape, longer neck, etc. Made for different music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Nice! Congratulations! That's a beauty. I've heard a few online from 5-6 years ago when they did some limited editions. Seemed like a winner to me. If a new Love Dove was not available this past Spring, I would have pounced on a Maple Bird that popped up on Reverb. Enjoy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Would really like to try a short scale maple flier - but as you say they are rare. Glad you found one and please let's hear it if possible. Congratulations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 That is dope. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 Looking good! Congratulations on the new guitar! QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 Love it! Maple & short scale = good stuff. Congrats & Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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