JoGo Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 (edited) Hello experts, it´s been a while since i´ve been here. Hope i can get an answer to my question... I own a 2012 Hummingbird Pro (at least it was sold to me as a "Pro" back then...). It has been my main performance guitar ever since and is irreplaceable for me. I recently bought another Hummingbird Pro as a backup. Now I've discovered that my old guitar doesn't have the actual "Pro" specifications. It has a 24 7/8 scale length and the wider original body of a Hummingbird. The "Pro" versions have a slightly smaller body (like a songwriter) and the longer 25 1/2 scale length. No matter how hard I look, I haven't found a guitar like my old Hummingbird Pro anywhere. Can someone tell me something about this? Shouldn't this guitar even exist? Is this a production error? By the way, the sticker in the body only says Hummingbird without "Pro"... Does anyone know which guitar I own? Thank you in advance for your help! Edited August 6 by JoGo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 (edited) If it says it’s a Hummer and sized like a Hummer, then I think it may be quacking like a Hummer… fwiw, this is probably not a bad thing. I’ve found alot of times those tags are just to make a shortcut variant sound “cooler,” but may in fact be “less.” Like the Studio series: not quite the tone and size of the full line guitar, but calling it a Studio makes you okay with buying a thinner/different wood version. Or the way Norlin Added “Deluxe” to some names all while dumbing down the build but maybe adding fancier inlay so it looks “upmarket.” I found a thread here that said “pros” were built exclusively for GC, and compared the Pro Hummingbird as being more like the Songwriter. Not a bad guitar, just different. Check the specs on a 2012 hummer and see if they match. I bet they will. Hummers are wonderful guitars. You are actually kinda lucky. It could have been worse the other way around, if you found out they sold you a Pro and you thought you had bought a real ‘bird. Edited August 6 by PrairieDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 I thought all those Pro series were special orders for Guitar Center. They could easily change the specs year to year. I had one but I forget what year it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 The Pro was sold all over, as far as i remember. Round 2012 it was on the Gibson Website as a Standard Production Model, that´s sure. I bought mine new at a regular dealer here in Germany, because of the Specs from the Gibson Website. I was after the longer scale at that time. My model is surely not a regular Hummingbird. It looks like a Hummingbird Pro, but has the dimensions of a regular Hummingbird. I´m just curious if anybody else has or knows a guitar like mine...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 (edited) 19 hours ago, JoGo said: Hello experts, Did you borrow Taylor Swift’s guitar? Edited August 7 by Sgt. Pepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said: Did you borrow Taylor Swift’s guitar? Taylor asked me to borrow it to her, but no.... 😜 Actually i´m playing a quite crazy, colourful 70ies style show, that´s why my guitar looks like this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 59 minutes ago, Dave F said: This is a normal Hummingbird Pro, with the Songwriter-sized body... I have one of these too, a incredibly good guitar...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 (edited) This should give you all the information you need. First page says it's a GC Exclusive. Click on the SPEC tab for your numbers. Gibson.com: Gibson Hummingbird Pro (archive.org) Edited August 7 by Dave F 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 15 minutes ago, Dave F said: This should give you all the information you need. First page says it's a GC Exclusive. Click on the SPEC tab for your numbers. Gibson.com: Gibson Hummingbird Pro (archive.org) Thank you Dave! I remember this from the Gibson homepage back then. I do know these Pro Specs. But what confuses me: Mine looks like a Hummingbird Pro, but has the regular Hummingbird Specs (bigger Body, shorter neck). A guitar like this was never built officially a.f.a.i.k... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 2 cents ... All the "Hummingbird Pro" models I had seen back in the day - were in GC, and had round shoulders. But it appears there are models that have rounded square shoulders out there. And squared away round shoulders. Fifty Shades of Gray - Fifty Degrees of Squareness? They were often described as being more akin to a Songwriter. Dealer Spec'd , 'Limited', Special Runs of Fifty - have long been the bane of this forum. Trying to identify a "1939 J45" by qualifying what year in This Century it was made, or what country it was exclusive to, becomes an heroic undertaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 Maybe that day the pickguard installation tech accidentally installed the wrong pickguard at his booth to a standard HB? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 17 hours ago, JoGo said: Thank you Dave! I remember this from the Gibson homepage back then. I do know these Pro Specs. But what confuses me: Mine looks like a Hummingbird Pro, but has the regular Hummingbird Specs (bigger Body, shorter neck). A guitar like this was never built officially a.f.a.i.k... It has a standard production white label. They were made. If it were something unique or special, by this time it would have an orange label or some indication to denote the difference. My Sam Ash special run DIF Limited has an orange label, and a TRC that says “Limited.” My J-45 Studio has a white label that says “J-45 Studio Walnut.” I still can’t get past insisting it “looks like a Pro.” No, it really doesn’t. By your own account it is a different size, and with a shorter neck that matches the regular bird specs. Look up ‘birds without the bling, they make them, and you may find your match there. I’m curious? Why would you prefer it be a pro? That’s a bit like insisting a J-45 standard is actually the lower-priced, smaller, stripped down Studio, even though it doesn’t say that on the label and doesn’t match the specs. Unless I’m missing something about the woods, or other specs besides the dimensions, you could probably sell it as a Hummer right now, and there is no reason someone wouldn’t trust it to be a full-fledged ‘bird. Like I said earlier, it seems a bit more likely you scored a nice win when the shop handed over a standard instead of a Pro, than you have the only Pro in the world that accidentally wasn’t built to the right specs and got the wrong label. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 2 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said: Maybe that day the pickguard installation tech accidentally installed the wrong pickguard at his booth to a standard HB? ...i thought about that too. 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 2 hours ago, PrairieDog said: It has a standard production white label. They were made. If it were something unique or special, by this time it would have an orange label or some indication to denote the difference. My Sam Ash special run DIF Limited has an orange label, and a TRC that says “Limited.” My J-45 Studio has a white label that says “J-45 Studio Walnut.” I still can’t get past insisting it “looks like a Pro.” No, it really doesn’t. By your own account it is a different size, and with a shorter neck that matches the regular bird specs. Look up ‘birds without the bling, they make them, and you may find your match there. I’m curious? Why would you prefer it be a pro? That’s a bit like insisting a J-45 standard is actually the lower-priced, smaller, stripped down Studio, even though it doesn’t say that on the label and doesn’t match the specs. Unless I’m missing something about the woods, or other specs besides the dimensions, you could probably sell it as a Hummer right now, and there is no reason someone wouldn’t trust it to be a full-fledged ‘bird. Like I said earlier, it seems a bit more likely you scored a nice win when the shop handed over a standard instead of a Pro, than you have the only Pro in the world that accidentally wasn’t built to the right specs and got the wrong label. I never said i prefer it to be a "Pro". This guitar is my best buddy, trusty und irreplaceable. That´s why i wanted to have a backup. And when i finally found a real "Pro" as a backup i noticed the differences and that my old guitar wasnt´t a real "Pro". Actually i´m quite happy that it´s a real Bird with the shorter scale that i first didn´t want. (I used to play long scales with light strings, short scales felt limp with these strings. On my Bird i´m using 12.5 strings (Martin MA 545). That´s perfect.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 (edited) 32 minutes ago, JoGo said: ...i thought about that too. 🤔 Or it could be one of those GC special limited runs they do a lot of. The amount of models and variations each maker does is mind numbing. I remember before King Henry got the boot. There were over 100 LP models. Why? Edited August 8 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 ...but I bought it brand new here in Germany, from a very large and reputable dealer (thomann.de). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 19 hours ago, JoGo said: ...but I bought it brand new here in Germany, from a very large and reputable dealer (thomann.de). What does it say the model is on the label inside the body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 9 Author Share Posted August 9 ...as i wrote initially: The label inside the body says just "Hummingbird" without "Pro". But it was sold to me as a "Pro" then an is has the "Pro" Style Pickguard. By the way, I found this note in the suitcase with this model name on it. Maybe someone can do something with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 (edited) 7 minutes ago, JoGo said: ...as i wrote initially: The label inside the body says just "Hummingbird" without "Pro". But it was sold to me as a "Pro" then an is has the "Pro" Style Pickguard. By the way, I found this note in the suitcase with this model name on it. Maybe someone can do something with it? Well, the HP may stand for Hummingbird pro. Perhaps in 2012, the only difference between a regular bird and Pro, was the stripped down bling, like the plain version they sell? In which case, I still think you scored a much better guitar than the earlier, smaller versions. There is a thread somewhere else I came across that said the ones with the pro specs was retagged as the Studio sometime in the teens. Edited August 9 by PrairieDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 9 Author Share Posted August 9 But i think blingwise there is no difference to Standard Birds. You have the same bindings and inlays. The Pro´s did not have this stripped down "Studio" Look. The only difference here is the pickguard imho. I increasingly believe that a model was swapped in production and the Pro Pickguard was given. At first glance, it's hard to tell the difference between a Pro model without a pickguard and a standard Bird in Vintage Sunburst... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 9 Author Share Posted August 9 B.t.w. this is the label from inside the body: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 (edited) 14 minutes ago, JoGo said: But i think blingwise there is no difference to Standard Birds. You have the same bindings and inlays. The Pro´s did not have this stripped down "Studio" Look. The only difference here is the pickguard imho. I increasingly believe that a model was swapped in production and the Pro Pickguard was given. At first glance, it's hard to tell the difference between a Pro model without a pickguard and a standard Bird in Vintage Sunburst... No, just do a google. There are “plain” pickguard regular birds out there. I’ve played one. Not everyone wanted the blingy pickguard look, but they did want the great sound. So Gibson made a version to accommodate them. As you have found, the Pro you thought you were getting was really a completely different guitar. The pickguard is not the end definition of a model. Things like the size, build, bracing, neck, bridge, and tonewoods are. As other folks have pointed out, the Pro specs varied widely from year to year. And I’m guessing, since the Model number says HP, in 2012, the only thing that distinguished a pro from a regular bird was the PG. Edited August 9 by PrairieDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGo Posted August 9 Author Share Posted August 9 You may be right... But: I also know, the the Pro models were named "Hummingbird Pro" on the soundhole label. I have now contacted Gibson directly and am excited to see what they will say to me about it. I´ll let you know...! 😜 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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