Hummingbird Acoustic experts????

[Dan the Bluesman]

I recently picked up a cool used Hummingbird and I've been trying to research it on the internet. So far I've found no pictures of any Gibson Hummingbirds that are like mine. I got one of those amazing "pawn shop" deals that everybody always hears about but never really finds. Well, I did. I know it worth way more than I paid for it, but not being able to find one like it I'm not sure how much. As far as I can tell from the serial number label inside it is from Bozeman, Montana and was produced in 1994 but it is not a centennial edition. The odd things about it are that it has not one but two pickguards and also has dot inlays on the neck, which seems to be unusual for a Hummingbird. It definately has been played and enjoyed and has some wear and tear mostly on the back and sides, but it plays and sounds incredible. I'll probably keep it forever considering the incredible deal I got but if its worth a lot I may sell it. I have some pictures but I can't figure out how to post them here, but can definately email them if you can help.

[jefleppard]

sounds like a great find. we love a great story. is there a white or orange label visible inside the soundhole? you could phone bozeman directly and they could help you zero in on it. here's some photo advice.

1/ take your pics. 2/ copy them to a folder on your pc. 3/ set up a free account at photobucket, if you haven't already. *not a scam, very reliable, nonintrusive site/host. 4/ while at photobucket, click on the 'choose files' tab in the upload images section. 5/ select the photos in your files you wish to upload. 6/ once that is done, open another browser for the gibson forum and open a post reply window for this topic. 7/ there is no 7th step 8/ copy the IMG code for the pics at photobucket and paste them in the reply window. they will appear when you post the reply.

[Dan the Bluesman]

Thanks for the advice on posting photos. Here are a few shots of the Hummingbird I was talking about. Yes, it is an orange label inside. So, if you know anything about this particular guitar I'd love to learn more about it.

Thanks

Dan the Bluesman

 

[TWilson]

I'm not a Hummingbird expert but a couple questions, for my own sake, come to mind. Did they make adjustable saddles in 1994? Did they use screw-down pickguards in 1994? And, have you ever seen a 'bird with dot inlays? Maybe it's some sort of Custom or Historical version. The truss rod cover looks "different" as well. And, as we all have seen on ebay, the label could be a fake. (Real label filled in by the seller) Just my 2 cents, and, like I said, I'm not an expert. These are just questions I would like to have answered if it were my guitar. It does have some mojo to it! Good luck in your search.

[Guest]

Sorry to tell you, but based on review of the photos, that's a Fakey-bird

 

Label is wrong.

Pickguards are wrong.

Fingerboard is wrong.

Headstock is wrong.

Inlay on headstock is wrong.

Bridge is wrong.

 

Again, sorry about that, but it is not a Hummingbird, and I would not be surprised if the guitar had never been in the state of Montana in any of its past lives.

 

I hate pawn shops.

 

Fred

[TheLiveSoundGuy]

Based on the photos, I would also have to agree. It's a fake. It's not even a real Gibson.

Sorry.

If you like it, and it sounds good to you, then that's enough. But I wouldn't expect more than one to two hundred in value.

[jefleppard]

ksd needs to weigh in here but i dont think its authentic. that said, a great sounding guitar is its own reward. keep it love it play it to death. i hope you didnt get piped on the price. i am certainly no expert but the type set looks wrong on the label. it has a 60's style adj bridge and it looks like the paint has worn off the original pickguard and the second was added later. i dont know about the screws. you can see some sanding marks on the top below the bridge plate under the finish. tw is right about the truss rod cover. it doesnt look right. of course, i may be full of it! you are in luck though. there are many experts here who will tell you everything possible about it.

[wonderful remark]

maybe somebody converted an Epiphone hummer.. the truss-rod cover doesn't look gibson but epiphone.

[Taylor Player]

3 screws in the truss rod cover plus the funky cover was enough to convince me.... likely a fake. I could see the pickguard wearing away on only one side, but with all of the other things, my first call would be to Bozeman to see if the serial number tells them anything.

 

Sorry if it truly is a fake.... I hate scammers!!!!!

 

Here is a link on how to spot fake Gibsons: http://www.buygibsons.com/fake-gibson-guitar

[guitarstrummer]

Sorry Dan, it's not a real Gibson. I would agree that it may be an Epiphone conversion. If so, it would be worth about $250 if it were brand new. Like it is, maybe less than $150. But if it sounds good and you like it, play the heck out of it.

[jefleppard]

it looks like yours was fashioned to look like this one....

http://www.elderly.com/vintage/names/gibson-hummingbird-%281967%29--20U-11936.htm

[Dan the Bluesman]

Wow... well I definately got some good info there. I was pretty convinced it was a Gibson mostly because it has some great spruce and mahogany wood on it and has the beginnings of the crackle starting in the finish, like it is a nitro-cellulose finish.

Also, it just seems like somebody went to a lot of effort to fake it if they did. At any rate, I still consider it a bargin since I paid less than 100 bucks for it (yeah really), and it's a great playing and sounding guitar. I will definately hang onto it and play the crap out of it for sure. I'm really a bass player, and a Fender man at that, but this fake-ish Hummer is really cool. I was just really curious if anyone has seen one with two pickguards on it like that. Obviously from the shape and the inlay on the pick guards they were made to both be on it. I thought maybe the truss rod cover had been lost and replaced with that one. It's still cool and I'm happy I bought it. I just thought the pawn shop guys must have been some real dumbasses to have given it away so cheap. I personally love pawn shops, as long as I'm the customer and not pawning some of my stuff. You never really know what you might find.

Thanks to all of you for checking it out and for your expertise.

Dan the Bluesman

[jefleppard]

good attitude, dan. every single one of us here has been, is or will be soon in a search for their idea of a holy grail. even though we may already have it, the prospect of that next prize is always on our minds. its a sign that life is good otherwise and GAS and the hunt for the next gem can occupy our leisure time. you found a guitar you like. thats the main thing. it is a puzzling piece for certain. buddy seemed to go to alot of trouble to make it look the way it does. i almost think that it is a much older guitar than a '94 and he thought its value would appreciate if he made it seem newer. it seems like a bit of a franken-bird to me. it may be possible the body is an old bird - some of them had adj bridges but it is the wrong neck and fingerboard, hence the franken term. play the crap out of it and enjoy. you didnt get ripped off at least. $100 for a beater is fine - especially one with such flagrant fouls adds to its allure.

[Todd Wilson]

I tend to agree with some of the other's that it looks as if someone did some work on perhaps an epiphone, and maybe a Hummingbird that was in a state of disrepair.

 

But hey man.... if the thing sounds good so what? A guitar with a great sound is all we all are searching for anyway!

[Guest]

I tend to agree with some of the other's that it looks as if someone did some work on perhaps an epiphone' date=' and maybe a Hummingbird that was in a state of disrepair.

 

[/quote']

 

Actually, there's been quite a spate of very similar looking Gibson fakes out there -- appearing mostly on eBay -- for at least the last couple of years. I think they are coming from a similar possible single source, as they often will have a similar label, and many have that same headstock style.

 

Good thing that Dan The Blues Man isn't rueing his purchase. My guess is that Mr. Pawn Shop guy knew darned well it was a fake. Otherwise, he would or could have tried to sell it for a "real Gibson" price, which would be 10 - 30x higher.

 

So, at least no-one got "taken" for the price of the Real Thing, which is good.

 

Fred

[Dan the Bluesman]

Yeah, I guess I'm not too disappointed in my purchase. After all, a good sounding, well made, and cool looking acoustic guitar for less than a hundred bucks is a pretty good find no matter what. I would never try to re-sell it for a huge profit if it's not genuine anyway. I kind of think that most any one out there that found that guitar for the price I paid would have bought it... fake or not. Whoever did the conversion work on it certainly put in a lot of time and effort and I doubt most folks could look at it and not think it was a real Gibson. Except of course collectors and experts. One thing I do know is that the finish is not some cheap polyurethane stuff, whatever they used was a pretty good substitute for the Gibson nitro-cellulose finish. All of my musician buddies that have seen it are super envious of my good deal, and what they don't know won't hurt them.

 

I think I'll write a song called the "Phony Hummingbird Blues".

[jefleppard]

if you want to add more confusion to the issue, add one of these....

http://cgi.ebay.com/1960s-Gibson-Truss-Rod-Cover-for-Dove-Acoustic-Guitar_W0QQitemZ260326109067QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item260326109067&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

[Wild_Rose]

3 screws in the truss rod cover plus the funky cover was enough to convince me.... likely a fake.

I have to agree with you!

[play4fun]

Hi. New here, first post and probably in the wrong place but....I'm looking at vintage hummingbirds and I'm confused about using the 3 screw truss rod cover vs. 2 screw truss rod cover as a means of identifying a particular guitar as fake or genuine Gibson. I have a '74 (I believe) J50 Deluxe I bought new from a reputable dealer that has a 3 screw cover...which I guess could have been changed by a shop I took it to to get Grovers put on it back in the late 70s/early 80s. But I've also seen pics of older Gibsons and some do in fact have 3 screw covers...maybe they all got changed out too??? Matter of fact, here's one to check out on eBay...it's in such good shape and everything else looks like genuine Gibson...why would someone just change out the truss rod cover on this one??? http://cgi.ebay.com/1973-VINTAGE-GIBSON-HUMMINGBIRD-CUSTOM-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ190273713888QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item190273713888&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

 

so I guess my question is does anyone know FOR SURE that for ALL models of Gibsons, not just Les Pauls, whether or not this is a true test of authenticity??? Thanks!

[ksdaddy]

There was a period in the 1970s when 3 screw truss rod covers were used. The problem is that it's not documented in any way I've ever seen. It's true that Gibson has traditionally used 2 screw covers but that alone is not an indicator of a real Gibson.

 

It's very easy to put a different truss rod cover on so you have to do a little detective work by removing it.

 

All in all it's one very small insignificant part of the guitar that won't make or break the deal but anyone who makes the sweeping statement that "It has a three screw truss rod cover, therefore it's a fake" needs to be gently enlightened.

[Dan the Bluesman]

That 1973 Hummingbird is really nice. If that's it's true age it's been well taken care of.

It does have the rectagular inlays on the neck and the three screw truss rod cover, which seems

different than most I've seen on the net. However it does say "HUmmingbird Custom" so it may have some

unusual options. It looks really nice though.

[ponty]

After a quick look around on the net, I saw several of the 1973 Hummingbirds identical to the one on ebay.

Three screw cover, single block inlay and the non reverse belly bridge. It apears to be quite common.

[TommyK]

While it does have some Epiphone qualities, ... there is no screw head covers on the bridge that a Norlin Era Epi would have. If it is original, the Metal TRod cover is not Epiphone. What is stamped on the cover? Made in China?