No, we did not steal Sheryl Crow’s guitar. Actually, we had it first… so there!

Kidding aside, if you watch enough of our videos, you’ll notice that we play the 1968 Gibson Hummingbird most frequently. Why Not only does this guitar have an iconic look, but because of it’s relatively large body, it produces a lot of sound. This makes hearing what we play easier;  avoiding cameras picking up feedback from an amplifier.

If you’re curious, here’s the history of the Gibson Hummingbird:

The Gibson Hummingbird was Gibson’s first square shoulder dreadnought guitar.  The original Hummingbird was 16.25″ wide, had a rosewood bridge, mahogany body back and sides,  an engraved hummingbird on the pickguard, gold tuners, double parallelogram fingerboard inlays and a cherry sunburst finish.

From 1960 to present day, there have been no drastic changes to the Hummingbird. In 1963, some Hummingbirds were made with maple back and sides, with slightly smaller pickguards. In 1965, Gibson added Humminbirds that were made in natural finishes and pickguards attached with screws in late 1960’s. In 1970, the Hummingbird had non adjustable bridge saddles, and a 3-piece mahogany neck. In 1973, Gibson started making Hummingbirds with block inlays on the fingerboard. It wasn’t until the the early 1980’s that parallelogram fingerboard inlays were reintroduced.

Although this guitar was pricey when it was introduced in 1960, the Hummingbird was an immediate success. An eye catcher that plays with an exceptionally rich tone, the Hummingbird paved the way for other household flat top Gibson acoustic guitars with square shoulders, such as the Dove and the Heritage. Many collectors will debate on whether the Hummingbird is a collectors item because of its somewhat commonly square shoulders style. While it is a significant part of Gibsons’ history, and according to its ability or retain resale value, the Hummingbird has become  an exceedingly popular guitar.

Keep Rockin’!