Gibson introduced the Hummingbird in 1960 as their first square-shoulder guitar. Designed for vocal accompaniment, its warm, honeyed tone fits around a singing voice without overpowering it. Gibson probably intended the Hummingbird to appeal to country and western players, but in the early '60s, this new model found a market among younger audiences and especially folk fans. Later, it became the go-to acoustic songwriter for rock n' rollers (ahem, Keith Richards).
This Hummingbird rolled out of Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1964. It features a 25-3/8" scale length, and the wider early-'60s 1-11/16" nut width. In its original Cherry Sunburst, this Hummingbird now has the faded sunburst look typical of '64 through '66. For some reason, the red coloring Gibson used during that era was unstable, fading to various shades of light red with time. It's a gorgeous effect that complements the unique Hummingbird pickguard so nicely.
This 1964 Hummingbird is a sweet vintage Gibson that plays nicely and produces rich, nuanced tone. Warm with prominent midrange. Clear and cutting, but not overpowering. In 2017, Erlewine Guitars (Austin, Texas) worked to optimize its sound and playability. While it was in their shop, Mark and his crew reglued two loose braces and reinforced the original adjustable bridge. They replaced frets 1-7 and serviced the truss rod with a new nut. Because of that, this Hummingbird has nice action and plays smooth and easily all over the fingerboard.
At some point along the way, a previous owner installed a pickup with a jack plate on the treble side. At the moment, an LR Baggs HiFi is installed, and this pickup does an excellent job recreating the guitar's authentic acoustic tone through an amp. In addition, it has replacement Kluson tuners and a new bone nut, so this Hummingbird tunes nicely and doesn't suffer from intonation issues. There is also an old-looking strap button on the heel with a flat-head screw.
This 1964 Gibson Hummingbird includes its original hardshell case, which has an Erlewine Guitars sticker on the outside and a Missippippi John Hurt photo on the inside.