2008 Gibson Hummingbird Artist Sunburst, Excellent, Hard, $1,895.00
The Gibson Hummingbird Artist was a great guitar which is now unfortunately "out of production." The serial number of this particular guitar (03298043) indicates that this guitar was the 43rd made on March 29, 2008; this was the first year of production, and the guitar is now just over 10 years old. I’ve never owned an Artist before, so I’m going to let this on-line review by Dan Day give you the specs and the joys of this cool guitar.
Hands-On Review: “Save Big Bucks on the “No-Bird” ’Bird” by Dan Day
“Musicians who lust after great Hummingbird playability and sound but are feeling a little squeezed by the economy should consider the Hummingbird Artist….Cosmetically, there are only two differences between the Hummingbird Artist and the Hummingbird Modern Classic. The Artist has a washed heritage cherry finish instead of sunburst, and the Artist model has a modern sculpted tortoise pickguard without the painted hummingbird motif. Eliminating this labor-intensive decoration results in cost savings, making this a more affordable variation on a classic with no impact on its sound.
To be sure, in the looks department, the Artist makes its own lasting impression with its sublime washed heritage cherry finish that, to me, suggests dusk on a warm, lonely prairie. Like the Modern Classic, it also is adorned with six-ply crème top binding; four-ply back body binding; single-ply neck binding; and mother-of-pearl parallelogram inlays, crown headstock, bridge dot inlays on the traditional Gibson belly-up rosewood bridge, and Gold Gotoh keystone tuners.
The Hummingbird Artist is handcrafted by Gibson artisans in Bozeman, Montana, with a solid premium Sitka spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides. Most of the Hummingbird’s volume is produced by the top, while the mahogany back and sides emphasize the upper mids and trebles to produce a wide-open, airy sound. The mahogany 20/12-fret neck with a 24 ¾” scale is secured to the body with a hand-set dovetail neck joint to ensure maximum string vibration is transferred to the spruce top.
A key component to the Hummingbird Artist sound is its upper bout, which is slightly narrower and has rounder shoulders than standard Hummingbird models. It provides a crisper, slightly brighter response. The hand-scalloped bracing pattern used on the Artist is the same as that on the Gibson Advanced Jumbo and Songwriter. It has a wider X pattern, like that used in the guitars of the late ’30s. This wider X creates more top movement to enhance the guitar’s projection. The bracing also moves the crossing point of the X pattern closer to the soundhole for a more powerful sound, which is why old-timers used to call the Advanced Jumbo the “Bone Crusher.” Now that power has been harnessed in the Hummingbird Artist….The Artist has nice low action for easy open chords at the fifth-fret capo and produces crisp barre chords at the 10th fret [3/32” at the 12th fret low E on this guitar]. The tone is rich and vibrant with well-balanced mids and chimey highs that blend well with vocals.
The 1.725" nut width and round C-profile neck fit comfortably in the left hand. To convey the Hummingbird’s voice in a live setting, the Artist uses an L.R. Baggs Element undersaddle transducer with a preamp and volume control that are cleverly mounted in the soundhole to preserve the Hummingbird Artist’s beautiful mahogany exterior.”
This particular Artist is in excellent condition, with only one pencil-lead-sized ding barely visible in the lower bout. There are no other cosmetic concerns that I can see, and no structural concerns at all. The included tweed MBT arched-top hard shell case is obviously not original, but it’s a solid case in good condition which offers great protection for this great Gibson guitar.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower forty-eight states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this beautiful instrument. Therefore, its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before bidding.
Thank you for your interest in this fine Gibson guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.