Gibson Hummingbird vs Dove Acoustic Guitar

If you’re looking for a high-end acoustic guitar which has a stand-out tone and looks to match, then the Gibson Hummingbird and Dove models are hard to ignore. But what is the difference between them?

In this article I’ll be comparing the features, tone, appearance and feel of the Hummingbird and Dove, to help you find the most suitable acoustic guitar.

Quick Comparison

The Gibson Dove sounds brighter due to its longer scale length and maple back and sides compared to the Gibson Hummingbird which has a warmer tone with more mid-range caused by the mahogany back and sides. Both acoustic guitars have the same body shape, neck shape and bracing pattern.

Gibson Hummingbird

Gibson Dove

Images link to Amazon

Gibson Dove and Hummingbird Specifications

Here is a table showing all the specification differences between the Gibson Hummingbird Original and Dove Original. At the time of writing, the Dove is only available in the Original-series, whereas there are three versions of the Hummingbird (Original, Standard and Studio).

Feature	Gibson Hummingbird Original	Gibson Dove Original
Back and Sides	Mahogany	Flame Maple
Neck Wood	Mahogany	Flame Maple
Scale	24.75”	25.5”
Tuner Plating	Gold	Nickel
Bridge	Traditional Belly-Up	Dove Signature
Tuners	Gotoh Keystone	Grover Keystone
Pickguard	0.06” Hummingbird	Dove Signature
Colors	Antique Natural Heritage Cherry Sunburst	Antique Natural Vintage Cherry Sunburst

Differences between the Gibson Hummingbird and Gibson Dove

Tone Comparison

The Hummingbird and Dove sound different from one another due to two specification differences:

Back and side wood: the Hummingbird uses mahogany whereas the Dove uses maple
Scale length: the Hummingbird has a 24.75″ scale whereas the Dove has a 25.5″ scale

The mahogany back and sides on the Hummingbird give it a fairly balanced EQ with a slight mid-range hump. This gives it a warm and full tone. The maple back and sides on the Dove give it a brighter tone as the EQ favours the treble frequencies. The Dove also sound louder than the Hummingbird.

These differences are accentuated by the scale lengths as well. The longer scale on the Dove gives it a tighter low-end and more high-end emphasis again contributing to its brighter tone. This is because the strings are under more tension.

The Hummingbird has slightly more sustain because the strings are able to vibrate for longer because they are under less tension.

Check out this YouTube video to hear the Hummingbird and Dove back-to-back.

How Do These Guitars Differ in Terms of Feel?

The main factor which makes these guitars differ in terms of feel and playability is the scale length. These guitars have the same neck profile, fingerboard radius, nut width and body shape.

The Hummingbird has a shorter 24.75″ scale length whereas the Dove has a longer 25.5″ scale length, but both guitars have the same string gauge out of the box.

Aside from the tone, the scale length affects three main things:

Fret spacing
String tension
Action

Fret Spacing

Since the Hummingbird has a shorter scale length, the frets are spaced more closely together. This is helpful if you have small fingers as you will not need to stretch as far to fret more difficult chords. It also helps you move up and down the fretboard slightly faster.

However, some players find the fret spacing on the Dove more comfortable. It’s all personal preference and depends on the size of your hands and the styles you play.

Width	24.75” Scale	25.5” Scale	Difference
At the 1^st Fret	35.28 mm	36.35 mm	1.07 mm
At the 12^th Fret	18.69 mm	19.26 mm	0.57 mm
At the 22^nd Fret	10.49 mm	10.81 mm	0.32 mm

Effect of scale length on fret spacing

String Tension

The longer scale length on the Dove means that the strings are under more tension compared to on the Hummingbird.

The more tension the string is under, the harder it is to fret and bend. You can decrease the string gauge to compensate for this though if you find the Dove a bit too difficult with its long scale and 0.012 gauge strings.

Action

The action of a guitar is the height of the string from the fretboard. Having a low action makes it easier to fret a string, but also makes it more likely to buzz compared to a higher action.

You can still get a low action with a Hummingbird, however not as low as you can with the Dove.

This is because the strings are under less tension with the Hummingbird and can vibrate more freely and sometimes buzz if they hit the fret when the action is very low.

Check out my article comparing 24.75″ and 25.5″ scale guitars to learn more about the differences.

Cosmetic Differences

Both these guitars are easily mistaken for one another due to their bold designs, but they don’t look identical.

The most obvious difference is caused by the different back, sides and neck woods. The bright red flame maple on the Dove definitely stands out more compared to the more understated brown mahogany on the Hummingbird.

Similarities

Here is a complete list of similarities between the Gibson Dove and Hummingbird.

Square-Shoulder Dreadnought Shape
Spruce Top
Traditional Scalloped X-Bracing
Nitrocellulose Finish
Round Neck Profile
Rosewood Fretboard
12″ Fingerboard Radius
20 Frets (Standard Size)
Bone Nut
1.72″ Nut Width
Mother of Pearl Parallelograms Inlays
Torch Headstock Inlay
Compound Dovetail Neck Joint
Bone Saddle
LR Baggs VTC Pickup
Volume and Tone Control
0.012 Gauge Strings
Hardshell Case Included
Left-Handed Versions Available

Prices

At the time of writing there are three versions available of the Gibson Hummingbird and one of the Gibson Dove. Here are the average prices:

Gibson Hummingbird Studio: $2350
Gibson Hummingbird Standard: $4000
Gibson Hummingbird Original: $4000
Gibson Dove Original: $4500

If you want to check the current prices, here are the links to Guitar Center:

Check out my in-depth comparison between the Gibson Hummingbird and Gibson J-45.