Dogwood Guitars

  • Home
  • About
  • Guitars
    • Dogwood Models
    • Guitar Galleries
    • Ordering your Dogwood Guitar
    • FAQ’s
  • Services
  • Lutherie Classes
  • Pictorials
    • Repairs
    • How to Correctly String a Guitar
    • Building A Monarch
    • Making a Spalted Maple Rosette
    • Pearl and Abalone Inlay
  • Articles
    • Technical
    • Viewpoint
  • Testimonials
  • YouTube
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Pictorials / Repairs / 1975 Gibson Hummingbird Restoration

1975 Gibson Hummingbird Restoration

While meeting with a customer and his daughter about designing a guitar for her, he showed me his Gibson Hummingbird that his daughter had been playing.

Using the serial number and other identifying characteristics, I was able to date the guitar as a 1975. This confirmed the owner’s recollection that the Hummingbird was a mid-70’s instrument which he had purchased used after graduating from high school in the early 1980’s.

The guitar was in pretty rough condition, mostly due to some poorly done older repairs. The bridge was not original and had been glued on in the wrong location causing the guitar to play out of tune. The bridge plate inside the guitar was damaged and the replacement bridge was shaved too thin and had cracked. The guitar also needed a neck reset and some cracks in the top repaired. I agreed to take on these repairs and to make the guitar playable for the daughter while her Dogwood Guitar was being made. Click the thumbnail image below for a photo essay detailing the repairs made to the guitar.

dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_01 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_02 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_03 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_04 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_05 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_06 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_07 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_08 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_09 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_10 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_11 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_12 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_13 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_14 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_15 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_16 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_17 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_18 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_19 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_20 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_21 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_22 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_23 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_24 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_25 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_27 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_29 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_30 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_31 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_32 dogwoodguitars_gibsonrepair_33
[Show picture list]
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Building a Monarch: Final Assembly

It is now time to assemble the guitar, dress the frets, install the bridge and pins, fit and install the tuners, make the nut and saddle, and set the final action. A pickguard is usually installed and the completed instrument is polishes and strung … [Read More...]

Fender Strat Tuneup

Fender Strat Tuneup and Setup The Fender Strat is a classic electric guitar that is justly famous for its role in the history of blues and rock music. The quality of individual Strats can vary from excellent to dismal depending on model, year, and … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: The Neck

Guitar construction can be divided into to major sections: The body and the neck. Neck construction begins with gluing up a blank. Although some guitar necks are made from one solid piece of wood, many builders make necks using a laminated blank. … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: Top and Back

The building of any guitar begins with selecting the woods to be used. A bookmatched set of Spruce or Cedar is selected for the top, and a back and side set is chosen for the body. Standard woods for the latter are Rosewood, Mahogany, or Maple. Many … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonials: Voicing Class with Jacek Sliwa of Sliwa Guitars

Jacek Sliwa is considered by many to be one of the best guitar makers in Poland. His guitars exhibit a level of refined design and outstanding craftsmanship. And yet, he found that after years of building fine instruments, the goal of acheiving the … [Read More...]

Exceptional Tonewoods

Fine wood is the heart of every Dogwood guitar. Greg has been collecting rare and highly figured wood for over three decades, and he is always on the lookout for the best sets of both top and back/side wood for his custom guitars. Exotic wood of the … [Read More...]

Visit us on YouTube…

Follow Dogwood Guitars

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Technical Articles

The Science and Theory of Tonewoods

Search out any discussion about tone and tonewoods on the internet and you will quickly find a wide variation of opinions among players and builders alike. However, the majority will almost always list "tonewoods" and/or specific species of Spruce … [Read More...]

More Technical Articles

Viewpoint Articles

The Three Elements of a Great Guitar

Guitar players and collectors have so many choices available to them. New, used, factory brands, custom hand built...how do you narrow down the choices to the best option for you? In my opinion, any guitar should be measured by three … [Read More...]

More Viewpoint Articles

Copyright © 2025 Dogwood Guitars