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

Customer Testimonials: Monarch 12 String

"Greg Maxwell's 12-string Monarch guitar is the product of an artist. I played the guitar among a small of group of rock-climbing paramedics during my interim stay in Richmond, Kentucky, before returning to Kailua, Hawaii, and the comments about the … [Read More...]

Repair and Restoration

Greg's deep knowledge of guitar design and construction means your acoustic or electric guitar will play better after he has worked on it. As a graduate of the esteemed Galloup School of Lutherie, Greg studied under master repairman Bryan Galloup. … [Read More...]

Blog: Jumbo inlay

Work continues on the Rosewood Kingston Jumbo this week, with the gold Mother of Pearl and Abalone fretboard inlay work. These crown type position markers are beautiful and I love the old-school appearance that calls to mind the Gibson SJ-200 and … [Read More...]

Blog: Jumbo Neck Set

It is always exciting to arrive at neck setting day when working on a new build. Several weeks of careful work precede setting the neck: Rosette making; bending and boxing; bindings and purflings; inlay work; voicing and tuning; all separate skills … [Read More...]

Voicing and Tap Tuning of Acoustic Guitars

Voicing and tuning are important elements of great tone. A great guitar has great tone, great playability, and great appearance, in that order. Fancy wood, a high gloss finish, and lots of Abalone inlay are visually beautiful but have … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonial: Gibson Setup

"I thought my new Gibson acoustic played pretty well until I had Greg set it up for me. Wow! I could tell a real difference in the action. Based on that experience I had him do a fret dress on an older Ibanez and again, I was surprised at how much … [Read More...]

Visit us on YouTube…

Follow Dogwood Guitars

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Technical Articles

Why do old guitars sound better?

Why do some old guitars sound so good? Even inexpensive guitars can age into really good sounding instruments, and some old guitars attain legendary tone. Why is this? The answer can be found in one of three factors and the best … [Read More...]

More Technical Articles

Viewpoint Articles

Why Buy a Handmade Guitar?

There are a lot of choices out there for the prospective buyer of a fine guitar. It's no secret; a handmade instrument can cost a lot. For that matter, any of the better guitars purchased from a quality manufacturer is going to command what most … [Read More...]

More Viewpoint Articles

Copyright © 2025 Dogwood Guitars