String gauge for New Gibson Hummingbird

builttospill · June 2023

Just purchased a new Gibson Hummingbird Original in Antique Natural, it’s an absolute beauty! but can anyone tell me what string gauge would normally come installed from the factory?

When I first tried the guitar in store the strings felt a little old & tacky but it still felt and sounded great and very responsive.

Guitar Guitar kindly put a fresh set on for me to try. Now I’ve had a couple of days with the guitar I feel I am fighting with the current set of new strings, not sure if I should give them a little bit more time to settle in. I am also a bit apprehensive to swap them over to my preferred choice incase adjustments are needed to truss rod.
I’m not sure if they are 12’s but they feel a little too heavy, I normally use D’Addario Extra Lights (Phosphor Bronze) and I have been using these for 20+ years. It’s actually a little off putting now. I didn’t realise that string gauge would have this much of an impact. Any advice greatly appreciated!

Soupman · June 2023

You could either put your usual D'ads on or put some round core low tension 12s on such as Newtone Heritage or DR Rare.
I don't think you would need to make adjustments to truss rod.

Mellish · June 2023

12 gauge

wrinkleygit · June 2023

Newtone Heritage 12-51 would be an excellent choice, don’t worry if their website says out of stock, place an order and it will be fulfilled quickly, I’ve never waited longer than 10 days, definitely worth the wait.

Tannin · June 2023

D'Addario Extra Lights are exactly what it says on the tin - extra light. Too light for an acoustic, most (but not all) people would agree. That is especially the case for a big dreadnought (which has a larger soundboard to move and benefits from extra weight of string to move it), and more so given the short scale (which reduces the tension and thus the volume).

Standard fit for the Hummingbird is Gibson 12-53s, which many people would regard as a little on the light side given the short scale. A lot of makers and players fit 13-56 to a short scale dread. Myself, I'd probably stay with 12s, but it's a matter of taste.

10s are very, very light for a big, short-scale acoustic. I would try hard to avoid going that way. Drop to a lower tension string by all means, and drop to 11s if you have to.

Is the guitar correctly set up? It is normal for even the best guitars to leave the factory set a little high. Manufacturers do this because every player is different and every wooden guitar is different too and it is easy to lower the action on an acoustic guitar but non-trivial to raise it. It is well worth spending a few tens of pounds on a setup. Before you do though, you need to have a decent idea what strings you are going to end up with long-term, because the gauge really does alter what the chap doing the setup will need to do.

Am I saying you won't really know what strings you are going to like until you have a setup and you can't have a setup until you know what strings you like?

Yes!

It's a bit tricky as each choice impacts on the other. Sometimes it's worth getting the setup person to go part-way to where you want to be and then go back and get it fine-tuned once you've settled on a type of string and given the guitar a chance to settle in for a few weeks.

TLDR: if 12s are too hard to play, you probably need a setup. Try not to go below 11s.

Mellish · June 2023

I suspect Gibson strings are actually made by D'Addario.

The 'Bird is a guitar that I'm a sucker for. They're not all good, and you should never buy untried; but if you fimd a good one, you'll love it.

builttospill · June 2023

Tannin said:

D'Addario Extra Lights are exactly what it says on the tin - extra light. Too light for an acoustic, most (but not all) people would agree. That is especially the case for a big dreadnought (which has a larger soundboard to move and benefits from extra weight of string to move it), and more so given the short scale (which reduces the tension and thus the volume).

Standard fit for the Hummingbird is Gibson 12-53s, which many people would regard as a little on the light side given the short scale. A lot of makers and players fit 13-56 to a short scale dread. Myself, I'd probably stay with 12s, but it's a matter of taste.

10s are very, very light for a big, short-scale acoustic. I would try hard to avoid going that way. Drop to a lower tension string by all means, and drop to 11s if you have to.

Is the guitar correctly set up? It is normal for even the best guitars to leave the factory set a little high. Manufacturers do this because every player is different and every wooden guitar is different too and it is easy to lower the action on an acoustic guitar but non-trivial to raise it. It is well worth spending a few tens of pounds on a setup. Before you do though, you need to have a decent idea what strings you are going to end up with long-term, because the gauge really does alter what the chap doing the setup will need to do.

Am I saying you won't really know what strings you are going to like until you have a setup and you can't have a setup until you know what strings you like?

Yes!

It's a bit tricky as each choice impacts on the other. Sometimes it's worth getting the setup person to go part-way to where you want to be and then go back and get it fine-tuned once you've settled on a type of string and given the guitar a chance to settle in for a few weeks.

TLDR: if 12s are too hard to play, you probably need a setup. Try not to go below 11s.

Great advice thank you!

Mellish · June 2023

Don't be in a hurry to throw Extra-Light on. Stick with what's on it and try to get used to it.
If you try but it won't work for you, 11.5 or 11 and see how you get on.

Tannin · June 2023

Cheers @builttospill Given that you are coming from 10s and your fingers will find heavier strings a bit of a task to adjust to, it might be worth mentioning a few strings which combine a bit of weight (to move that top) with a softer feel (to spare your fingers). In no special order, I have tried and liked:

ROUNDCORE
* DR Sunbeam £8. The benchmark for roundcore strings.
* Newtone Masterclass round core £11.

HEX CORE (but play nice and soft like like roundcores)
* Adamas Composite £7.
* Galli LS £7.
* La Bella Phosphor Bronze £7.
* Philippe Bosset Acoustique £10.50.
* Richard Cocco Bronze £13
* Santa Cruz Parabolic Low Tension £17.
(Very approximate prices, but at least a rough guide.)

Mellish · June 2023

Martin Flexible Core is another option - very easy on the fingers.

Tannin · June 2023

^ Yes. I tried them once and found them very easy on the fingers but somehow a little underwhelming. Possibly the guitar I tried them on wasn't the best match. I certainly wouldn't rule them out.

Mellish · June 2023

@Tannin the Tommy Emmanuel strings are on my like list. A bit zingy on this Martin OM-28 Re-imagined but I like that.

Tannin · June 2023

Ahh Tommy is a bit of a tart. He's used any number of different strings over the years and is on record as saying that he likes to swap brands every so often because his guitar "gets used to" whatever strings he has been using and "lazy" so a different brand wakes it up. (Sounds daft to me but who am I to argue with Tommy?)

But there is never anything too much wrong with any Martin/Darco string in my book.

jellyroll · June 2023

I tend to put PB 12s on my Gibson acoustics, typically Martin 540 or DR Rare

ElectricXII · June 2023

Elixir 12-53 strings on my Gibson J-35, FWIW.

Mellish · June 2023

I've had 3 Hummingbirds.

Strangely, I can only recall what strings I used on the first one - La Bella phosphor bronze 12s

ICBM · June 2023

Gibson fit 12s as standard.

My experience is that they "need" heavy strings less than equivalent Martins, and are actually perfectly happy with strings that the "mooring cables or nothing" brigade will tell you kill the tone and volume of a guitar. My Dove - which admittedly has a slightly longer scale than the Hummingbird - sounds great with Newtone Masterclass PB 11s, which although not as low-tension as the Heritages are still lighter than most other sets of 11s, and it doesn't lack tone or volume.

I *probably* wouldn't go as low as 10s on a Hummingbird, but try it - especially with a slightly higher action, it may sound fine.

BigLicks67 · June 2023

I'd echo @ICBM's point. I use 12's on my dreadnought and OM with 645mm scale quite happily, but they never felt right on my J45, despite it being shorter scale and after numerous saddle adjustments. So, I just switched to 11's and it sounds and plays fine now.

builttospill · July 2023

ICBM said:

Gibson fit 12s as standard.

My experience is that they "need" heavy strings less than equivalent Martins, and are actually perfectly happy with strings that the "mooring cables or nothing" brigade will tell you kill the tone and volume of a guitar. My Dove - which admittedly has a slightly longer scale than the Hummingbird - sounds great with Newtone Masterclass PB 11s, which although not as low-tension as the Heritages are still lighter than most other sets of 11s, and it doesn't lack tone or volume.

I *probably* wouldn't go as low as 10s on a Hummingbird, but try it - especially with a slightly higher action, it may sound fine.

Thanks for the heads up re strings, will definitely consider these @ICBM I’ve never ever heard of this brand.

SteveRobinson · July 2023

builttospill said:

Guitar Guitar kindly put a fresh set on for me to try. Now I’ve had a couple of days with the guitar I feel I am fighting with the current set of new strings, not sure if I should give them a little bit more time to settle in. I am also a bit apprehensive to swap them over to my preferred choice incase adjustments are needed to truss rod.

What's the relief like now? You should be able to adjust the neck *almost* straight. Any more relief than that and it will feel harder to play.

builttospill · July 2023

Hi @SteveRobinson ;I’ve had amost a week with ‘the bird’ and without me doing anything it strangely seems to have settled or maybe I’ve gotten used to the strings, I was tempted to tweak the truss rod but the OCD got the better of me. Will see how it fairs over next few days

Mellish · July 2023

@builttospill ; I'd say don't adjust the truss rod yet. Let the guitar get used to its new surroundings first. If it moves, you'll know. Then think about adjusting if you need to.

builttospill · July 2023

Mellish said:

@builttospill ; I'd say don't adjust the truss rod yet. Let the guitar get used to its new surroundings first. If it moves, you'll know. Then think about adjusting if you need to.

Thanks @Mellish I’m really starting to bond with this Hummingbird, the neck feels like my K-Line electric guitars, just feels right! it’s extremely comfortable, it’s resonant not as resonant as my old Taylor Jumbo or the Atkins that I tried but it has a unique sound and I love to sing with it.
A couple of days after purchasing I panicked and was getting ready to take it back to GG to swap for my second favourite the Atkin Dust Bowl, I’m going to stick with it.

bertie · July 2023

builttospill said:

A couple of days after purchasing I panicked and was getting ready to take it back to GG to swap for my second favourite the Atkin Dust Bowl, I’m going to stick with it.

don't mention swapping Hummingbirds to @Mellish ;

Mellish · July 2023

@bertie ; they're great guitars, they really are.

They don't hang around in Gibson dealer shops long.

They fly off the shelf

bertie · July 2023

Timcito · July 2023

Extra lights do work extremely well on some dreads. In the 90s, I bought a Lakewood dread in spruce and Ovangkol and put 10s on it. It sounded gorgeous - the trebles had a shimmer that heavier strings did not match, and the bass strings still had a lovely 'thump' on them.

This dread was lightly built, so maybe that accounted for how good it sounded. However, I would be skeptical of received 'wisdom' that tells you that dreads have to have 12's or 13s/ Recently, I owned an Eastman E-8D that I put 11s on - it sounded great.

Mellish · July 2023

It depends on the guitar.

I wouldn't put 13s on a 'Bird when it doesn't need them (11, 11.5 or12s) and even on a Martin dread like an HD-28 I'd stick with 12s.

I don't think I've ever owned a dread that needed 13s to drive the top but had a jumbo that preferred them.

builttospill · July 2023

Well I’ve had the hummingbird for just over three weeks, it’s such an addictive guitar, I am finding it difficult to put it down and I am playing it daily.

Smellyfingers · July 2023

I find it interesting to experiment with different gauges because it means I have to adjust my strumming style to get the most out of them.

I think with the lighter string that you are accustomed to, the tendency is to hit them harder, so if you strike the heavier fitted ones with less force, you might find they are fighting you less.

Or is it the other way round? Anyway experimentation with playing style could yield results

Gorgeous guitar btw.

Timcito · July 2023

Mellish said:

I don't think I've ever owned a dread that needed 13s to drive the top but had a jumbo that preferred them.

I owned one - once. It was Larrivee SD-50, which is a 12-fret dread in Sitka and mahogany with a wider 1 7/8" nut width. I bought it brand new in 2009 and it came with 13-56s. I immediately changed them to 12s, which turned the guitar into a shadow of its former self. The 12s sounded weak and unimpressive, so I hit a compromise with Martin's 12.5-55 set. But that was still too tight for my playing comfort because they put strain on my fretting hand (even though the action was low), and they wore down my picking nails at twice the speed. I tried fingerpicks, but with these the guitar was so loud you could have heard it halfway down the street!

I ended up selling the guitar, which was a shame because it was a beauty. But it was a guitar built for 13s.

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String gauge for New Gibson Hummingbird

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