Gibson Dove, Natural (1968)

The Dove model entered Gibson's famed acoustic guitar lineup in 1962, following the Hummingbird's debut in 1960. It brought forth a second "square shoulder" dreadnought into the fold, with an equally sophisticated and ornate style that made them incredibly popular guitars throughout the 1960s.

While the Hummingbird carried the traditional shorter scale length and Spruce/Mahogany pairing Gibson was known for with the J-45, the Dove used solid Maple back and sides with a longer scale length. This combination yielded a snappier more powerful tone that still carried along with it the classic Gibson punch.

This 1968 Dove features its original Natural finish, with the Sitka Spruce top having ambered to a lovely golden hue, showing wonderful light lacquer checking throughout. The solid Maple back and sides show off their bold red finish with lovely curl and figure. The star of the show - the pickguard - is a beautiful vintage example acquired from an old Gibson repair shop and installed in-house to replace the original that had disintegrated. Although there's signs of play wear commensurate with a 55 year old guitar, it remains healthy and stable.

The slim to medium C carve Mahogany neck features a bound Rosewood fingerboard with parallelogram inlays and the original frets. Playability is smooth and fast, with a moderate taper up the neck. The original Grover Rotomatic tuners work great as well.

The guitar shows only two other modifications from the factory - a strap button installed on the neck heel, and an aftermarket passive transducer pickup installed some time ago. It's paired up with an aftermarket hardshell case that is in great shape.