String gauge for New Gibson Hummingbird

Mellish

@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

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

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

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

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

They fly off the shelf  

bertie

Timcito

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

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

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

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

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.