Among acoustic (steel-string) guitar players, two of the best known and highly regarded brands are Gibson – whose Hummingbird’s are manufactured in Bozeman, Montana (though the company is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee) – and Martin – all of whose American-build guitars are manufactured in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Each company builds a large and varied line of guitars, including, in Gibson’s case, many electric models.
This article focuses on comparing and contrasting each company’s best known and most generally highly regarded acoustic, six string (steel strings) acoustic flat-top guitars: Gibson’s Hummingbird and Martin’s HD-28. Although there are many other brands to choose from, Gibson and Martin have set a kind of standard against which most other acoustic guitars are compared and these two models are, perhaps, their best known and highly regarded.
To begin with, they are both very fine instruments. However, they are not the same in 1)looks, 2)feel or
3)sound and the ‘right’ guitar is always a function of the best possible ‘fit’ between the player and the instrument. The quality of construction is, of course, also important, but because that area is near perfect in both of these guitars, it will not be discussed as a variable. I will compare and contrast each of those three areas for these two guitars and while I make no claims that these comments constitute comprehensively professional reviews of either instrument, I feel that I am addressing the three most significant variables to the average intermediate or advanced guitar player (perhaps to the beginner as well) in their selection. Appearance, feel and sound – often in precisely that order.
I hope the following exposition may help a little bit when you’re ready to spend somewhere between $2,500 and $3,500 on what will probably be the best acoustic guitar you will ever own … maybe even the one you’ll pass over to the next life holding in your lap. Both of these guitars are keepers. You could always ‘move up’ to a fully cutomized hand built gem, but in the real world, for most of us, Gibson and Martin are the more viable standards of instrumental excellence attainable to working folks who are ready to invest in a really fine guitar.
Each company has an interesting and tale-filled history, but because I don’t think that this is a crucial consideration in the choice of a guitar as the other three issues, I will mention a couple of historical items only briefly. The first guitar built by a Martin was in Germany in 1796. Many innovations that led to what we regard today as the modern guitar came from Martin. The 14-fret neck (formerly 12) was introduced by them in 1929 and became the industry standard soon thereafter. In 1931, they popularized the Dreadnought size flat-top, the most popular sized acoustic guitar in the world. The D28 was first introduced in 1947 and in 1976, following great demand for older, prewar styles and construction, they brought out the HD-28, since the basic standard for all dreadnought guitars – including those of Gibson.
Gibson has its own eventful and interesting history. The earliest Gibsons were mandolins built around 1890. Like Martin, the Gibson luthiers were responsible for a good many important innovations including the development and popularization of Arch-Top guitars in the 1920s and 1930s, the first successful electric guitar, the ES-150 and the world renowned Telecaster solid body electric, premiering in 1936. Acoustically, the Hummingbird was introduced in 1960 as their, then, second most expensive guitar being out priced only by Gibson’s flagship instrument, their J-200. The Dove was introduced sometime later. While the essential structure of the Hummingbird was based on the D-28 Martin design, it differs in many specific respects. Enough of the history: On to the comparisons.
Not in order of any inherent importance, the following three variables are summarized here for your information. None of the following should, in any way, impact the final decision made by holding, feeling and playing both guitars – as well as, perhaps, some others before you make a final decision. But like with so many other major purchases we make in life, the better informed we are the better decision we feel equipped to make.
Firstly, the appearance. The Martin is a plain looking guitar. The woods are lovely but unembellished. With back and sides of solid rosewood, top of Sitka spruce and neck of mahogany, it sports ebony bridge and fingerboard. The inlays on the fret board are basic dots. The pick guard is unornamented standard size tortoiseshell. There is nothing fancy looking about it. Its magnificence is in its simplicity. Structurally (if you look inside the sound hole) you will discover an X-bracing, adjustable truss rod and scalloped bracing in the pre-war style. The HD model of the 28 features some herringbone tri down the middle of the back and around the outer edges of the front.
The Hummingbird, on the other hand, is a beautifully ornamented and stylized instrument. Made of lighter wood on back and sides (mahogany), it too has a spruce top. The finish is a light cherry sunburst color, the fret inlays are large and emphatic and the oversized pick guard is ornamented with the well known Hummingbird design. It’s a very beautiful guitar. The fret board is rosewood and while a bit less smooth to many players that the ebony on the Martin, it is more than satisfactory for any style of fingering.
So if you are shopping for something ornamented and beautiful, the Hummingbird is your guitar – hands down. But there are two additional factors left for us to consider.
Secondly, the feel. While both guitars are the same basic Dreadnought (square shouldered) design, they don’t feel the same in your hands. For one thing, the Martin is heavier – this being a simple function of rosewood being denser and heavier than is the mahogany used on the Hummingbird. The neck of the Martin is just a tad narrower than that of the Gibson making it a bit easier to fret and more easily played with a flat pick. The more space between the strings (the wider the neck) the easier to finger pick. Thus, classical guitars made to be played exclusively by bare fingers, have wider necks. The Martin is easier to play for a person with smaller hands because of this variable. The Hummingbird actually looks bigger, though the inch-by-inch measurements are nearly identical – this, I suppose, having something to do with the colors of the relative instrument tops. Both feel good and substantial. In either case, you feel that you are holding something of substance and value – and you are!
Thirdly, and finally for this discussion, there is the issue of the sound. This is the area where the rubber really meets the road for any instrument. In your hands, how does it sound? Well, there are some real differences between the Hummingbird and the HD-28 in this department. The Hummingbird was designed to compliment the human voice. Its base and treble sounds are carefully balanced so one does not overpower the other. This Gibson is a great instrument to accompany yourself on or to play rhythm in a group of strings. However, it lacks the ‘punch’ and sheer power of the Martin which is a formidable instrument when played alone without vocal accompaniment.
Most players find the sustain of note played and base more pronounced and emphatic with the Martin and, as a consequence of the rosewood, the resonance is somewhat richer and deeper than is the case with the Gibson and thus, is better suited to soloing and à capella picking.
Both guitars are extremely well built and nearly perfectly finished. Both on the inside and outside, quality workmanship is apparent. The variable is what you want your guitar to look like, feel like and sound while you play it in the way you like to play. There isn’t really a right answer or a best choice – but there is a choice. And for what you will pay for either of these guitars, making an informed one will do you well.
I suggest, also, checking on line for user reviews where you hope to find something written by someone who sounds like YOU as you would want to sound if you were writing a review of the guitar that would really make you happy. As always, as a final note, find your best price – then bargain. Most dealers would rather make a few less dollars and gain a new customer in the transaction.
Hope that helps.
