1974 Gibson Dove Dreadnought Guitar

Update: I posted about this guitar back in 2023 but it's come back in for resale this year so I'm posting this update with new photos and specs. Suffice to say, it's held-up perfectly since work and I didn't even have to do anything to it but tune it up before putting it in the store racks.

Overview: Gibson acoustics from the '70s get knocks from the collectors, but I've always found them fun instruments that become ace players after ironing-out their setup qualms. They were generally built with neck angles too low from the factory and so didn't have enough energy to drive the top when made. When you reset the neck to have a "normal" saddle height and add some back-angle to the strings behind the saddle, they begin to roar (just like this one does, now)

Interesting features: The finish is quite clean throughout (for an oldie) and the cherry-red back and sides look a treat. The inlaid dove pickguard is fantastic, too, as usual, and the pearl inlay in the board and at the headstock is nice and tidy. It's a good-looking box!

Repairs included: It arrived quite clean but with a cracked (and repaired) bridge and ill-fitting saddle. The action was too high and it needed a neck reset badly. I wanted to save the original ebony bridge despite its old hairline crack repair, so to make sure it didn't become a nuisance, I filled the pinholes, recut the saddle slot so I could get the intonation on-the-dot, and then moved the pinholes farther to the rear of the bridge. This means that the tension put on the front of the pinholes helps pull the back of the bridge towards the hairline repair (that was along the old pinhole line) rather than pulling the front of the bridge along the "fault" away from the rear of the bridge. At any rate -- it's a solution I've used in the past and it works nicely, here, and has been holding-steady for the last two years. The neck reset went smoothly and after leveling/dressing the frets I also made a new bone saddle. The last bit of repair was "extra" -- he had me shave the bulky double-x-bracing a bit to get a little more fullness out of the instrument. I removed as much as I felt comfortable with and I'm happy with the result -- it sounds big, full, and punchy.

• Weight: 5 lbs 0 oz
• Scale length: 25 3/8"
• Nut width: 1 11/16"
• Neck shape: slim-medium C
• Board radius: 12"
• Body width: 16"
• Body depth: 4 3/4"
• Top wood: solid spruce
• Back & sides wood: solid maple
• Bracing type: x
• Bridge: ebony
• Fretboard: ebony
• Neck wood: maple
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 54w-12 lights
• Truss rod: adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: wide/medium-height

Condition notes: It's got a replacement bridge, saddle, and bridge pins. The tuners look like they are swapped as well. It's overall in good shape but does show some weather-check to the finish and a little discoloration here and there on the headstock veneer.

It comes with: It's got a good hard case and also a K&K pickup installed with an endpin jack.

Consignor tag: DNDM