The Gibson Dove was first introduced to the world in 1962 at the dawn of one of the most revolutionary and impactful decades in popular music history. It was the second Gibson square shoulder acoustic model, following the Hummingbird, which was first released two years earlier, in 1960. Over sixty years after its introduction, the Dove remains one of the world’s most popular, instantly recognizable, and iconic acoustic guitars. The Dove has been seen in the hands of some of the biggest names in music, including Tom Petty, Elvis, Alex Lifeson, John Mellencamp, and Frank Hannon, just to name a few.
Now, Gibson Custom is very proud to introduce the 1963 Dove Light Aged, a faithful recreation of the early Dove models, masterfully aged by the artisans of the Murphy Lab to give it the look and feel of a well-loved vintage example.
The 1963 Dove Light Aged has a thermally aged Sitka spruce top with traditional scalloped X-bracing to help give it the tone of a well-seasoned vintage guitar and beautifully flamed maple back and sides finished in Cherry. The mahogany neck has a comfortable Round profile and is topped with an Indian rosewood fretboard with 20 frets and mother-of-pearl parallelogram inlays.
The 25.5" scale length, coupled with the maple body, gives the Dove a distinctive tone that is louder, brighter, and fuller than the Hummingbird’s more midrange-focused tone.
The headstock features the Gibson logo and crown inlays in mother-of-pearl, nickel Kluson Waffleback tuners, and a truss rod cover with "DOVE" lettering. The nut, saddle, and bridge pins are all bone. The bridge is rosewood with two mother-of-pearl dove inlays. The pickguard is decorated with stamped vines, flowers, and a mother-of-pearl dove.
The Murphy Lab Light Aged finish and lightly aged hardware simulate decades of light play wear, giving it the character and feel of a vintage original. It comes in a vintage-style black hardshell case.