Manufacturer Gibson Body type Flattop Body Maple | Period 1962-present Neck joint Maple Neck Maple | |
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The Gibson Dove is a flattop steel-string acoustic guitar made by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.
Contents
History
First made in 1962 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, it was Gibson's second square-shouldered dreadnought (based on the Martin D-style dreadnought), after the introduction of the Gibson Hummingbird in 1960.
Both guitars have solid spruce tops and engraved pickguards. The Dove has solid maple back and sides instead of the solid mahogany used for the Hummingbird, and the Dove has a longer scale length (25.5" vs 24.75"). The Dove's longer scale length and maple back and sides make it a louder, brighter guitar than the Hummingbird.
The double parallelogram fingerboard inlays, the two doves on the bridge, and the dove on the pickguard are mother-of-pearl. The Dove has factory installed LR Baggs active electronics powered by a 9-volt battery. The original Doves had Gibson's tune-o-matic bridge. While the tune-o-matic bridge seemed like a technological improvement at the time, the metal bridge had negative effects on tone and volume.
In 1968 the internal bracing of the Dove was made heavier; while this made a sturdier guitar that was less likely to be returned to Gibson for warranty work, the volume of the guitar was reduced and the tone was negatively affected.
In 1985 Gibson's new owners began to address the quality issues that were affecting the company's products and reputation. By 1992 production of Gibson acoustic guitars was shifted to Bozeman, Montana.
Models
Models include the Dove Performer (with a Fishman Prefix T Pickup), the Dove Quilt (limited to 20 made with a quilted maple back and sides), the Doves in Flight (with extra ornaments), and the Elvis Presley Dove, based on the 1969 custom Dove that Elvis used in the early 1970s.