A Hummingbird Built for the Stage, the Study, and the Display Case
Some guitars you buy to play. Some you buy because they're too beautiful not to own. The Gibson Hummingbird Custom Koa manages to be both at the same time — and pulls it off without apology. This is a hand-built Custom Shop guitar, made in Bozeman, Montana, wearing some of the most intricate inlay work Gibson has ever put on an acoustic. If you've been looking for a Hummingbird that feels like a legitimate heirloom, this is it.
At its core, the Hummingbird Custom Koa pairs a solid Figured Koa top with solid figured koa back and sides — projection you'd expect from a great dreadnought; the koa adds a warm, slightly bright character with real sustain. The result is a big, open sound that covers ground from fingerpicked ballads to full-strum rhythm work with ease.
Beyond the tones, this guitar turns heads. Hand-engraved mother-of-pearl and abalone hummingbirds appear on the headstock, fretboard, pickguard, and bridge — each one painstakingly inlaid by hand. This is the kind of work you'd typically only see on custom one-off builds. It's rare, and it shows.
Tonewood That Earn Their Place
The koa top, back, and sides are solid, figured, and hand-selected for their three-dimensional grain. Hawaiian koa is a slow-growing tonewood with a tonal character that sits somewhere between mahogany's warmth and rosewood's brightness — giving this Hummingbird a voice that's distinctly its own. The body is finished in thin-coat nitrocellulose lacquer, which allows the wood to resonate more freely over time as the finish continues to cure.
Neck, Fingerboard, and Playability
The neck is carved from mahogany in Gibson's classic Rounded profile — comfortable and familiar to anyone who's spent time on a traditional Gibson acoustic. It joins the body at the 14th fret via a compound dovetail joint, which contributes to the guitar's resonance and long-term stability. Scale length sits at 24.75 inches, Gibson's tried-and-true measurement that keeps string tension approachable and bending natural.
The ebony fingerboard has rolled edges for a smooth, broken-in feel right out of the case. With a 12-inch radius and 20 standard frets, the playing surface is flat enough for comfortable chord work and open enough for single-note runs. A bone nut at 1.724 inches keeps things balanced and resonant at the first string.
Hardware and Appointments Worth Noticing
Every detail on this guitar has been considered. The bridge and saddle are both bone, which is one of the best materials for acoustic tone transfer. Grover tuners with engraved kidney knobs handle tuning stability while matching the ornate aesthetic of the instrument. The pickguard alone — featuring hand-engraved pearl and abalone Hummingbird artwork — is the kind of thing guitar players stop and stare at. Multi-ply abalone body binding runs the top edge, and a separate multi-ply binding finishes the back.
No electronics are fitted to this model, keeping the signal path purely acoustic. This is a guitar designed to be played acoustically, mic'd in a studio, or simply admired in the room.
Product Features:
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Top Wood: Solid Figured Koa
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Back & Sides: Solid Figured Koa
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Body Shape: Hummingbird square-shoulder dreadnought
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Bracing: Traditional hand-scalloped X-bracing
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Neck: Mahogany, Rounded profile, compound dovetail neck joint
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Fingerboard: Ebony with rolled edges, 12" radius, Hummingbird Custom inlays
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Scale Length: 24.75" | Nut Width: 1.724" | Frets: 20 standard
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Nut & Saddle: Bone
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Tuners: Grover with engraved kidney knobs
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Binding: Multi-ply abalone top, multi-ply back
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Finish: Nitrocellulose, Antique Natural
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Electronics: None (pure acoustic)
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Built at: Gibson Custom Shop, Bozeman, Montana
Brand: Gibson
Model: Hummingbird Custom Koa
SKU: SSGCHKHBPSL1153
Condition: New
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