Gibson Dove

2006 Specs
Maple back, sides and neck. Spruce top. Rosewood fretboard and bridge. Mother of pearl parlellogram inlays in the fretboard... It's a dove, you know what it look like.
Built in electronics. Plain black truss rod cover.
Gibson OHCS

The guitar sounds just like a perfect maple\spruce guitar is suppused to. Loud and balanced. And now that I've had it for some years the top is starting to open up making the guitar sounding better day by day.

The gibson factory set up is poor. I mean really awful. The guitar was not usable until I spent 200$ on a professional set up.
Shame on gibson. But after i got it set up, the guitar was "un put downable"
The paint job is not perfect like on all other factory line gibsons.
You'll find small flaws here and there.
I wonder how ibanez and yamaha can make good instruments to a tenth of the price without having these problems.

A good quality instrument which will last a lifetime or more.
As long as you take care of the guitar you'll get most of your money back if you sell it.
I don't know about the electronics cause I don't use it.

I got a new truss rod cover free of charge with dove inlay from Gibson. And they send me christmas card every year.

I've always wanted a Hummingbird but I tried out a dove in the local music store and just fell in love with it. The Dove is one of the most stunning looking factory line acoustic guitar you can get.
The longer scale also makes it more comfortable to play.
I have about seven guitars and this would be the last one I'd part with.

Handcrafted in: Bozeman, MT
Body Style: Square Shoulder Dreadnought
Top Species: Premium Sitka Spruce
Back and Sides: AAA Flame Maple
Marquetry: Checkerboard
Body Binding: 6-ply top, 4-ply back
Neck Species: Curly Maple
Scale: 25-1/2 in.
Angle: 3
Joint: 14
Profile: Round
Fingerboard Species: Rosewood
Binding: Single-ply
Number of Frets: 20
Inlays: MOP Double Parallelograms
Nut Width: 1.725
Peghead Angle: 17
Bridge: Traditional Gibson Rosewood Dove Bridge
Bridge Inlay: MOP Doves
Pins: White
Tuners: Nickel Grover Keystone
Pickguard: Tortoise Inlaid Dove
Case: Premium Hardshell
Strings: Gibson Masterbuilt Premium Phosphor Bronze Wound

I bought this guitar for vocal accompaniment. I was looking for a guitar that blended well with vocals and not "take over the show" like my Taylor was doing. The Dove has a deep mellow resonance that you can feel with mild mids and highs whereas the Taylor has a loud(harsh)midrange and jangly highs that really "cut through the mix" but drown out the vocals in the process. The Dove has a lovely traditional tone that is just so easy on the ears.

Action: Well here's where Gibson falls short. Straight out of the box this guitar's action was way too high. I had to lower the saddle, file the nut slots and adjust the truss rod to get the action where I wanted it. Now the guitar plays like a dream. I realize that Gibson ships their guitars out with high action so that customers can set them up the way they want but sales are probably lost to other manufactures who do a better setup at the factory.

Fit and finish: Perfect. Tight even grain with no blemishes. Beautiful finish with no rough spots around the area where the fretboard meets the sound hole (I have seen this on other gibson acoustics). This is a gorgeous guitar - a real piece of eye candy!

This guitar is built well. I don't expect any problems.

Never needed it.

I have been playing for 30+ years and currently own a Martin D-28, Taylor 214ce, Gibson J30, Gibson L-00, and an ultra-cheap Fender acoustic.

It has been said before and I'll say it again - the Dove has a tangible personality...you will not want to put it down. After playing this guitar in the showroom, all the other guitars seemed dull by comparison. The long storied tradition of Gibson comes through with this guitar, you can feel it, you can hear it....that same sound you've heard on countless classic recordings!

The Gibson Dove has been discontinued this year which is a shame since it has been in the lineup since 1962. It will be replaced by the "Super Dove" which is a jumbo similar to the J-200. Buy one before they're all gone!

I was given my USA made Gibson Dove, as a gift, in 1974 and I still have it, I have bought and sold a lot of guitars over the years, but will always keep this one. Mine has a two tone natural/cherry finish on the top with cherry finish on the back & sides, white binding front & back & on both sides of the neck. It has Grover tuners and stays in tune even if you play hard. Mine has an ebony fret board with 20 frets. I use a C.R. Baggs soundhole pickup with adjustable pole pieces and built in volume control and a 1/4" endpin jack. It works great if I want to run it through an amp. I use a Fender Acoustasonic SFXII amp.

I play mostly Blues, this thing has balls and I love it. It is VERY well balanced from the high to the low strings. It sounds like the other reviewers bought new guitars. Let me tell you something - this thing gets better and better sounding the longer you play it. Mine is 35 years old and it is sounding sweet. I believe that because it is made of such a hard wood (Maple), that it takes some time for it to to really open up. The sound was good when I first got it, but now it's awesome. My Dove was given to me by a Martin player, who had it for a short time, but gave it to me because he said it didn't compare to the tone of his Martins. I continue to see my generous buddy off & on, and now when he hears or plays my Dove, he tells me he wish he would have kept it. Moral of the story - hang onto your Dove and you will be rewarded with outstanding tone in the years to come.

I put a shorter bone bridge in it when I first got it to lower the action, it's low and fast. Other than an action adjustment, EXCELLENT CRAFTSMANSHIP on this guitar.

As far as durability - I have used mine as a tool and never babied it. I have played many a gig, played it around a lot of campfires, it's been in 20 below temperatures (played a gig in Winter Park Colorado & left it in the trunk overnight), it's been exposed to humidity, desert conditions, raucous percussionist style players, & kids. It's been dropped, knocked off it's stand & all but used as a weapon, and it's still in great shape - just has some minor character marks on it. I don't know what they used as a finish but it's TOUGH STUFF & HARD WOOD. I don't know of any other guitar that could take this type of a "workout" and still be in one piece, and still solid as the day I got it.

Never needed it, so don't know! I don't know about the warranty either- but after 35 years of playing mine I'm not concerned with that.

Been playing for 40 + years and own Strats, Teles, and National steel body resonator guitars, and this is the only flat top wooden body guitar I have now, or will ever have.

My Gibson Dove was made August 15th, 2004 in Montana. It's a big, solid dreadnought with looks. Mine has mildly flamed maple back, sides and neck. Plenty mother-of-pearl; Headstock logo and crown, split parallelagrams on the board, wings on the bridge, and of course the dove on the pickguard. White binding with black stripes around the front and back of the body. White binding around the fretboard, cool mini-checker stripe down the middle of the back, and two blue stripes up the back of the neck. Chrome Grover Keystone pegs.

The sound is loud and proud. I play bluegrass rhythm with a flatpick, strumming chords hard and fast, and it stays in tune for the full 2-hour set. The intonation is always perfect.

Action: The wide rosewood fingerboard isn't as fast as the ebony of my Guild D-55, but for what I use it for, it's more than good enough. It was set up okay when I got it, but I had a guitar shop guy dial in the truss rod which made a remarkable improvement, and it's been right-on ever since.

One minor problem: One bridge pin hole is a tad too large, so I put a little strip of tape on the pin and have had no issues, but I will probably take it to a guitar shop and see if there's a more professional way to fix it, maybe just a slightly wider pin.

This thing is built like a brick house.

N/A

I've owned and played a lot of nice guitars over the years, and nothing really compares to the Dove. It's always something special to play knowing that is beautiful enough to someday be passed down to my daughter as a family heirloom.

This Dove has the usual Sitka spruce top, but the back and sides are quarter-sawn quilted maple instead of the usual flame maple.It has a factory Fishman pickup.

The Dove is loud and the volume and tone are even throughout its range. The first time I played one it reminded me of a really great grand piano, like a Bosendorfer.

Factory set-up is great. If you ever hear any buzzing, it's you, not the guitar. The intonation is perfect throughout its range. If the guitar's in tune, it will still be in tune if you put a capo on the seventh fret. As a classical player I have no problem with the action. To an electric guitar player or a casual strummer with no left hand strength the action might seem on the high side, but that's one way you get volume and no buzzes.

This guitar is so beautiful that I don't think I'll ever take it out of the house, but would be a fine guitar to play live.

I've never had a reason to contact Gibson customer support.

I've been playing for 42 years and have owned a number of electric, steel-string acoustic, and classical guitars. This is the first steel-string acoustic I've ever owned with solid back and sides. If it were lost or stolen I'd get another one right away. When I started looking for a new guitar I thought I'd get a Hummingbird. I played a Hummingbird, a J-200, and a Dove, and I felt the Dove was loudest and had the best tone.

Built in June 2006 in Bozeman, MT by Gibson Montana.

BODY
Body Style: Square Shoulder Dreadnought
Top Species: Premium Sitka Spruce
Back and Sides: AAA Flame Maple
Marquetry: Checkerboard
Body Binding: 6-ply top, 4-ply back

NECK
Species: Curly Maple
Scale: 25-1/2"
Angle: 3
Joint: 14
Profile: Round

FINGERBOARD
Species: Rosewood
Binding: single-ply
Number of Frets: 20
Inlays: MOP Double Parallelograms
Nut Width: 1.725
Peghead Angle: 17

BRIDGE
Bridge: Traditional Gibson Rosewood Dove Bridge
Bridge Inlay: MOP Doves
Pins: White

HARDWARE
Tuners: Nickel Grover Keystone
Pickguard: Tortoise Inlaid Dove
Pickups: Active electronics with sound hole mounted volume control
OTHER
Case: Premium Hardshell
Strings: Gibson Masterbuilt Premium Phosphor Bronze Wound

The Dove is quite simply the best sounding guitar I've ever heard. It has a very balanced tone and is very loud. The bass is both boomy and growly, with creamy mids and sparkling highs. These complex tones mesh together perfectly, creating a sparkling, powerful acoustic tone. The combination of the solid maple back and sides with the sitka top creates a really sweet sound with tons of presence. Strumming can roar or purr, and notes are clear and bell-like in tone. The loudness of the Dove surprised me, the sound really jumps from the top and soundhole. The top is really responsive as a soundboard.

I do have to say that this is the second Dove I had. The first one I bought at Guitar Center ended up having a stripped D tuner and would not tune that string. I took it back to Guitar Center, who promptly repaired the tuner and then ordered me a brand new one. They even let me take home the "repaired" Dove until the new one came a week later. Since the original Dove I bought had the stripped tuner, I have to knock this down a bit. The new one has had no problems and the tuners are solid and keeps its tuning nicely.

The second guitar (the one I ended up keeping) was setup very high on the outset. I took it to my guitar tech and he lowered the action considerably. It did not suffer in tone one iota. This is a sign of good craftmanship - Gibson (and other premium guitar makers) makes the action high so you, the player, can adjust based on your needs. It shows how great the product is when you can lower the action and still get a great, loud tone.

Everything else on the second one is close to perfect. Top is bookmatched and clean. Spruce is a whiter shade, and the cherry sides and back compliment it perfectly. The engraved Dove pickguard is beautiful, with the Dove in MOP placed in it's customary place.

Again, due to the mishap on the tuner with the first Dove purchase (which Guitar Center rectified) I have to give this rating an 8. Stuff happens. I still love Gibson Montana though!

Everything is solid. I can push it hard and it responds as well as it does when I play it gently. I could play it without a backup and when I do, I only bring one guitar anyway (I play solo singer-songwriter stuff). The Dove works nicely.

Tonewise, both Doves that I had were similar, both were beautiful sounding guitars and that says a lot to the consistency of tone Gibson puts out.

Gibson Montana has always been responsive with any questions I ask. I haven't had to use the warranty on this or the other Gibson I own (Hummingbird) but I would not hesitate to go to them with any problems. My guitar tech is certified Gibson Repair and I have gone to him with warranty issues with my Les Paul with no hassles.

Guitar Center gets special kudos as well. They were extremely helpful and bent over backwards to help me with my initial problem on the stripped tuner. The replacement Dove that I received (and am reviewing here) was directly from the box. I got to watch my salesman open the box and pull out the factory-sealed case before my eyes. I was the first person to play the Dove (not counting the folks who built it) and it was cool to know that I got to be the first one to play it. Guitar Center gets knocked around, but despite their big-box status, I have had no problems with them and I find their policies to be awesome for the working man who likes to play music. Kudos to GC as well!

I've been playing for over 25 years. I own a Gibson Historic Hummmingbird (2004) as well. Electric guitars I own are a Gibson Historic '58 Les Paul (2005), a CIJ Fender Strat '57RI, and a Fender P-Bass.

If it were stolen or lost I'd definitely get another, hopefully it would be as good as this one. My guess is that it would be as the original one I had, and the subsequent replacement that I now own were both equal and awesome in tone. Gibson Montana has the tone nailed!