Gibson Custom Murphy Lab 1963 Dove | Dark Natural - Light Aged

The Gibson Custom Shop do some pretty special stuff, whether it be re-issues of our favourite guitars of years gone by, or turning dream guitars into reality. The Gibson Custom Shop can do it all. The Murphy Lab team is a dedicated group of people within the Custom Shop who specialise in ageing guitars to look exactly like vintage golden era instruments. Headed by legendary builder "Tom Murphy", these guitars are the pinnacle of Gibson.

Originally released in 1962 as Gibsons second square-shoulder acoustic after the Hummingbird, the Dove has become one of the most recognisable acoustic guitars in history. Its been played by legends like Elvis, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Alex Lifeson, Frank Hannon, and many others.

Gibson Custom is proud to unveil the 1963 Dove Light Aged, a precise recreation of the early Dove models. The Murphy Labs expert ageing gives it the look, feel, and character of a treasured vintage original.

The 1963 Dove features a Thermally Aged Sitka Spruce top, alongside Flame Maple back & sides. Together, they create a bright, lively tone with loads of character and punchy! These tonal characteristics are further enhanced by the traditional x-bracing, which allows the top to vibrate and resonate effectively. The Dark Natural top and Cherry back and sides looks awesome and nail that early 60s vibe. The nitrocellulose finish has been beautifully aged by the highly skilled Murphy Lab team. They have done an incredible job at making this guitar both look, and sound old right out the case. The instantly identifiable Dove pickguard is decorated with stamped vines and flowers and a mother-of-pearl dove.

The Mahogany neck has a comfortable Round profile, allowing for quick and easy movements across the whole guitar. The Indian Rosewood fingerboard features 20 frets, a 42.8498mm nut width, and Mother-of-Pearl Parallelogram inlays, which look great against the dark Rosewood fingerboard. With its 25.5-inch scale length and maple body, the Dove produces a unique voice that is louder, brighter, and fuller compared to the Hummingbird, which leans toward a warmer midrange tone.

The headstock of the Dove carries the Gibson logo and crown inlays in mother of pearl. It is fitted with high quality nickel Kluson Waffleback tuners and a white truss rod cover with black border featuring the word DOVE. Both the nut and the bridge pins are made of bone, and the saddle is seated in the iconic Dove rosewood bridge plate, which is decorated with two mother of pearl dove inlays.

It comes in a vintage-style black hardshell case, offering a complete vintage playing and ownership experience that only Gibson Custom and the Murphy Lab can provide.