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Epiphone Hummingbird Acoustic Guitar

 

Review of the Epiphone Hummingbird by The Man in the Jar 

The Epiphone version of the classic Gibson Hummingbird

Features of the Epiphone Hummingbird   

Tuners - Sealed Grover tuners with large kidney knobs that worked very smoothly.

Headstock - The dutch-gabled Epiphone headstock doesn't have the simplicity of line of the Gibson original, but nevertheless it fits in nicely with the overall look of the guitar. The inlayed Epiphone logo is of the earlier design, giving a nice touch of history to this new guitar. 

Nut - The white plastic nut is well finished and abuts the fretboard.

Neck - The mahogany neck is very slim and comfortable and a shallow heel makes it easily playable to the 14th fret, where the neck meets the body.

Fretboard - The medium-dark rosewood fretboard has an even grain. The fretmarkers are the classic Gibson split-parallelogram design inlaid with pearloid. The board is finished with antiqued binding.   

Frets - The thin frets are well-finished with no discernable snags.

Action - Really low from the box, a welcome surprise from a Chinese-made instrument, and certainly a big bonus for a guitar in this price range.

Body - The body is slightly smaller than most Dreadnought types I've come across, which it makes it fit well with my smaller stature. The mahogany back and sides glow nicely under the cherry-red finish. The solid spruce top has a less complex grain pattern that shows nice and straight as the cherry fades into honey-brown on the guitar's face. The soundhole has a simple triple pinstripe rosette and the front and back of the body are bound in white, the front sporting another pinstripe that finishes it nicely. 

Bridge - The simple rosewood bridge supports a saddle that is compensated at the second string. The strings are secured with traditional bridge-pins.

Pickguard - The design on the pickguard is what gives the guitar its name. A hummingbird hovers as it drinks from bellflowers. Very tasteful.

Strap-buttons - There are two medium-sized strap buttons, one on the base of the instrument and one on the lower edge of the heel. This unusual placement actually works quite well as there is less tendency for the guitar to tip forward, which sometimes happens if the button is on the back of the heel. 

Finish - Very good throughout.

Accessories - None.

 

Sound of the Epiphone Hummingbird

In common with most Dreadnoughts the Hummingbird has a lovely drone to its mids and low-end. The highs are nicely balanced with this, but I think the guitar has more tonal range than the strings are allowing it to express. Often with Chinese imports the strings are slightly off-par. Slapping on some new strings is the quick and easy solution. 

 

Overall Impressions of the Epiphone Hummingbird

Time was when the Gibson Hummingbird was the guitar to copy and many cheap copies were available, most of them unplayable. The Epiphone version is light years better than any of those. The superb action was a real pleasure and emphasised the comfortable slimness of the neck. The Hummingbird detailing on the scratchplate adds a dollop of vintage class and the price-tag makes it a bargain. Highly recommended.   

Buy the Epiphone Hummingbird

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