Epiphone Inspired by Gibson

T
he Gibson Hummingbird
is one of the iconic
acoustics; it’s been found
in the hands of everyone
from Keef to Sheryl Crow,
Lenny Kravitz and Radiohead and
Dylan. With its ornate pickguard
depicting fl owers and, yes,
a hummingbird, there’s no
mistaking this for any other
square-shouldered fl ight of fancy
either. But the Gibson versions
have always priced most of us out.
So the news last year of a new
Epiphone model with the same
solid wood back and sides as the
Gibson sibling was a welcome
feathered friend. Now it’s here,
does it sing?
First impressions are a little
mixed; don’t get us wrong, this is
a stunner. The dark mahogany
grain of the neck, back and sides
screams premium; bound in aged
ivory. The top’s Aged Antique
Natural caramel hues bathe in a
worn gloss that looks authentically
played in. The Hummingbird has
history and it shows here.
The neck relief on our guitar
needs some signifi cant
adjustment before it’s playable
and the Fishman preamp’s 9-volt
battery pack is also rattling around
in the Hummingbird’s body; the
weight of the battery has made
the velcro pouch holding it come
unstuck. We know this issue
because we suff ered from it on
our ten year old Sigma
dreadnought. We’re disappointed
to see this design still being used
instead of the alternative that
places the battery with its own
compartment and jack near the
rear endpin.
With those issues addressed, we
can get playing. Once the truss rod
is adjusted the familiarity of
Gibson’s 12” radius becomes
apparent. It’s a playable neck for
leads with notes given a muscular
projection here. That comes to the
fore for a rich and full-bodied
chord experience. It’s a classic
dreadnought character for us ; no
boxy dullness here. It’s resonant
and strong across the spectrum,
underpinned by lows that add
consistent girth to rhythm work.
It’s singing rather than sweet in
the high end. And with these solid
tonewoods, it’s only going to get
better with age.
The electro side feels more like
a sideshow compared – Gibson
have used the ubiquitous Fishman
Sonitone system, a meat and
potatoes, low key piezo system
with volume and tone controls
(treble roll off ) placed inside. The
Hummingbird negates the lack
of a bass control with its own
low-end character, but there’s
further reassuring/surprising news
too; Gibson uses the same £50
system on its Studio ’Bird. All in
all, this is a guitar that doesn’t
feel or sound like too much of
a compromise next to a Gibson.
Rob Laing
THE SOLID TONEWOOD WILL
ONLY GET BETTER WITH AGE
EPIPHONE INSPIRED BY
GIBSON HUMMINGBIRD
Inspired By or rival to?
£749
AT A GLANCE
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
Photography: Olly Cur tis
1
TUNERS
The Gibson
Hummingbird Studio
features Grover
tuners but the
gold-plated Epiphone
Deluxe tuners
perform superbly
on our test guitar.
2
FINGERBOARD
It’s laurel here, on
the £3,200 Gibson
Original series it’s
rosewood and on the
sub-£2k Gibson Studio
model the ’board is
walnut (and so is the
back and sides).
3
BONE
The nut and
saddle are made of
bone here – a choice
that aides the
resonance and
defined voice.
TYPE: Square-
shouldered
dreadnought-style
electro acoustic
TOP: Solid Sitka Spruce
BACK AND SIDES:
Solid mahogany
SCALE LENGTH: 24.72”
/ 628mm
NECK: Mahogany
FINGERBOARD:
Indian laurel
HARDWARE: Epiphone
Deluxe tuners with
press in gold bushings,
bone saddle and nut.
ELECTRONICS:
Undersaddle Fishman
Sonicore piezo with
Fishman Sonitone
soundhole (volume
and tone controls)
FINISH: Aged Antique
Natural Gloss (Aged
Cherry Sunburst Gloss
also available)
CONTACT:
www.gibson.com
£749
£749
AT A GLANCE
1
TUNERS
The Gibson
Hummingbird Studio
features Grover
tuners but the
gold-plated Epiphone
Deluxe tuners
perform superbly
on our test guitar.
2
FINGERBOARD
It’s laurel here, on
the £3,200 Gibson
Original series it’s
rosewood and on the
sub-£2k Gibson Studio
model the ’board is
walnut (and so is the
back and sides).
3
BONE
The nut and
saddle are made of
bone here – a choice
that aides the
resonance and
defined voice.
TYPE
: Square-
shouldered
dreadnought-style
electro acoustic
TOP
: Solid Sitka Spruce
BACK AND SIDES
:
Solid mahogany
SCALE LENGTH
: 24.72”
/ 628mm
NECK
: Mahogany
FINGERBOARD
:
Indian laurel
HARDWARE
: Epiphone
Deluxe tuners with
press in gold bushings,
bone saddle and nut.
ELECTRONICS
:
Undersaddle Fishman
Sonicore piezo with
Fishman Sonitone
soundhole (volume
and tone controls)
FINISH
: Aged Antique
Natural Gloss (Aged
Cherry Sunburst Gloss
also available)
CONTACT
:
CONTACT: CONTACT
www.gibson.com
1
2
3
APRIL 2021 TOTAL GUITAR
REVIEW
91
TGR343.gear_epi.indd 91 25/02/2021 15:47