Frankly, this was not my experience on previous iterations of the Epiphone Hummingbird before GibsonвЂ™s change of guard several years ago. While I canвЂ™t speak for every Epiphone that ships out, this one came well set-up from the factory, with a set of Gibson phosphor bronze strings (.012вЂ“.053), and played easily at virtually every position on the neck. This is an all-solid-wood guitar and it feels like one. But itвЂ™s not just another pretty six-string-the build quality on the Epi Hummingbird is excellent, with the bracing and interior tidy and tight. Our review model sported the Aged Antique Natural finish, a lovely muted amber with a soft patina-like effect, and the instrument is also available in the equally attractive Aged Cherry Sunburst. You get the cool Epiphone Deluxe tuning machines with their press-in gold bushings and Kluson-style tulip pegs. You still have those iconic Hummingbird pickguard graphics and the awesome mother-of-pearl split parallelogram fretboard markers. The EpiphoneвЂ™s fretboard and bridge are made of Indian laurel, rather than rosewood, and, as would be expected, the guitar has a polyurethane finish, as opposed to nitrocellulose lacquer.Д«ut the Epiphone retains many of the original Gibson details. OK, the nut width is slightly slimmer than the original GibsonвЂ™s 1.72 inches, but only by a fraction, at 1.69. WhatвЂ™s different about the Epiphone Hummingbird? Not a lot. The basic Hummingbird recipe, first cooked up in 1960, is not especially complex: solid Sitka spruce top mahogany back, sides, and neck and vibrant cherry sunburst or natural finish, all of which are identical on EpiphoneвЂ™s new iteration of the Hummingbird. The street price on EpiphoneвЂ™s Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird? Just $799-and you get much of the vibe of its costlier Gibson counterparts, as I discovered when I put the guitar through its paces. GibsonвЂ™s new flagship Historic 1960 Hummingbird will set you back five grand, while the Hummingbird Original goes for $3,849. At press time, asking prices of 1960s Gibson examples on ranged from around $3,250 to $9,600. ThatвЂ™s what makes the new Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird-part of a line that also includes versions of the classic J-45 and J-200, among other acoustics-so compelling.

But with its distinctive flared pickguard-depicting a floral scene and a hovering hummingbird-the guitar, new or used, has remained a fairly pricey choice. The Hummingbird, GibsonвЂ™s iconic square-shouldered dreadnought, has been the stuff of dreams for over 50 years, showing up in the hands of everyone from Keith Richards to Sheryl Crow, and a new generation seems equally intent on making it a go-to. From the November/December 2021В issueВ of Acoustic GuitarВ | By James Volpe Rotondi

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