Search the Community

Having been beset with dreadnought GAS for quite a while, I delved into what I actually wanted despite being wowed by a Yamaha trans-acoustic . It had to be 24.75” scale for comfort, mahogany back and sides for that nice midrange (I have a rosewood folk sized guitar for that deeper tone, very much suited to fingerstyle) and sound good of course. Research led me to the ‘inspired by Gibson’ range by Epiphone. These are built from solid woods, more attention detail and a very thin, semi-gloss finish. The two in the running were the J45 and Hummingbird. I trotted off to Dundee with the two acoustics I already own for comparison (no point buying something that does the same as you already have), pretty sure that it would be the Hummingbird, which I’d gleaned from the YouTube videos I’d watched. I started with the J45 and was immediately mightily impressed, it knocked spots off my run of the mill Epi EJ200 and I thought I may have been hasty in my preconceptions. Then I played the Hummingbird, within one strum I knew that this was what I was looking for. It had the same playability as the J45, combined with a wonderful, vibrating feedback from the back of the guitar, but with a really sonorous low end lacking in the J45 (which is designed not have this apparently). I played a few things on it and compared it to the EJ200 and my Simon & Patrick Rosewood Folk Pro, but it was unnecessary, I was hooked from the get go. Yes, it needs a little setting up and a string change (kudos to Kenny’s for not even blinking when I asked if they’d throw in a set of strings and for their sterling service altogether), but I think we’re going to be very happy together. What’s that I hear you say Very well…