Epiphone has unveiled the Hummingbird Tribute, a beginner-friendly version of one of Gibson’s most famous acoustic guitars, offering it in three classic finishes, and at an entry-level price of $229.
This is big news for any acoustic player on a budget, or someone looking for their first guitar. Gibson Hummingbird is one of the all-time classic acoustics. It has the the pop-cultural cachet that comes with being used by the likes of Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow, the Rolling Stones, and Billie Joe Armstrong.
You can also count Thom Yorke, Dave Grohl and Jerry Cantrell among those who have picked up a Hummingbird, and country star Miranda Lambert loves them so much that her signature Gibson Bluebird and its Epiphone version was inspired by one.
The Hummingbird Tribute has much of its high-end Gibson USA counterparts’ DNA. It, too, features the same square-shouldered dreadnought shape, a similar pickguard shape, and we’ve got the Kalamazoo open-book headstock that betrays its lineage. But, at a tenth of the price, it is a cheap acoustic guitar.
Okay, there are some concessions to economic realities. There are no electronics (no deal-breaker on a beginner instrument). We’ve got a laminate build, too, with select layered spruce on the top, layered sapele on the back and sides.
There are dot inlays on a laurel fingerboard as opposed to split parallelograms on rosewood. And we don’t have the multiply binding of the Gibson model. But for £/$299, we can live with that.
What the Hummingbird Tribute does offer is the vibe, and more crucially, the dimensions. That big bodied shape will put some volume and oomph into your open chords. It has a Rounded C profile neck that is nailed-on to be a crowd-pleasing shape. And on that reverse belly bridge we have a compensated saddle that should help keep the intonation on point.
These are fitted with Epiphone Deluxe sealed die-cast tuners. All come with gloss finishes as standard – three finishes that complement a tortoiseshell pickguard quite nicely. You can find out more over at Epiphone.
![Gibson Special Acoustics [l-r]: the J-45, L-00 and Hummingbird get the Special treatment, with satin finishes and a stripped-down but pro-quality instrument that's ready for the stage.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mAn3C7fE9MKzbx3zciUG5-1200-80.jpg.webp)
In recent times, it's not just Epiphone offering more affordable Hummingbirds. Gibson is at it, too.
In March last year, Gibson launched the Hummingbird Special alongside the L-00 and J-45, all featuring satin nitro finishes and a build not dissimilar to their Standard counterparts. At $2,199, however, the Hummingbird Special offered quite a saving over the $3,999 that the Hummingbird Standard is priced at.
If you are in the market for something a little cheaper than those Gibson’s, more upscale than the new Tribute models, the Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom Hummingbird Deluxe EC is well worth checking out – especially if you prefer a cutaway acoustic.
“Not only is it one of the handsomest guitars around, it plays great, and punches well above its weight in the tone stakes,” wrote Neville Marten in his five-star review for MusicRadar. “It’s loud, punchy, and sounds like an instrument of genuine quality.”
