![]() You might very well question why it needs the electronics at all. You can really beat those strings hard, too, without worrying about throwing the Hummingbird out of tune. This is where the Inspired By Gibson model really exerts an advantage over laminate builds. That detail will only appreciate in the years to come as the solid wood ages. Strummers will love the authority in the low end, and while the voice is deep, there's no shortage of detail in the upper registers, with a powerful presence on single-note passages complementing its big rhythm tones. The tones are three-dimensional, rich, nuanced, and well balanced. The Hummingbird's dimensions – those big, broad square shoulders – help it project with a power that might catch you unawares. Pitched in the lower-mid price range, it would keep a beginner to semi-pro happy for years. The original red label Yamahas have become sought after on the collector market and, if this reissue is anything to go by, it’s easy to see why. And for those priced out of Gibson ownership (and have always lusted after a Hummingbird), that’s welcome news. It may not have the breadth of dynamic response but it’s not as far away as some might imagine. What’s surprising is how close to Hummingbird territory this DM-SG5+ gets. The Academy Series represents a very clear vision, and in many ways, a dream beginner guitar, as well as a potential trade-up for some existing players – one that can inspire and go the distance with a guitarist from bedroom to stage. The neck profile is a crowd-pleaser, accommodating busy playing and chords alike. Anyway, these things are but trifles when you fret a chord and let it ring out. ![]() Yes, why not just house the battery near the endpin, tucked away all snug its own compartment? Why not, indeed. There is a little bit of a bow in the neck that needed a tweak on the truss rod before being pressed into service, and, once more, those Velcro pouches have proved themselves a poor choice for holding the electronics' 9V battery. While we are knocked out by the visuals and the attention to detail on the lacquer, the factory setup could use a little T and C. There is a set of sturdy and fit-for-purpose gold-plated Epiphone Deluxe tuners, and rounding out the spec – and making it ready for the stage – there is an under-saddle Fishman Sonicore piezo with Fishman Sonitone soundhole pickup system, with volume and tone controls. The Indian laurel is reprised for the bridge, which has a bone saddle to match the nut. Still, Indian laurel is not to be sniffed at, and on balance is preferable to the pau ferro of the cheaper Epiphone model. On the flagship Gibson models, you'll get rosewood, and on the Gibson Studio models, you'll get a choice of walnut or rosewood. Here, however, Epiphone has used Indian Laurel. The scale length is an old-school 24.72", with the fingerboard offering a reassuringly feel courtesy of its Gibson-standard 12" radius. There is no mistaking this for a beginner's acoustic. The MOP fretboard inlay adds plenty of visual pizazz, too. ![]() The aged lacquer brings out the depth in that dark mahogany. Epiphone easily clears the first hurdle – providing the wow factor when you open the case.Īvailable in Aged Cherry Sunburst Gloss and Aged Natural Antique Glass, as reviewed, this Hummingbird is a real looker. I figured what I should do, when I need new strings, I'll go and buy a new guitar because hey, am I gonna keep rolling the dice on five-and-six-buck strings when I don't know how they're gonna sound? What am I, an idiot? So how I get over on those scamming string industry bastards now, I just buy a new guitar 'cause that way, you get to try out the strings first! Sure, maybe now I pay one or two thousand bucks for each new set of strings, but if you ask me, an expensive sure thing beats a cheap waste of money.The build follows a familiar tonewood recipe, partnering solid spruce on top with solid mahogany on the back and sides, and a mahogany neck. So I'd plunk down five or six bucks for some strings and get home and discover the guitar didn't do them justice. I used to shop for the guitar for its own sake and think of strings as secondary. So what I do, I look for the guitar with the newest-looking strings - to hell with sound - and I buy that one. On the other hand, you can take a guitar string and stretch it between two cinder blocks and you'll get SOME kind of tone. Just try playing a guitar without any strings and see how far Brazilian Rosewood gets you. I've come to the conclusion that all this talk about tonewoods and build quality is a lot of crap. I do this all the time, but on purpose - premeditately. I wonder how many people choose one guitar over another because it had new strings?
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