Perhaps the most recognizable acoustic guitar, most associate the Gibson Hummingbird with stars like Keith Richards, Brian May, Eric Church, and Thom Yorke. The Epiphone Hummingbird Pro lets you play the legend without a rockstar budget.
Gibson guitars are all expensive, high-end instruments, but they sell cheaper versions via Epiphone. So, the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro is essentially a real Hummingbird with the same general features but a lower cost. I’m sure you’re wondering how it delivers, so let’s dive into this Epiphone Hummingbird Pro review.
Table of Contents
Epiphone Hummingbird Features
- Top: Solid Spruce
- Back and Sides: Mahogany
- Neck: Mahogany
- Nut Width: 1.68″
- Nut & Saddle: Plastic
- Body Shape: Dreadnought
- Electronics: Shadow NanoFlex
- Solid spruce top
- Mahogany neck and body
- Grover Rotomatic tuners
The Epiphone Hummingbird Pro is a square-shouldered dreadnought with a select mahogany body and neck. In case you’re confused about what “select” means, it’s a fancier term for laminate. A solid spruce top gives it a rich tone that only gets better the more you break it in.
The renowned SlimTaper D-profile neck has a 24.75-inch scale length and a 1.68-inch nut width. Nickel Grover tuners improve aesthetics and make tuning easier. The compensated saddle and nut consist of synthetic bone.
Under the hood, there’s an ePerformer preamp system by Shadow Germany. It features a Shadow NanoFlex pickup. This pickup gives a very round, acoustic-sounding tone, unlike the typical acoustic guitar pickup. On the preamp, you get the usual knobs for volume, bass, and treble. There’s also a dynamics slider.
The name is somewhat misleading, because it’s no compressor or noise gate. It really adjusts the EQ frequency curve. There’s also a battery light, a mute button, and a phase button that helps you avoid feedback. However, it doesn’t have an integrated tuner.
Finish
A hummingbird wouldn’t be a hummingbird without the iconic look. The Epiphone Hummingbird Pro has a shiny faded cherry sunburst finish that shows the wood grain.
True to the name, it has a painting of a hummingbird and flowers on the tortoiseshell pickguard. The other details, like the upside-down bridge and parallelogram neck inlays, are all there too.
How the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro Plays
The big question about budget-friendly remakes like this is how they feel and perform. From the neck smoothness to the fretting consistency, the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro won’t give you any problems. While it may have a fairly high string action, it’s easy to adjust it with the truss rod.
Due to the slim neck, the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro is ideal for beginners and guitarists who mostly play electric guitars. If you do lots of fingerpicked barre chords, you’ll have a great time with the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro. It lends itself well to blues and rock riffs too, and even solos.
Tone Quality
There’s a beautiful balance of brightness, depth, and resonance. It has a warm spruce tone that matures the more you play it. The Epiphone Hummingbird Pro projects the sound pretty far but doesn’t overpower your voice. Its rich tone is perfect for country and rock, but it’ll sound good in any context.
If you strum it hard, it’s bright and twangy. Light fingerpicking stays mellow enough for jazz and classical passages. If you want a bass-heavy guitar, this isn’t it. They call it a hummingbird for a reason.
When you plug it in, it’s even better. Most of us have come to expect poor sound from affordable acoustic guitar electronics, but the Shadow electronics sound balanced and organic. With its clever EQ, you can optimize the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro tone to your liking and for the acoustic conditions wherever you play.
It sounds and feels as beautiful as it looks, and that it’s a great guitar for the price.
Epiphone Hummingbird Pro VS Epiphone Dove Pro
It’s time for a battle of the birds. The difference between the two Epiphones is smaller than between their Gibson counterparts. It’s all in the wood.
The Epiphone Dove Pro has maple instead of mahogany, and thus a brighter tone with less warmth than the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro. Its scale length is also slightly longer. The rest is all visual and a matter of taste.
- Fishman Presys VT undersaddle pickup and preamp
- Square Shoulder Dreadnought Shape
- Select Maple Body, Back, and Sides
Pros & Cons
Let’s summarize this Epiphone Hummingbird Pro review a bit. These are the key positives and negatives.
Pros
- Classic Hummingbird with modern features
- Excellent price
- Great electronics
- Smooth playability
The Epiphone Hummingbird Pro is pretty much an authentic modern Hummingbird for less money. Its versatility and ease of use make it an ideal entry-level guitar.
Cons
- May need calibration
- No tuner
There are no unique downsides to the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro. Compared to similar guitars in this price range, there’s nothing worth criticizing.
- Solid spruce top
- Mahogany neck and body
- Grover Rotomatic tuners
Is it the Best Guitar for You?
In fewer words, the Epiphone Hummingbird Pro is pretty much a real hummingbird at about a tenth of the price. It has all the features an intermediate guitar should have, and it’s sure to wow the audience with its iconic looks.
It’s playable and versatile enough to encompass a guitarist’s journey from beginner to expert.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Last update on 2025-01-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
