Epiphone Hummingbird Studio Wine Red with Gig Bag

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Epiphone Hummingbird Studio Wine Red with Gig Bag

The Epiphone Hummingbird Studio in Wine Red is not a guitar particularly interested in disappearing into the background. Between that deep red finish, the unmistakable Hummingbird pickguard and the classic square-shouldered body, it has enough visual swagger to make three open chords look considerably more glamorous than they have any right to.

Underneath the decoration is a thoroughly practical acoustic-electric. The Hummingbird Studio pairs a solid spruce top with layered mahogany back and sides, giving you a strong combination of clarity, projection and warmth. It's a recipe that works beautifully for big rhythm parts and vocal accompaniment, but there's enough definition there for lighter picking and more delicate playing too.

The mahogany neck uses a comfortable Rounded C profile, paired with a rosewood fingerboard and 20 frets. The current Wine Red Studio specification uses a 25.5" scale length, giving the guitar a firm, responsive feel with plenty of snap and projection when you lean into the strings. Pearloid crown inlays add another little splash of Hummingbird-style decoration without getting in the way of the business of actually playing the thing.

And this guitar is very much intended to leave the sitting room. A Fishman Presys pickup system handles amplified duties, with onboard Volume and Tone controls plus a tuner. That makes the Hummingbird Studio ready for gigs, rehearsals, open mics and direct recording without having to start dangling microphones around the soundhole or adding an aftermarket pickup.

Hardware is nicely sorted too. The rosewood Classic Moustache bridge keeps the vintage-inspired Hummingbird aesthetic intact, while Grover Rotomatic tuners with an 18:1 ratio provide smooth, accurate tuning. Gold-plated hardware looks particularly handsome against the Wine Red finish and gives this version a suitably dressed-up appearance.

Then there's that famous visual centrepiece: the decorative Hummingbird pickguard. It's completely unnecessary for making a G chord sound good and absolutely essential to making a Hummingbird look like a Hummingbird. We're delighted that nobody attempted to be sensible about it.

A standard gig bag is included, making this a properly useful package for players who intend to take the guitar to lessons, rehearsals and gigs rather than leaving it permanently parked beside the sofa.

The result is a cracking combination of vintage-inspired Epiphone character and modern everyday usability. Wine Red, solid spruce, Fishman electronics and enough Hummingbird decoration to make your other acoustics look slightly underdressed.