Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitars are hand-built in the USA whereas Epiphone Hummingbird guitars are made in a factory in Indonesia. Gibson Hummingbird guitars use higher quality materials and finishes and cost roughly 3-4 times the price of Epiphone Hummingbird acoustic guitars.
In this article I’ll directly compare the Gibson and Epiphone Hummingbird models so you fully understand the differences between them.
Contents:
- Gibson Original vs Epiphone (Inspired by Gibson) Hummingbird
- Feature Summary Table
- Tone Comparison
- Cosmetic Differences
- Neck Designs
- Other Key Differences
- Similarities
- Gibson Studio vs Epiphone Hummingbird
- Other Models Available
Gibson Original vs Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird
The two most closely compared models are the Gibson Hummingbird Original and the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird. As you can tell by the name, the “Epiphone Inspired by Gibson” version is designed to offer the closest option to the Gibson Original, but at a cheaper price point.
Here is a table highlighting all the differences between the Gibson Original and Epiphone Hummingbird.
| Feature | Gibson Hummingbird Original | Epiphone Hummingbird |
| Finish | Gloss Nitrocellulose | Gloss Polyurethane |
| Scale | 24.75” | 24.724” |
| Fretboard | Rosewood | Indian Laurel |
| Fingerboard Radius | 12.0” | 12.007” |
| Fret Size | Standard | Medium Jumbo |
| Nut Width | 1.724” | 1.692” |
| Tuning Machines | Gotoh Keystone | Epiphone Deluxe |
| Bridge Pins | TUSQ | Ivory |
| Pickup | LR Baggs VTC | Fishman Sonicore |
| Left Hand Available | Yes | No |
| Colors | – Heritage Cherry Sunburst – Aged Natural | – Aged Cherry Sunburst – Aged Antique Natural |
| Made In | USA | Indonesia |
| Price | $4000 | $850 |
Tone Comparison
Both these guitars have a solid Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides and scalloped X-bracing, meaning they sound very similar to one another. However, they don’t sound identical.
The Gibson Hummingbird Original has a more mellow but complex tone compared to the Epiphone Hummingbird which sounds a bit brighter as it has more treble response.
Check out this YouTube tone comparison by Alamo Music Center to listen to the difference between the Gibson and Epiphone Hummingbird.
Both guitars have electronics, however they use different pickups. The Gibson Hummingbird has an LR Baggs VTC pickup whereas the Epiphone version has a Fishman Sonicore pickup. The Fishman pickup on the Epiphone sounds a bit more harsh compared to the LR Baggs pickup on the Gibson which sounds more natural.
Cosmetic Differences:
Although with both the Epiphone and Gibson versions you get the choice of either a Cherry Sunburst and Natural finish, the appearance is different on each model.
- On the Gibson Original Hummingbird, the Natural finish is much lighter compared to the Epiphone Hummingbird which has more of a brown-tint to it
- On the Gibson Original Hummingbird the Cherry Sunburst finish is more muted compared to the Epiphone Hummingbird which is a brighter and more saturated red
Another cosmetic difference is the pickguard. Both versions have the classic Hummingbird pickguard pattern however there are a couple of minor differences between them:
- On the Gibson, the accents on the butterfly and flowers are green/ yellow, whereas on the Epiphone they are orange
- The shading and accents have a subtly different design
- The pickguard on the Gibson has sharper edges compared to on the Epiphone
- The plastic on the Epiphone feels a bit softer and tackier compared to the Gibson which feels harder
Neck Design
Both the Gibson Original and Epiphone Hummingbird have a rounded neck profile (C-shape), however the Epiphone version feels a touch slimmer and more modern (although this is hard to tell unless you play them back-to-back). There are some very minor measurement differences between the neck designs:
- The Gibson has a marginally longer scale length (24.75″) compared to the Epiphone (24.724″)
- The Gibson has a slightly smaller fingerboard radius (12.0″) compared to the Epiphone (12.007″)
- The Gibson has a slightly larger nut width (1.724″) compared to the Epiphone (1.692″)
It’s worth pointing out though that these measurements are very similar. The only one that you might be able to tell the difference on is the nut width.
A key difference however is that the Gibson Original Hummingbird has a rosewood fretboard, whereas the Epiphone Hummingbird has an Indian laurel fretboard. Indian laurel fretboards feel a bit smoother and have a lighter, more even finish compared to fretboards.
The material also has a slight impact on the tone, with the Epiphone’s laurel fretboard leading to a brighter and snappier tone compared to the Gibson’s rosewood fretboard which sounds warmer and has more sustain.
Check out my full comparison between rosewood and Indian laurel fretboards to learn more.
Other Key Differences
- The Gibson uses a nitrocellulose finish whereas the Epiphone uses a polyurethane finish
- The Gibson is made in the USA and is mostly hand-built whereas the Epiphone is made in a factory in Indonesia
- The Gibson has upgraded Gotoh Keystone tuning machines whereas the Epiphone uses Epiphone Deluxe tuners
Similarities:
- Body shape and size (square-shoulder dreadnought)
- Scalloped X-bracing
- Solid sitka spruce top
- Solid mahogany back and sides
- Mahogany neck
- Multi-ply binding
- 20 frets
- Bone nut
- Dovetail neck joint
- Mother of pearl split parallelogram inlays
- Bone saddle
- Gold hardware finish
- Hummingbird truss rod cover
- 0.012-0.053 string gauge
Gibson Studio vs Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird
I also wanted to directly compare the Gibson Studio model with the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson versions, so we’re essentially comparing the most expensive Epiphone with the least expensive Gibson.
Here is a table highlighting all the differences between the Gibson Studio and Epiphone Hummingbird.
| Feature | Gibson Hummingbird Studio | Epiphone Hummingbird |
| Back and Sides | Solid Walnut/ Rosewood | Solid Mahogany |
| Finish | Gloss Nitrocellulose | Gloss Polyurethane |
| Neck Profile | Advanced Response | Rounded C |
| Scale | 24.75” | 24.724” |
| Fretboard | Walnut/ Rosewood | Indian Laurel |
| Fingerboard Radius | 16.0” | 12.007” |
| Fret Size | Medium Jumbo | Standard |
| Nut | TUSQ | Bone |
| Nut Width | 1.724” | 1.692” |
| Tuning Machines | Grover Rotomatic | Epiphone Deluxe |
| Pickguard | No Pattern | Pattern |
| Bridge Pins | TUSQ | Ivory |
| Hardware Finish | Nickel | Gold |
| Pickup | Active Piezo | Fishman Sonicore |
| Left Hand Available | Yes | No |
| Colors | – Antique Natural – Walnut/ Rosewood Burst | – Aged Cherry Sunburst – Aged Antique Natural |
| Price | $2500 | $850 |
Similarities:
- Body shape and size (square-shoulder dreadnought)
- Scalloped X-bracing
- Solid Sitka spruce top
- Mahogany neck
- Multi-ply binding
- 20 frets
- Dovetail neck joint
- Mother of pearl split parallelogram inlays
- Bone saddle
- Hummingbird truss rod cover
- 0.012-0.053 string gauge
Other Models Available
At the time of writing there are 8 different Gibson Hummingbird models and 2 different Epiphone Hummingbird models available.
Epiphone Hummingbird acoustic guitars cost between $350 and $850. Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitars cost between $2500 and $8000 on average. The cheapest Gibson Hummingbird is the Studio model which is 3x more expensive than the most expensive Epiphone Inspired by Gibson model.
Here is a table comparing the average USA and UK prices of every currently available (at the time of writing) Gibson and Epiphone Hummingbird acoustic guitar model.
| Hummingbird | Average Price USA | Average Price UK |
| Epiphone Studio | $350 | £375 |
| Epiphone Inspired by Gibson | $850 | £770 |
| Gibson Studio Walnut | $2500 | £2100 |
| Gibson Studio Rosewood | $2900 | £2500 |
| Gibson Faded | $3500 | £3000 |
| Gibson Original | $4000 | £3500 |
| Gibson Standard | $4000 | £3500 |
| Gibson 1960 Fixed Bridge | $5200 | £4500 |
| Gibson Deluxe | $5500 | £4800 |
| Gibson Custom | $8000 | £7000 |