I just bought an Indonesian epiphone hummingbird studio, but there were a few flaws in the paint and it just felt cheap and horrible so I ordered an inspired by Gibson one instead. It is a Chinese one as I couldn’t find an Indonesian one anywhere. I’m not a guitar expert, but I’m very happy with the quality jump going from the Indonesian studio to the Chinese IBG. I’m going to take it to get set up professionally as the action is high, but I consider that something that needs done on pretty much all new guitars. I’m not sure what you mean by your Chinese one had no bracings. But if you mean the little bit of wood glued all around the inside edge, my Chinese one has that. All these videos people are putting out bashing the Chinese ones had me worried. But honestly I’ve got no regrets. To anyone wanting an IBG hummingbird who can’t find an Indonesian and/or can’t try one out in a local shop and has to order online, if Chinese is all you can get, order it anyway. You can return if you are not happy with it. But you may be pleasantly surprised as I was.
I have 2 epiphone les pauls that were made in china and they are fantastic, flawless guitars. I think people have a little bit of a bias against China for legit reasons, but the quality is impressive from what Ive experienced.
I’ve got an Indonesian J45 and it’s my main gigging guitar. Absolutely love it. I did have a couple of issues with saddle at first but it was sorted easily by a tech. Mine has opened up so well recently (had it over six months now). Enjoy your hummingbird, you’ve got a good one there.
I keep hearing mixed feedback from those Chinese IBG. I just ordered a Hummingbird, will keep you guys posted on what I think, should be here in 2 days.
@@luckyhaskins69 hi buddy! Yes I received it, and it's very, very nice. I also have a 'Chinese made' Inspired by Gibson J200. Both are fantastic. If anything: the setup on the Chinese ones is better than on my Indonesian Texan Masterbilt. Nut, action, neck, bridge,...the lot. The two Chinese ones are my favorites, they play the best (setup) and sound beautiful. I think you will like yours as well, keep me posted. I will do a video on the Hummingbird, I've done a video on the other ones here: ruclips.net/video/-uRT5qFHScU/видео.html
Got mine last week, I lucked out and got the Indonesian i was hoping for! Thx for the demo! Only thing I had to do was adjust that dual action truss rod. Guitar wouldn't stay in tune and then it hit me! Truss rod felt Luke it was broke but kept turning till i got resistance. there was no tension on it. All is well now! Truss rod Allen size is 4mm. Mine weighs 5.6 pounds. Enjoy!!!!!
I have one of the Chinese ones. And it’s fantastic. It’s super lightweight, and there are no flaws that I can see. I had the sales guy help me do a blind test vs the Gibson version and the tone was almost identical, the Gibson had maybe a slight more bass but it was so close. The epiphone really rumbles against your chest just like the Gibson did. I’m very happy with it.
Got a epi hummingbird made in Indonesia. Not great to start, but played in quickly and has great tone now. Only gets better. Was setup really well right out of the box.
Great that you’re warning folks! I watched a ton of vids after these were released and must have waited too long to order…I received one the the first ones made at the China plant when they made the switch and it was HORRIBLE! Luckily, another RUclipsr had heard this was happening and posted a video on how to identify the factory it was made in. Long story long…Sweetwater was great and took it back, now I’m searching for an Indonesian one in the used market…but no one’s selling them haha!
If you can get one from Sweetwater, or if a dealer removes the stickers, choose one with "23" as the 5th and 6th digits in the serial #. That is the factory code for Indonesia.
Thanks for that info. I just bought a used hummingbird studio model which is the less expensive version. Not sure what the difference is. Made in 2021 and looks like it hadn't been played at all. Sticker was off but has 23 as the middle number. Really like it alot.
I to picked up a used Epiphone Hummingbird acoustic guitar made in Indonesia. I've only played it a few times but it feels and sounds good off the hop. Happy to hear / see that you value the Indonesian made model.
My wife gave me one of these for my Birthday last June! I love it! It's now my go-to Guitar over my "Martin" The only thing I have to do is change the strings. Don't care for the heavy gage that comes with the Guitar. Maybe I'll try the strings your using, The D'addario phosper Bronze 1152 or a lighter gauge. Ive always used lighter gauge. Heavier gauge if I was using a bar slide.
I like wha you did to the guitar! Count your blessings you got a good one,i have looked all over for an Indonesian brand but can only find made in China an im not into buying junk! Happy for you buddy i wish i could find a good one id snap it up in a heartbeat! I might have to start looking for a used one i guess if i can even find one of those.Anyway great score on your guitar it sounds great!👍👍👍👍👍
I have the China one but I haven’t had any issues at all and my dad has the Indonesia model I will agree the finish is different but the sound quality is equal
I suspect he's just enlarged the grooves at the surface, towards the saddle, rather than cutting slots right down into the holes. He says after about 8 minutes that he's cut slots, but I don't think he meant the full slotted bridge thing.
Maybe not a technical review but one of the best because I would rather hear it from a guy who is not a tech but is going by feel and giving an honest review on what he has experienced. So far best review I have seen. I have a Zager Guitar and they are also made in Indonesia. Great guitar. Plays and sounds great. The Indonesian guitar factories are a cut above on these lower end guitars under $1500. I am looking at buying one of these and so your video was very helpful. Thanks..
I love my Indonesian model. I will admit, frets 12-14 were way high and I had to have my luthier do a fret level. Thing is, that can happen with any brand. Mine is ready for pickup tomorrow and I can't wait to have it back.
I have the j45, hummingbird n excellante..all terrific..got a setup done on all three..they are great guitars..all Indonesian.. Randy's rhythm did a review on one of the Chinese ones and he said they are crap😂
Epiphone stopped Jobbing out the Epiphone IBG & Masterbilt acoustics to Samick Indonesia in the fall of 2023! All of their previously made Indonesian acoustics are now made in the Epiphone facility in China. Main reason is because Epiphone now have the tooling in China to make these guitars, so its much cheaper for Epiphone to now have those guitars made in China at their own facility. The other reason is you need to remember that Samick in Indonesia is a direct competitor to Epiphone in China so Epiphone do not want to give Samick business if there is no longer a need to do this because they are able to now make those models themselves. Samick sourcing of wood is also different to Epiphone they are after all in Indonesia 1000's of miles from China, the Chinese made versions are on the whole lighter weighted because of this.
Phosphor bronze is "opposite" of 80/20 bronze lol! Very nice job with ramping the strings. You should have pulled the undersaddle element out INTO the body of the guitar as well. You'd have to place a taller saddle after that, of course. It will give you literally 10-20% more tone.
I actually just did it exactly like they did on the Stew Mac video and everything came out perfectly. My tone is incredible compared to what it was but I have also installed a Mitchel's platemate and cow bone unslotted bridge pins as well since this video. Incredible tone!!
I have one that someone pulled the piezo and added a K&K pick up. It is noticeably better sounding than the 8 or 10 I went through with the under saddle pickup.
You must have got a real bad example because I have a Chinese Hummingbird and it is absolutely beautiful and sounds fantastic, in fact mine sounds way better than that one you got there. I can compare it to my Gibson J45 Rosewood and it's not far off, although the J45 will always sound a little smoother in the mids. Maybe you just don't like China but I can tell you that the Chinese Epiphones are top quality instruments. I use D'Addario 12-53 phosphor bronze and they give a better balanced sound than the 11-52, try them and you'll get a richer bottom end. I like the way you buffed the top, it looks very nice. I might have a go at that myself.
I'm waiting for my IBG Hummingbird and these videos got me a bit freaked out, people talking about Indonesia vs. China as if it was USA vs. Mexico or something like that? Surely it cannot be that bad... :(
@@manjv92 within the past year I bought the Epiphone Jerry Cantrell "wino", and a Epi Les Paul Custom in Koa finish......both from Sweetwater, both flawless in sound, feel, and looks. Both made in China.
I just received my IBG Hummingbird . Also Chinese built. No flaws. I bought it from the Gibson / Epiphone webshop. Maybe that matters, I don’t know for sure.
These are excellent guitars, I own a 2020 IBG Epiphone J-45, but in Indonesia and love .I also own a 2001 Gibson J-45. I truthfully play the Epiphone J-45 more, I just love the neck on it. Tone wise they are so close it's splitting hairs to give one the win. To my ears, the IBG Hummingbird is even closer to the Gibson Hummingbird model than the Epiphone J-45 is to the Gibson J-45. But I want to comment on the newer Chinese built models, I've played a few of them. The ones made in China are typically better and here's why, Epiphone owns and operates a factory in China. That means they control the build process start to finish, they send employees from Epiphone's USA headquarters and line managers trained in the Gibson factory to China and they can leave those assembly lines up as long as they want... If you have any Epiphone from Indonesia, it may be a great guitar but it was built by Samick or Cort for Epiphone. The way this works, Epiphone puts an order in to one of these factories, they will give them a time slot to build out an assembly line, Cort or Samick employees run those assembly lines, run the quality checks, etc.. and then Epiphone gets a giant shipment of guitars fingers crossed they are to the spec they ordered. You can go fact check that all you want, that's how it works and although Cort and Samick have built a good reputation, these assembly lines they setup and tear down also impact consistency in quality. The Chinese workforce building these Epiphones in Qingdao, China are actually employeed by Gibson/Epiphone and everything they do checked by Epiphone line managers... The spec has not changed on these all-solid acoustics, you will find a bad apple from time to time, because of the speed which they have to build more slips through QA, although it seems quite a bit slips through QA for Gibson USA these days too. When their new CEO came in right after the bankruptcy, a key part of his strategy to help Gibson come back was to build up the Epiphone brand very quickly. The Chinese Epiphone factory did not have the capacity to do that right away, so they subbed out this work to other factories for the first few years of the acoustic IBG models, but the plan was always to build them in the plant they own and operate in China. Here's a link to a factory tour of Epiphone's Chinese factory. ruclips.net/video/LRczd_ZEf4E/видео.html
I played one of these guitars at a local store recently. The action was unplayable. Considering the guitar had only arrived the day before, I was put off immediately. I would love to find one that is setup properly. Not brave enough to order a guitar online. In saying that, I feel that any guitar above $500 should come set up properly. If you compare this guitar to any Yamaha or Takamine in the same price point, it will lose every time.
I love zzounds but when I must know what I’m getting I go for Sweet w ater. I also have a hummingbird but I have the pro. The cheaper version but it plays as good as my Taylors do And it has the 23 I wanted to see in the serial number. I got lucky. As it’s a great guitar. Many people are afraid of the name Epiphone but I think marketing has spoiled us. I own Gibsons and love them but they scratch and dent too ez. The Epi excellente is a true Gem long as it too has the 23 code.
bud if you put 11s on a J45 or Hummingbird your tone will dull off by a lot. Talking from experience It sounds really great though. Such a classic woody yet powerful tone.
But I don't understand, how could you tell the diffrence between the Chinese one and indonesian one when you don't have both in front of you? Reason I say this is that Epiphone have very high standards, the Chinese one should have a bone nut and saddle aswell unless its some sort of scam. I don't think they're standards would drop because it was made in China. Yamaha make most of their Guitars in China and their fabulous instruments...
I have an Epiphone 1942 Banner VOS antique sunburst J45. I was a little concerned when l saw that it wasn't from Indonesia, but from China. It must have been made in the first few days after they moved to China as it was no. 072. I shouldn't have worried. I have not had to do anything to it. It has great resonance, the J45 thud, it's bright, loud with a good low end. I've played maybe five Gibson J45's at the Gibson Garage in London and without exception they were as dull as dishwater, totally uninspiring. My 1942 Banner Chinese Epi beat all of them. Maybe l got lucky with mine and maybe the five Gibbos l tried were all 20% er's. I know which one l preferred and it came home with me. On the back of my Banner l bought the Epi Excellente. I think l managed to find the only one in the UK. Just wow! What a wonderful guitar. Every review l've seen say's that if it had Gibson on the headstock it would be sold for 5-6 grand. With a great case l got it for £1250. This guitar is from Indonesia. Gibson better watch out as this Excellente and the Inspired by Gibson acoustic models are gonna eat into their sales l'm sure.
@@andysfishingandflytyingcha2310 i love my excellente as well. for me, it beats the sh.. out of the martin hd35 i once owned, but that is of course very subjective
Why does everything have GARBAGE laurel fingerboards? It is so pathetic that we can even get an actual rosewood board at that price. Laurel is cheap AF!
Agree, the made in China Epiphone Guitars are complete Trash. I have had two Casinos, sold them both on. I never got lucky. So i bought a USA Epiphone Casino in the end! I will not make the same mistake again.
@@raymondreeder3274 I'm glad you're happy with your Indonesian built one (and really that's all that matters), but my Chinese built one was awesome right out of the box and I didn't have to cut any slots because they were already there. I looked inside with a mirror and workmanship was extraordinary and the sound... my god the sound is great!
I don't think there is anything racist about it, but I do think China has a bad rep for mass producing crap, and in many cases its well deserved. Having said that, the Epiphone guitars coming out of China have been fantastic, I have 2 of them.
I just bought an Indonesian epiphone hummingbird studio, but there were a few flaws in the paint and it just felt cheap and horrible so I ordered an inspired by Gibson one instead. It is a Chinese one as I couldn’t find an Indonesian one anywhere. I’m not a guitar expert, but I’m very happy with the quality jump going from the Indonesian studio to the Chinese IBG. I’m going to take it to get set up professionally as the action is high, but I consider that something that needs done on pretty much all new guitars.
I’m not sure what you mean by your Chinese one had no bracings. But if you mean the little bit of wood glued all around the inside edge, my Chinese one has that.
All these videos people are putting out bashing the Chinese ones had me worried. But honestly I’ve got no regrets.
To anyone wanting an IBG hummingbird who can’t find an Indonesian and/or can’t try one out in a local shop and has to order online, if Chinese is all you can get, order it anyway. You can return if you are not happy with it. But you may be pleasantly surprised as I was.
I have 2 epiphone les pauls that were made in china and they are fantastic, flawless guitars. I think people have a little bit of a bias against China for legit reasons, but the quality is impressive from what Ive experienced.
I’ve got an Indonesian J45 and it’s my main gigging guitar. Absolutely love it. I did have a couple of issues with saddle at first but it was sorted easily by a tech. Mine has opened up so well recently (had it over six months now). Enjoy your hummingbird, you’ve got a good one there.
I keep hearing mixed feedback from those Chinese IBG. I just ordered a Hummingbird, will keep you guys posted on what I think, should be here in 2 days.
how did it go? I have one on the way right now.... waiting
@@luckyhaskins69 hi buddy! Yes I received it, and it's very, very nice. I also have a 'Chinese made' Inspired by Gibson J200. Both are fantastic. If anything: the setup on the Chinese ones is better than on my Indonesian Texan Masterbilt. Nut, action, neck, bridge,...the lot. The two Chinese ones are my favorites, they play the best (setup) and sound beautiful. I think you will like yours as well, keep me posted. I will do a video on the Hummingbird, I've done a video on the other ones here: ruclips.net/video/-uRT5qFHScU/видео.html
Got mine last week, I lucked out and got the Indonesian i was hoping for! Thx for the demo! Only thing I had to do was adjust that dual action truss rod. Guitar wouldn't stay in tune and then it hit me! Truss rod felt Luke it was broke but kept turning till i got resistance. there was no tension on it. All is well now! Truss rod Allen size is 4mm. Mine weighs 5.6 pounds. Enjoy!!!!!
I have one of the Chinese ones. And it’s fantastic. It’s super lightweight, and there are no flaws that I can see. I had the sales guy help me do a blind test vs the Gibson version and the tone was almost identical, the Gibson had maybe a slight more bass but it was so close. The epiphone really rumbles against your chest just like the Gibson did. I’m very happy with it.
Got a epi hummingbird made in Indonesia. Not great to start, but played in quickly and has great tone now. Only gets better. Was setup really well right out of the box.
Great that you’re warning folks! I watched a ton of vids after these were released and must have waited too long to order…I received one the the first ones made at the China plant when they made the switch and it was HORRIBLE! Luckily, another RUclipsr had heard this was happening and posted a video on how to identify the factory it was made in. Long story long…Sweetwater was great and took it back, now I’m searching for an Indonesian one in the used market…but no one’s selling them haha!
Can't believe they went with the Sonotone pickup on this guitar. That's the pickup Martin uses on the HPL guitars.
I know I was surprised as well. It's an amazing guitar man it sounds great for the money.
I got one just like yours not long after they came out, and it is great.
If you can get one from Sweetwater, or if a dealer removes the stickers, choose one with "23" as the 5th and 6th digits in the serial #. That is the factory code for Indonesia.
You are absolutely correct
yep....and the ones from china are "15"......i have 2 epi les pauls made in china that are flawless, so i think the quality is there
Thanks for that info. I just bought a used hummingbird studio model which is the less expensive version. Not sure what the difference is. Made in 2021 and looks like it hadn't been played at all. Sticker was off but has 23 as the middle number. Really like it alot.
I can’t believe I missed this video!! I must have been traveling on business. Great upload and I couldn’t agree more with the analysis, brother man 👍🏻
I to picked up a used Epiphone Hummingbird acoustic guitar made in Indonesia. I've only played it a few times but it feels and sounds good off the hop. Happy to hear / see that you value the Indonesian made model.
Just sent an Indonesia Masterbilt Texan back. I believe the thing that matters is the inspected and set up in the USA sticker. My opinion.
Nice guitar. Sounds pretty good.
great video. i have the tobacco limited edition one and i love it
My wife gave me one of these for my Birthday last June! I love it! It's now my go-to Guitar over my "Martin" The only thing I have to do is change the strings.
Don't care for the heavy gage that comes with the Guitar. Maybe I'll try the strings your using, The D'addario phosper Bronze 1152 or a lighter gauge.
Ive always used lighter gauge. Heavier gauge if I was using a bar slide.
I like wha you did to the guitar! Count your blessings you got a good one,i have looked all over for an Indonesian brand but can only find made in China an im not into buying junk! Happy for you buddy i wish i could find a good one id snap it up in a heartbeat! I might have to start looking for a used one i guess if i can even find one of those.Anyway great score on your guitar it sounds great!👍👍👍👍👍
Interesting comparison about the Made in China versus Made in Indonesia label. Thank you! James
I have the China one but I haven’t had any issues at all and my dad has the Indonesia model I will agree the finish is different but the sound quality is equal
The Indonesian ones are dope
Stay away from those Chinese ones
FYI If you slot your bridge string openings I’ve been told to change the bridge pins to unslotted.
I suspect he's just enlarged the grooves at the surface, towards the saddle, rather than cutting slots right down into the holes. He says after about 8 minutes that he's cut slots, but I don't think he meant the full slotted bridge thing.
Maybe not a technical review but one of the best because I would rather hear it from a guy who is not a tech but is going by feel and giving an honest review on what he has experienced. So far best review I have seen. I have a Zager Guitar and they are also made in Indonesia. Great guitar. Plays and sounds great. The Indonesian guitar factories are a cut above on these lower end guitars under $1500. I am looking at buying one of these and so your video was very helpful. Thanks..
Can you post the link for the Stewmac video? I’ve been unable to find it.
I love my Indonesian model. I will admit, frets 12-14 were way high and I had to have my luthier do a fret level. Thing is, that can happen with any brand. Mine is ready for pickup tomorrow and I can't wait to have it back.
I have the j45, hummingbird n excellante..all terrific..got a setup done on all three..they are great guitars..all Indonesian.. Randy's rhythm did a review on one of the Chinese ones and he said they are crap😂
Epiphone stopped Jobbing out the Epiphone IBG & Masterbilt acoustics to Samick Indonesia in the fall of 2023! All of their previously made Indonesian acoustics are now made in the Epiphone facility in China. Main reason is because Epiphone now have the tooling in China to make these guitars, so its much cheaper for Epiphone to now have those guitars made in China at their own facility. The other reason is you need to remember that Samick in Indonesia is a direct competitor to Epiphone in China so Epiphone do not want to give Samick business if there is no longer a need to do this because they are able to now make those models themselves. Samick sourcing of wood is also different to Epiphone they are after all in Indonesia 1000's of miles from China, the Chinese made versions are on the whole lighter weighted because of this.
Totally agree with you , those Indonesian ones are seriously underrated and much better than the Chinese ones I’ve played .
I'd like to know how you polished it. Looks nice
I just put some turtle wax polish on it and used a drill with a buffing pad attachment.
Phosphor bronze is "opposite" of 80/20 bronze lol!
Very nice job with ramping the strings.
You should have pulled the undersaddle element out INTO the body of the guitar as well. You'd have to place a taller saddle after that, of course.
It will give you literally 10-20% more tone.
I noticed that I made that mistake after I posted the video they are 80/20 bronze not 80/20 phosphor bronze LOL.
I actually just did it exactly like they did on the Stew Mac video and everything came out perfectly. My tone is incredible compared to what it was but I have also installed a Mitchel's platemate and cow bone unslotted bridge pins as well since this video. Incredible tone!!
@@Terrancem4538 PULL THE UNDER SADDLE CRAP OUT AS WELL!!!
I have one that someone pulled the piezo and added a K&K pick up. It is noticeably better sounding than the 8 or 10 I went through with the under saddle pickup.
Leaving the battery wires hanging in the sound hole would drive me nuts
Crapshoot is an understatement lol I played at least 12 of these before I settled on the one I have now. It booms! Indonesian one.
My Chinese version already came with the string slots -- bought it from Guitar Center.
how do you like the guitar?
You mentioned the strings were Phosphor Bronze.. then said they were 80/20 Phosphor Bronze.. do you mix match the strings on your guitar.
Hi. Could you please post the link for the stewmac video. Thanks!
You must have got a real bad example because I have a Chinese Hummingbird and it is absolutely beautiful and sounds fantastic, in fact mine sounds way better than that one you got there. I can compare it to my Gibson J45 Rosewood and it's not far off, although the J45 will always sound a little smoother in the mids. Maybe you just don't like China but I can tell you that the Chinese Epiphones are top quality instruments. I use D'Addario 12-53 phosphor bronze and they give a better balanced sound than the 11-52, try them and you'll get a richer bottom end. I like the way you buffed the top, it looks very nice. I might have a go at that myself.
I'm waiting for my IBG Hummingbird and these videos got me a bit freaked out, people talking about Indonesia vs. China as if it was USA vs. Mexico or something like that? Surely it cannot be that bad... :(
@@manjv92 within the past year I bought the Epiphone Jerry Cantrell "wino", and a Epi Les Paul Custom in Koa finish......both from Sweetwater, both flawless in sound, feel, and looks. Both made in China.
I just received my IBG Hummingbird . Also Chinese built. No flaws. I bought it from the Gibson / Epiphone webshop. Maybe that matters, I don’t know for sure.
@@eduardouwehandthank you, received mine and I'm very happy, it sounds and looks great
My Chinese-built new Epi Hummingbird is just about perfect
These are excellent guitars, I own a 2020 IBG Epiphone J-45, but in Indonesia and love .I also own a 2001 Gibson J-45. I truthfully play the Epiphone J-45 more, I just love the neck on it. Tone wise they are so close it's splitting hairs to give one the win. To my ears, the IBG Hummingbird is even closer to the Gibson Hummingbird model than the Epiphone J-45 is to the Gibson J-45.
But I want to comment on the newer Chinese built models, I've played a few of them. The ones made in China are typically better and here's why, Epiphone owns and operates a factory in China. That means they control the build process start to finish, they send employees from Epiphone's USA headquarters and line managers trained in the Gibson factory to China and they can leave those assembly lines up as long as they want... If you have any Epiphone from Indonesia, it may be a great guitar but it was built by Samick or Cort for Epiphone. The way this works, Epiphone puts an order in to one of these factories, they will give them a time slot to build out an assembly line, Cort or Samick employees run those assembly lines, run the quality checks, etc.. and then Epiphone gets a giant shipment of guitars fingers crossed they are to the spec they ordered. You can go fact check that all you want, that's how it works and although Cort and Samick have built a good reputation, these assembly lines they setup and tear down also impact consistency in quality. The Chinese workforce building these Epiphones in Qingdao, China are actually employeed by Gibson/Epiphone and everything they do checked by Epiphone line managers... The spec has not changed on these all-solid acoustics, you will find a bad apple from time to time, because of the speed which they have to build more slips through QA, although it seems quite a bit slips through QA for Gibson USA these days too.
When their new CEO came in right after the bankruptcy, a key part of his strategy to help Gibson come back was to build up the Epiphone brand very quickly. The Chinese Epiphone factory did not have the capacity to do that right away, so they subbed out this work to other factories for the first few years of the acoustic IBG models, but the plan was always to build them in the plant they own and operate in China.
Here's a link to a factory tour of Epiphone's Chinese factory.
ruclips.net/video/LRczd_ZEf4E/видео.html
I played one of these guitars at a local store recently. The action was unplayable. Considering the guitar had only arrived the day before, I was put off immediately.
I would love to find one that is setup properly. Not brave enough to order a guitar online.
In saying that, I feel that any guitar above $500 should come set up properly.
If you compare this guitar to any Yamaha or Takamine in the same price point, it will lose every time.
Sweetwater lets you return the guitar for free in 30 days, and they come set up really well. May be worth a shot!
Is that what they’re calling masterbilt? And is it all solid wood?
How deep did you cut?
I love zzounds but when I must know what I’m getting I go for Sweet w ater. I also have a hummingbird but I have the pro. The cheaper version but it plays as good as my Taylors do And it has the 23 I wanted to see in the serial number. I got lucky. As it’s a great guitar. Many people are afraid of the name Epiphone but I think marketing has spoiled us. I own Gibsons and love them but they scratch and dent too ez. The Epi excellente is a true Gem long as it too has the 23 code.
bud if you put 11s on a J45 or Hummingbird your tone will dull off by a lot. Talking from experience
It sounds really great though. Such a classic woody yet powerful tone.
But I don't understand, how could you tell the diffrence between the Chinese one and indonesian one when you don't have both in front of you?
Reason I say this is that Epiphone have very high standards, the Chinese one should have a bone nut and saddle aswell unless its some sort of scam.
I don't think they're standards would drop because it was made in China. Yamaha make most of their Guitars in China and their fabulous instruments...
the frontier is not inspired by gibson. its mastebuiilt. the IBG should be made in indonesia
The Indonesian ones are definitely the better models
Would love to hear a side by side comparison
You haven't played my Chinese model. It's the best guitar I've owned in 50 years. Until you've played them all your opinion isn't worth much.
@@jazzalta716 would you be able to upload some sound samples ?
I have an Epiphone 1942 Banner VOS antique sunburst J45. I was a little concerned when l saw that it wasn't from Indonesia, but from China. It must have been made in the first few days after they moved to China as it was no. 072.
I shouldn't have worried. I have not had to do anything to it. It has great resonance, the J45 thud, it's bright, loud with a good low end.
I've played maybe five Gibson J45's at the Gibson Garage in London and without exception they were as dull as dishwater, totally uninspiring. My 1942 Banner Chinese Epi beat all of them. Maybe l got lucky with mine and maybe the five Gibbos l tried were all 20% er's. I know which one l preferred and it came home with me.
On the back of my Banner l bought the Epi Excellente. I think l managed to find the only one in the UK. Just wow! What a wonderful guitar. Every review l've seen say's that if it had Gibson on the headstock it would be sold for 5-6 grand. With a great case l got it for £1250. This guitar is from Indonesia. Gibson better watch out as this Excellente and the Inspired by Gibson acoustic models are gonna eat into their sales l'm sure.
@@andysfishingandflytyingcha2310 i love my excellente as well. for me, it beats the sh.. out of the martin hd35 i once owned, but that is of course very subjective
I don't know??
Sounds to me just like my used Chinese made Epiphone Hummingbird Pro $300 Cdn. Really. No better whatsoever.
Why does everything have GARBAGE laurel fingerboards? It is so pathetic that we can even get an actual rosewood board at that price. Laurel is cheap AF!
Agree, the made in China Epiphone Guitars are complete Trash. I have had two Casinos, sold them both on. I never got lucky. So i bought a USA Epiphone Casino in the end! I will not make the same mistake again.
😂😂😂
What rubbish! This is just foolish propaganda. I have a chinese frontier and its an AWESOME guitar. Just racist bull!
You're wrong..the Indonesian ones are waaaay btr
@@raymondreeder3274 I'm glad you're happy with your Indonesian built one (and really that's all that matters), but my Chinese built one was awesome right out of the box and I didn't have to cut any slots because they were already there. I looked inside with a mirror and workmanship was extraordinary and the sound... my god the sound is great!
I don't think there is anything racist about it, but I do think China has a bad rep for mass producing crap, and in many cases its well deserved. Having said that, the Epiphone guitars coming out of China have been fantastic, I have 2 of them.
This is why you people buy an Epiphone because they’re cheaper than the real deal which is Gibson. Buy cheap, get cheap. You get what you pay for.
aku menyukai burung kolibri adalah gitar idaman, gibson maupun epiphone.saya subscribe channel anda semoga berkembang
The Indonesian factory code is in the serial number, xxxx23xxxxx.
nice