Epiphone Hummingbird Standard EC CS

My first guitar was a cheap copy of the iconic Gibson hummingbird, so when I was looking for a guitar that was good enough to play at gigs but cheap enough that I wouldn't be devastated if it got damaged, this one caught my eye.

It's good - don't get me wrong, it's good - but it's trying to occupy a thankless place in the guitar pecking order. If your current guitar is a beginner guitar of the 100-250 level, it's going to sound amazing. But if, like me, you're coming down from the 2,000 plus level, you're probably not going to be able to live with it.

I ended up sending it back and going for a Martin from the DX range - yes it's more expensive, but it creeps into that "great guitar" space, while still being cheap enough that I can live with it getting damaged.

At the end of the day, it all depends on what you're looking for. This is an excellent guitar at this price point, it looks beautiful and it's very well made with no obvious issues. You'll need to replace the gig bag before taking it out of the house, but fair enough! It's the perfect guitar for the right person - sadly that person wasn't me!