Gibson and country rock singer-songwriter Eric Church have united for an Epiphone signature acoustic guitar – and it’s been launched with a whiskey.
The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Eric Church Hummingbird Dark is a square-shouldered electric-acoustic based on his signature Gibson Hummingbird, bringing it down to a more affordable price point.
The Cobra Burst finish and custom Hummingbird Dark pickguard are pretty striking, and the black binding is also a lovely touch. As an instrument, it promises a “crisp articulation and dynamic headroom.”
Build wise there's a solid Sitka spruce top with layered mahogany back and sides, and a rounded C-profile mahogany neck with a tapered dovetail joint. Its rosewood fingerboard has grey pearloid parallelogram inlays.
It’s built to a 24.75” scale length with 20 frets, a 12” fingerboard radius, and a Graph Tech nut.
For hardware, there's a belly-down rosewood bridge, Grover Rotomatic tuners, and a Fishman Sonicore pickup, with a Fishman Presys VT preamp. It comes in at $799 and ships with a hardshell case.
What's most notable about this release, however, is what the guitar has been paired with: a signature blend Tonewood whiskey.
It comes from JYPSI, a distillery co-owned by Church, and is said to “bring together guitar craftsmanship and whiskey-making in an organic, innovative way.”
It’s certainly not every day that a guitar gets a signature brew. The catch is that maple tonewood offcuts sourced from Gibson guitar production were repurposed for the whiskey’s finishing.
Two whiskeys are being produced. Tonewood: Vol. 1 (109 proof) uses toasted Gibson maple offcuts for a whiskey with mature oak, vanilla, and honey-like flavors, while Tonewood: The Collective (103 proof) has a smokier, graham cracker taste.
“For me, a great guitar is about expression – finding something honest and putting it out into the world,” Church says of the guitar. “We’ve been working on this Epiphone Hummingbird Dark, and it’s been with me out on the road for the past two years. It’s where songs take shape, where ideas turn into something real.
“I’m excited for other players to get their hands on it and see where it leads them, because that’s what this is all about – finding your voice and having the right partner to help you say it.”
The Epiphone Eric Church Hummingbird Dark, Cobra Burst is available now for $799.
See Gibson for more.
