DerComputerist Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Hello, everybody! I recently acquired a sweet Epiphone "Inspired by Gibson" Hummingbird, and I thought it'd be a good idea to join the forums! Here's a pic of my new guitar: It's one of the "Made in Indonesia" ones. Sadly, the newest ones are being made in China now. I plan to make a few mods to the guitar: Replace nut and saddle with new unbleached bone ones. I believe they're already bone from the factory, but they're a really white, which doesn't look the part with the cream/ivory binding. Replace the stock plastic bridge pins with new unbleached bone ones. Remove the entirety of the Fishman Sonitone amplification system. It sounds terrible! Also, removing the under-saddle pickup might improve sound. Install a new L.R. Baggs HiFi amplification system, which uses bridge plate transducers. Replace the outrageously thick pickguard with a new thin one (0.025-inch thick). BTW, has anyone measured the thickness of the stock pickguard? Replace the stock strings which sound dead. Any recommendations of good strings to try? That should be all. My hope's these mods will make the guitar sound even better. 😄 Overall, I'm really excited with my purchase, and I'm looking forward to participating actively in the forum. Take care, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the other side Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 Welcome to the asylum! Congratulations on your new bird. I too have one (indonesia) and can say it is an excellent guitar, especially for the $'s! I have measured the guard at approximately .060 in. (1.524 mm) and I am currently using John Pearse 12-53 Phosphor Bronze (600L). I changed the saddle only to an unbleached (macnichols) saddle and bridge pins. I use the 4mm mop presentation style black tusq bridge pins cause I add an extra ball end to the strings. I found the factory plastic pins are very inconsistent and the size is not standard size and had a tough time getting a couple of em out, like they jammed them in there. I am currently trying out a tusq saddle and really like what I hear. I also have a the actual gibson hummingbird and that epibird sounds very close to it. I also have the 12 string hummingbird (IBG) too and done the same to include removing the sonitone and putting an lr baggs active element VTC in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerComputerist Posted April 4 Author Share Posted April 4 Hi there! Thanks for the welcome! They sure are nice guitars for the money! Thanks for sharing the measurement of the pickguard! Given that you also own a Gibson 'bird, do you happen to know the thickness of the pickguard on the Gibson? I had never heard of John Pearse strings before, having used mainly D'addario up to this point. I'll look into them! Thanks for the recommendation! I wasn't aware of this MacNicol seller. They seem to sell high-quality bone! I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. Do you remember exactly which of MacNichol's multiple offerings you bought for your Epi 'bird? Also, you're very lucky to have a Gibson Hummingbird. It's my dream to own one some day. 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the other side Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 (edited) 4 hours ago, DerComputerist said: Hi there! Thanks for the welcome! They sure are nice guitars for the money! Thanks for sharing the measurement of the pickguard! Given that you also own a Gibson 'bird, do you happen to know the thickness of the pickguard on the Gibson? I had never heard of John Pearse strings before, having used mainly D'addario up to this point. I'll look into them! Thanks for the recommendation! I wasn't aware of this MacNicol seller. They seem to sell high-quality bone! I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. Do you remember exactly which of MacNichol's multiple offerings you bought for your Epi 'bird? Also, you're very lucky to have a Gibson Hummingbird. It's my dream to own one some day. 😄 The actual thickness of the gibson hummingbird pickguard is 1.8 mm to 2.0. As far as John Pearse strings, I have only been able to find them on Amazon. MacNichol is also on Amazon or you can contact them at www.MacNichol.com . His website shows the saddle for Epiphone style saddle. When I removed the Fishman sonitone on my 12 string, the Piezo was 1.8mm thickness, therefore macnichols only has 9mm and 10mm. I needed an 11mm or I would have to super glue 2 saddles to fit the slot. MacNichols sent me an 11mm Epiphone style saddle so I wouldn't have to shim the existing saddle. What I don't know, is if your outside the US. They ship fast too! I have no affiliation with any of the suppliers as I am just an ordinary person. MacNichols does sell only high quality bone and will do anything they can to accommodate you. Excellent customer service. According to their site, they only use high quality cattle bone. I ordered the unbleached saddle that are not white(bleached). Hope this helps. Edited April 4 by the other side Added text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerComputerist Posted April 4 Author Share Posted April 4 (edited) Quote The actual thickness of the gibson hummingbird pickguard is 1.8 mm to 2.0. Wow! The Gibson guard is even thicker! Must be because it is hand-carved. 🤔 Quote When I removed the Fishman sonitone on my 12 string, the Piezo was 1.8mm thickness, therefore macnichols only has 9mm and 10mm. I needed an 11mm or I would have to super glue 2 saddles to fit the slot. MacNichols sent me an 11mm Epiphone style saddle so I wouldn't have to shim the existing saddle. This is super useful information! Thanks!! I'll contact him, too. 🙂 Do you know how the MacNichols saddles compare to the ones made by Bob Colosi at https://www.guitarsaddles.com ? Bob is, too, well-known for his high-quality craftsmanship and materials. 19 minutes ago, the other side said: As far as John Pearse strings, I have only been able to find them on Amazon. FYI, you can also purchase them from Strings and Beyond. You can find 'em here: https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/johnpearse.html. I've yet to purchase anything from them, but they seem to be a reputable vendor. The ones sold by SaB may even be fresher, given that they sell strings all the time, and don't keep them for long in storage. This may be particular important for John Pearse strings which, apparently, don't come air-tight sealed from the factory. Edited April 4 by DerComputerist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the other side Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 The 10mm I initially ordered(piezo still in place)was B08YRXTZ2L 75mm lenghth, 3.2mm thickness and 12" radius. I know of Bob colosi, however I have never delt with him. He's also highly respected. I think his prices are a little higher though. I have only used MacNichols cause they were on amazon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the other side Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 5 minutes ago, DerComputerist said: Wow! The Gibson guard is even thicker! Must be because it is hand-carved. 🤔 This is super useful information! Thanks!! I'll contact him, too. 🙂 Do you know how the MacNichols saddles compare to the ones made by Bob Colosi at https://www.guitarsaddles.com ? Bob is, too, well-known for his high-quality craftsmanship and materials. FYI, you can also purchase them from Strings and Beyond. You can find 'em here: https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/johnpearse.html. I've yet to purchase anything from them, but they seem to be a reputable vendor. The ones sold by SaB may even be fresher, given that they sell strings all the time, and don't keep them for long in storage. This may be particular important for John Pearse strings which, apparently, don't come air-tight sealed from the factory. Thks. John Pearse do not come airtight but I've never had any issues with them. I just put em in a storage bag when I get them. I always order 3 sets at a time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the other side Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 (edited) The gibson pickguard I have is not ingraved, it has the graphics covered with some type of super hard resin that is somewhat flexible and nothing wears off. Mine is a 2013 modern classic hummingbird. The engraved ones were/are the True Vintage torrified birds. I'm glad mine don't wear off! Edited April 4 by the other side 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerComputerist Posted April 4 Author Share Posted April 4 Thanks, man! All your info is super duper helpful! 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Sweet guitar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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