Country star Eric Church launches new whiskey made using maple tonewood offcuts from Gibson guitars – oh, and a brand-new signature Hummingbird, too
Epiphone has teamed up with American Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and country artist Eric Church on a limited-edition Inspired by Gibson version of his prized Gibson Hummingbird, which has become a staple of his live shows.
Blending “iconic square-shoulder heritage” with “stage-forward aesthetics and modern performance detail”, the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Eric Church Hummingbird Dark is built to Church’s exacting specifications, boasting a solid Sitka spruce top with moody darkened accents, plus layered mahogany back and sides for warmth, punch, and focused midrange.
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Completing the darkened aesthetics is a black binding framing the top and back, as well as a custom Hummingbird Dark pickguard.
Credit: Epiphone/Gibson
Eric Church needs his guitar to both sound good and feel comfortable when playing long sets, so his new signature model features a tapered body, from 4” to 3” at the neck joint. This keeps the guitar’s tone substantial and resonant, while improving ergonomics for superior comfort.
Meanwhile, the guitar sports a rounded C mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard with grey pearloid parallelogram inlays, a Graph Tech nut and saddle, and nickel Grover tuners.
“For me, a great guitar is about expression – finding something honest and putting it out into the world,” says Church. “We’ve been working on this Epiphone Hummingbird Dark, and it’s been with me out on the road for the past two years, part of that journey every single night.
“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.”
Credit: Epiphone/Gibson
Perhaps even cooler though, is that the launch is accompanied by a new whiskey under Eric Church’s own whiskey brand, JYPSI. Tonewood is a limited-edition whiskey developed by JYPSI in collaboration with Gibson, incorporating maple tonewood offcuts from Gibson guitar production into the finishing process.
Credit: Epiphone/Gibson
“The wood is only wood until it arrives in a master’s hands – that rule applies to distillers, luthiers, and songwriters,” continues Church. “I’m excited to see what song this collaboration between world-class masters will write.”
The whiskey comes in two varieties: Tonewood: Vol. 1, a 109-proof whiskey built from older whiskey stocks, including a 20-year-old straight bourbon and 14-year-old whiskey from a bourbon mash bill; and the 103-proof Tonewood: The Collective, which offers a “lighter, more lifted expression”.
The former is priced at $799, and comes in a custom Gibson case inspired by Gibson’s classic hardshell cases, along with a co-branded Gibson guitar strap and two JYPSI whiskey glasses, while the latter is $199, and comes in a Hummingbird-inspired design for display or gifting. A portion of the proceeds from each whiskey sale will go to Gibson Gives – the guitar giant’s philanthropic organisation.
Back to the guitar now… the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Eric Church Hummingbird Dark is priced at £699/$799.
Get it now at Epiphone.
Credit: Epiphone/Gibson
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
