Show Full Spec Comparison
| Takamine GLN12E | Epiphone Hummingbird Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Takamine | Epiphone |
| Year: | 2022 | 2013 |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | China | China |
| Series: | G11 | Hummingbird |
| Colors: | Natural | Red |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Hollowbody | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | Spruce | Solid Spruce |
| Sides Material: | Okoume | Mahogany |
| Back Material: | Okoume | Mahogany |
| Bridge: | Fixed | Pau Ferro (Reverse Belly) |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Set |
| Tuners: | Takamine | Grover Rotomatic 18:1 |
| Fretboard: | Jatoba | Pau Ferro |
| Neck Material: | Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Decoration: | Dots | Pearloid Twin Parallelograms |
| Scale Size: | 24.8" | 24.72" |
| Shape: | Acoustic Asymmetrical C | Acoustic SlimTaper D |
| Frets: | 20 Medium Nickel Silver | 20 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12" | 12" |
| Nut: | Synthetic Bone | Plastic |
| Nut Width: | 42.8mm (1.685'') | 43mm (1.693'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Pickups: | TP-3G (Preamp / Active) | Fishman Sonicore (Preamp / Active) |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Chrome | Nickel |
Reasons to Get
Takamine GLN12E over Epiphone Hummingbird Studio
Reasons to Get
Epiphone Hummingbird Studio over Takamine GLN12E
Other Key Differences
Takamine GLN12E vs Epiphone Hummingbird Studio
Shared Features
Takamine GLN12E vs Epiphone Hummingbird Studio
Common Strengths
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio favors large hands more than the Takamine GLN12E. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Takamine GLN12E:
Epiphone Hummingbird Studio:
Beginner Friendliness
The Takamine GLN12E meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Takamine GLN12E- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Epiphone Hummingbird Studio- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .
Woods Used in Both
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.
Woods Used in the Takamine GLN12E
Jatoba is a hard and dense wood that emphasizes the mid-lows, giving a fuller, more round sound than, for example, Mahogany. However, it also has a lot of clarity in the top end. Find out more about Jatoba.
Okoume is an affordable wood and one of the first to replace Mahogany when the prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.
Woods Used in the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio
Pau Ferro has a dark, chocolate-like color with straight dark grains that is being used as a replacement to Rosewood due to the regulations. It produces a warm tone that is somewhere between Mahogany and Rosewood. Find out more about Pau Ferro.
Winner: Tie.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Takamine GLN12E compares to the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Winner: Tie
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Takamine GLN12E has a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.
On the other hand, the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
Winner: Takamine GLN12E.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Takamine GLN12E's are Takamine while the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio's are Grover Rotomatic 18:1
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Takamine GLN12E
- Expensive Wood
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Synthetic Bone Saddle
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- Laminated Top Wood
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Epiphone Hummingbird Studio
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Solid Top Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No High-Quality Nut
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.8mm (1.685''). This is a 0.2mm (0.008'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Takamine GLN12E has the longest scale: 24.8". The Epiphone Hummingbird Studio is only 24.72" long. This is a 0.080000000000002'' (2mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Takamine GLN12E has a Asymmetrical type of neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.
The Epiphone Hummingbird Studio, on the other hand, has a D neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
Both the Takamine GLN12E and the Epiphone Hummingbird Studio have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.
Fret Size
The Epiphone Hummingbird Studio has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Takamine GLN12E's Medium frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
