Gibson Hummingbird Studio Walnut Acoustic-Electric Guitar Walnut Burst

I've been looking for a pro instrument, something I would keep for a lifetime, to replace my entry-level Takamine acoustic. Maybe 20+ years ago I had played a Gibson Hummingbird in a store and I fell in love. But I couldn't afford it at the time. Still, I was open to other brands when shopping, and I tried a lot of them. But the Hummingbird Studio Walnut wound up being exactly I was looking for. Above all, an acoustic has to sound right for you. The "right" sound can be different for everyone, and it can also depend on what style of music you play. If you are a singer, some guitars might compliment your voice better than others. This Hummingbird Studio has a very balanced sound across the entire range. It has a confident low end, but not "boomy". The high strings are never spikey - they are smooth, clear, and blend sweetly within chords. The Walnut back and sides seem to contribute to this "smooth and even" sound. There's a Rosewood version too, which sounded a bit brighter and stiffer to me. The Walnut responds very well to light or heavy playing, with plenty of overtones while still maintaining note definition. The body of this Studio version is slightly less deep than a traditional Hummingbird (by about 0.75 of an inch). While I'm sure that equates to a difference in sound on some level, I prefer to simply evaluate this guitar based on how it sounds on its own - which to me is wonderfully smooth and rich. It seems much easier for me to get a good recorded sound out of this compared to my cheaper acoustic. I'm using a microphone in my home studio (Rode NT1). I haven't even tried the built-in electronics, so I can't comment on that. The feel of a guitar is just as important as sound to me. I do admit that I'm a Gibson fan in general, also owning a Les Paul Studio. The neck on the Hummingbird Studio just fits me perfectly, and it makes me want to pick it up and play it every time I walk past it hanging on the wall in my home. Another thing I really like about the Studio series is the lack of binding on the neck. That's just a personal preference, but I like to see the bare neck and fretboard wood instead of plastic binding. To each their own. I compared this to a few Taylors - all great guitars, but the Taylors have a brighter, more modern sound that didn't quite suit me. The other contender was a nice Martin D-16E which sounded great, but just didn't quite feel right in my hands. In the end, the Hummingbird Studio just said "welcome home" every time I picked it up. And that's worth waiting for.