Epiphone Hummingbird

As an aspiring guitarist heading into intermediate territory, I wanted to upgrade my acoustic from my 40-year-old Guild dreadnought to something with better resonance that would reward my improvement and encourage me even more.
The Epiphone Hummingbird was the answer. Its tone is superb, particularly on the bass side, and of course it has the famed cherry burst look and hummingbird pickguard design of the vastly more expensive Gibson original.
The Sonicore pickup and hidden volume/tone control are fine for an intermediate player but more accomplished guitarists might prefer something more sophisticated for their preamp purposes.
What's really impressive about the guitar is the build quality. While a discount version of the Gibson original, it's not a cheap plunker and you would expect the finish to be up to scratch, which it is. The frets are smooth, the body wood quality is outstanding, and the joins are flawless. It feels reassuringly heavy and the faded gloss burst finish is gorgeous. It's a shame Epiphone didn't offer at least a gig bag for a guitar at this price but you can't have everything.
Kudos to Thomann for their service, which helped me with a glitch during purchase and made sure it got to me in Paris in no time.