Where are you being told that Hymn of Restoration requires an instrument?
The instrument mod increases certain values of a song's benefit. Equipping a store-bought lute with a 1.8 stringed instrument modifier will increase the regeneration value x1.8. For example if your regen song adds 10hp per tick, having the lute equipped will increase it to 18 per tick.
Not all song effects are modified by the instrument modifier, haste and mana regeneration being the two most notable and often asked examples.
There are songs that require a specific instrument type to equip, such as the invis song and the group dispell. Come to think of it, that might be it.
The only instrument that I 100% banked after epic was wind. The drum and lute still see plenty of action and even the horn gets used often enough that I still keep it around.
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