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Apologies if there has been a similar thread - feel free to link me.
Do you have a favorite or favorites of smaller bodied guitars that are semi-hollow or hollow?
I've grown very used to the strat shape, and just generally prefer dealing with lighter, small guitars.
The thinline teles would or could fit the bill here but something about a Tele neck that I never really enjoyed playing (though I'm sure could get used to.)
I'm curious what my options are at different price points, as I'm not much of a gearhead. There are threads on the subject on other forums but I'm curious about the issue from a mostly-jazz perspective, not that there is just one jazz guitar tone of course.
Any thoughts appreciated.
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09-25-2016 01:49 PM
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Well, the first thing that springs to mind is the Ibanez GB10. Small, great playability and excellent tone. Or building a semi-hollow strat a la Warmoth partscasters. Or getting a little outside the box for jazz, the Phred Ernesto VH3.
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If you like a strat, you can have a strat -
There are a few semi hollow Strats made by fender, G&L etc. Just google semi hollow strat.
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I was able to acquire a Forshage ergo guitar. Very nice guitar!
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Not really semi hollow but the Midtown standard with P90's and the Vegas (57 classics), Blueshawk P90 are thin and light with the Gibson feel. The Midtown with HB's also are great if you like the burstbuckers.
Slightly larger and hollow is the Ibanez AG series and are very inexpensive.
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+100 on the Forshage!
Clay Conner makes some small-bodied guitars: Guitars ? Welcome to Clay Conner Guitars
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Cool guys, thanks! Please keep em coming.
I don't buy guitars too often even though I play all day every day. How do you ever pull the trigger? I see so many options and I feel like I'll never really have enough info to make a decision.
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+1 on the Forshage! I have 3: an Orion Ergo (semi-hollow), a 14" semi-hollow and a tele. Chris Forshage builds great guitars!
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Plus one for the Ibanez AG series. Unbeatable bang-for-buck. Great looks, feel, and tone. Impeccable intonation and stable tuning. What's not to like?
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PRS Hollowbody I or Hollowbody II. They have a post under the bridge, so they're not technically hollow, but there's not as much material as a regular semi-hollow like an ES-335.
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John Stowell turned me on to the Soulezza on YT.
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If you go for semi and don't mind the 24,75" scale, I know a small body that is lovely : ES-339 all year long ! Gibson or Epi (no personal experience with the Epiphone, but usually get good words)
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Gibson: ES-339,ES-356,ES-446,Pat Martino,Johnny A, ES-275 many more as well!
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I had an early 80's Ibanez. I think it was an AS-80, a little smaller than the regular 335 type semi. Japanese guitar, from the golden age that Sco's guitar was born in. I took the neck PU out and put a Gibson PAF into it. Absolute perfection, until I went 7 string. No use for it anymore, I gave it to Ben Monder. He's been playing his own example of that model of the Ibanez forever.
Essentially an evolutionary dead end in the Ibanez line, it's been a favourite of mine of all the Ibanez guitars.
To each their own. This was it for me.
As far as a hollow, I got a GB-10 while I worked at Ibanez, put a Joe Pass wood tailpiece on it and a Duncan Custom Johnny Smith pickup wound to the specs of their Jazz humbucker. Not really a stock Benson anymore but again, sweet and singing, warm and articulate.
I have a Westland 15" 7 string custom now, with a Duncan Benedetto floater pickup in it. I am cured of any kind of acquisition urges.
David
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I picked up the Epiphone ES-339 in January. I'm a new player, but I love the thing. I got a setup a couple months ago (mostly to learn what that would do), and the tech said he was really surprised at the high quality of this Chinese-made guitar. He also said the flatwounds I had him put on were ideal for it, and it's working out great for me.
Originally Posted by 339 in june
I do have to say that I've also been wondering about the effect a small semi-hollow has on the tone, whether it's noticeably different than a solid body. I'm blaming it on my inexperienced ear, but I'd like to hear any other comments on that.Last edited by macuaig; 09-25-2016 at 09:17 PM.
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The Hamer Newport is an oft overlooked but very nice option in this arena. Has a block from tail to bridge but is hollow from bridge to neck. Very solid construction and craftsmanship in my experience and lightweight as well.
If you're feeling a bit more spendy the Hamer improv model is a gorgeous and fully hollow thin body.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Midtown series is a winner. Originally Posted by GNAPPI
Also a relatively inexpensive buy-in for the Gibson logo compared to LP's or 335's.
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Heritage Prospect Standard 15" wide
Heritage Millennium 13.25 wide
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Another vote to check out the Eastman El Rey.
No f holes, which is good for controlling feedback, but it is hollow.
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339s sound great and feel comfy on the body. I'm not a big fan of the fretwire Gibson uses on them, they feel really large to my fingers. If you're fine with that, great. Originally Posted by 339 in june
The Epiphone version features coil-splitting, too, though there's a tradeoff involved in quality of materials, no doubt. I'd imagine the harness is more audible a difference than the materials in a semi-hollow.
I've played both, and while I didn't really care for either, it wasn't because the guitar was faulty, but because it did not deliver what I want to hear in the Epi's case, or the playability I prefer in the Gibby's case (see fretwire comment above, that's my only niggle but it's big for me).
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A solid-body player most of my guitarin' life, I can hear a difference between most any semi-hollow and most any solid-body (the word I and many others use is "air") -- but more important to me, and one that I've only really learnt now that I've bought my first semi- last year, and played it regularly alternating with my SG, is how a semi-hollow responds to the amplifier. A semi-hollow is far more sensitive to amplifier adjustments and location than a solid-body. I always knew they were more prone to feedback, but didn't realize how that could be both a blessing and a curse. Originally Posted by macuaig
Now, an SG is a pretty sensitive solid-body anyway, being the thin plank that it is, but my Ibanez 335 copy is an order of magnitude moreso. I've become more conscious of my guitar and amp settings, and more conscious of how I position myself in relation to the speaker, because all three factors interact with each other -- as well as your picking and playing style.
My experience in the non-solid-body world is limited, so take these observations with that caveat in mind; I'm still myself learning a different guitar and how it works.
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Peerless Martin Taylor Virtuoso or Maestro if 15" lower bout is not too big for you
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If you prefer a fully hollow one the ES-390 is a fully hollow 339 sized Gibson. The first batch had mini-humbuckers but since then they've been equipped with MHS P90s. Their D-shaped neck feels better to me than the regular 339 tho. Originally Posted by 339 in june
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And don't forget this:
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damn all these guitars are beautiful!
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