Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

[Fatty]

Alright, I've got quite a few semi-hollow / hollow body guitar questions here:

1. How well do Semihollow guitars cut through with some gain in a band situation? Do they benefit more from warmer pups or brighter pups?

2. Would a semi-hollow / hollow body guitar benefit at all from a one piece Spruce top like an acoustic does? I realize that most tops on the 335 style bodies and the like are 2 piece tops, so I'm just curious

3. How about some P-90's in a semi-hollow / hollow body.. yea or nay? (if you've got some personal experience, feel free to share.. good or bad)

Any other general thoughts and impressions on semi hollow / hollow bodies are welcome.. I've got a few thoughts stirring around for my next guitar :13:


-alex

 

[Blueline]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

I tend to find hollowbody or semi=hollowbodies as warmer guitars that wouldn't necessary be though to cut through the mix - not that they can't

when someone wants a guitar that cuts - i use a maple capped body, and bolt on or set maple neck
it WILL cut

as for the spruce top - I build an acoustic/electric with a chambered mahogany body and spruce top - but that's not what you're talking about
I'd add a spruce top if you're looking to get a more accurate acoustic electric tone form a piezo bridge (but if you wnat the real deal you should throw a wooden acoustic style bridge on there too) but the electric guitar piezos are pretty darn good - you'll hear yours soon

as for p-90s
i'm dying to build a p-90 equipped guitar
as for putting them in a hollow body - could work really nice
i'd suggest rather either a mahogany body and neck and using 2 p-90s and going for that Who/townshend tone
or 3 p-90s and a maple neck and getting anwyehre from strat territory to cut through the mix
i think p-90s would round out your collection nicely

 

[Pandemonium]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

1: No problem. Feedback can be a problem though. I like a warm sound, seems to me like overly bright pups would defeat the whole purpose. JMO.

2: LA Guitar Factory near here builds some really nice jazz hollowbody electrics with carved one piece "tap tuned" tops using various tonewoods, spruce being one. Those I'm somewhat familiar with, they're very warm and sweet, great guitars for what they're intended for. I doubt if it would make that much difference in a rock setting, but I really don't know.

3: Check out T-Bone Walker and Charlie Christian.

 

[Blueline]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

Forgot to mention that - pandemonium is dead on - p-90s are single coils after all and depending on the depth of the body, feedback could be a problem

 

[Fatty]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

One last bump

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

Hi Fatty -

FWIW a lot of 335 style guitars have laminated tops. In the acoustic guitar world, this would be "bad" as compared to a single piece of wood. There's some reason why the laminated tops are used in semi-hollow electrics, but I can't remember what it was right now. Might have been stability since a semi-hollow electric doesn't have the bracing that an acoustic top would have...

Chip

 

[Blueline]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

as for the laminated tops
there is no bracing issue in these guitars becasue they are typically built around a solid center block
I have heard that the laminated tops were a little stronger and (if this makes sense) vibrated less and created less feedback

 

[Fatty]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

as for the laminated tops
there is no bracing issue in these guitars becasue they are typically built around a solid center block
I have heard that the laminated tops were a little stronger and (if this makes sense) vibrated less and created less feedback

Actually, the feedback issue you brought up does kinda make sense now that I think about it.. it would be harder to start two pieces of wood (laminate top) vibrating that one piece.

 

[yes-fan]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

i have a p-90 gibson es-135 and it cuts quit well. it has a very round bass sound but it also has crunchy highs wich p-90s are famous for. i love p-90s!

 

[BluesNRock87]

Re: Got quite a few Semi-Hollow / Hollow body ?'s

godin makes a p-90 hollowbody, i think its the lg, someone on here has one, and ive played 2-3 in shops. they are really good, but not owning one i wont review.....