Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

Aceman

Aceman

I am your doctor of love!
So, I've always wanted a semi-hollow guitar. They look classy. They feel nice. They are awesome for jazz/blues. That is until....

I spent some quality time with BTMN's Hamer. Let me be the first to say that guitar was built with love. Looks amazing, feels amazing, sounds amazing. But after playing the bejeebers out of it for a couple of weeks, I reralized something.

I jsut didn't dig it. There was nothing that thing was doing for me that one of my other guitars couldn't, either playability or tone wise. MAybe if I put some flatwounds and went all up in the jazz, sure. But at the end of the day, my illusions were dispelled. The reality was, It just didn't do anything for me except possible add a different shaped instrument to the lineup.

This saddened me a touch. It was a learning experience?

Has this ever happened to you? Always wanted a V, Les PAul, Semi, etc. and then finally got some time with one and meh/pffft?

Or if a semi-hollow fan, why? What about it is it that just gets you there?
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

Well I like my Hamer because it just sounds great without really doing anything to it. I've tried others, and it seems that I have to get a new pickup or something to get the perfect sound. Right now, I'm happy with what I've got.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

For me, it's the natural bite, aggressiveness, and dynamics that are their most special characteristics. They also have an inherently versatile tonal palette, so they are outstanding "one size fits all" guitars. Selling my ES-333 was probably one of the dumbest gear moves I've ever made. It is one of Gibson's greatest models ever produced IMHO. I figured that I wasn't playing much at the time, and I had my 330 anyhow. Duuuuumb!
 
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Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

I had a similar experience with my Firebird 5. I was amazed at the tone, still am. It has the brightness and bite of a P-90 equipped guitar, kind of a Tele twang, and the rich overtones of a LP. Great feel to the neck, comfortable body, love the looks of it. But as hard as I tried, I just couldn't get used to the long feel of the neck and the head drop. Maybe some day I'll put a set of lightweight tuners on it and see if that helps. But for now, I have plenty of other guitars to keep me company and warm my heart on cold nights.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

I love 335's. They seem to naturally have great tones without much effort, they're much more comfortable than you'd think (they just feel good), and for me, it's the classic blues guitar. It's a tradition. Many of my guitar heroes have played them. Got to be something to it. If I was a Kiss/Ace Frehley fan, I probably wouldn't feel as much of a bond with 335's. But from a British/Chicago blues perspective, there's something special about them. When I see a band live, if the guitarist has a 335, it's a good bet that he's an above-average player and will have great, rich tones (this is in contrast to Fenders, which are a 50/50 shot of me being in for some ear-piercing treble).
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

blueman335 said:
When I see a band live, if the guitarist has a 335, it's a good bet that he's an above-average player and will have great, rich tones (this is in contrast to Fenders, which are a 50/50 shot of me being in for some ear-piercing treble).
Click to expand...

My god, you are such a hopeless, clueless **** if you actually think that way.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

One of my first guitars was a 1960(?) 330. Wonderful tone. Loved that guitar. But in 1967 I traded it for a Ric 330. That was also nice, but not near the tone of the Gibson. Within a year I ended up trading that one in on a 1968 Gibby 345. That was also a really fantastic guitar. (I even loved the Varitone).
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

I really like them.

But then, I've been very lucky.

I've recently come to learn that semi-hollows tend to amplify, by the nature of their design, the inherent differences in resonance and sustain between two seemingly-similar pieces of wood. In other words: two Les Pauls might roll off the line, and one will be more lively and toneful than the next just because whatever specific pieces of wood used to make it just felt more like becoming a guitar that day. But with the right setup, pickups, etc. all through an amp, they'll still sound pretty close to one another.

With two 335s, on the other hand, the nature of the semi-hollow build can cause them to sound SO much different and one of them sound SO much better that they are not even in the same ballpark no matter what you do to them.

I currently have a 339 that I love. I've had it for years - it's from the first year of production. And I've always been kind of surprised how often people say that the 339 really sounds more like a solid-body than they do a full-sized semi like the 335. Mine isn't like that at all. Mine sounds almost as huge and warm as the ES-137 I used to own. I just figured the people saying that didn't know what they were talking about...

...until the other day, when I played a couple of 339s on the wall of a music store just as a lark, and found them both to be so freaking dead that I could have sworn I was playing some agathis import Dillion LP knock-off or something. It probably wasn't as bad as that, but the disparity between how I expected them to sound (like mine at home) and how they actually sounded was so huge that I had to look inside the F-hole and make sure it wasn't filled with plastic or something. They were set up well and in good shape, too. Very shocking.

So yeah

If you played one semi and didn't dig it

It might just be that semi you didn't dig.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

You need to install flashing lights and fireworks in it. Then it might work for you.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

sosomething said:
I currently have a 339 that I love. I've had it for years - it's from the first year of production. And I've always been kind of surprised how often people say that the 339 really sounds more like a solid-body than they do a full-sized semi like the 335. Mine isn't like that at all. Mine sounds almost as huge and warm as the ES-137 I used to own. I just figured the people saying that didn't know what they were talking about...

...until the other day, when I played a couple of 339s on the wall of a music store just as a lark, and found them both to be so freaking dead that I could have sworn I was playing some agathis import Dillion LP knock-off or something. It probably wasn't as bad as that, but the disparity between how I expected them to sound (like mine at home) and how they actually sounded was so huge that I had to look inside the F-hole and make sure it wasn't filled with plastic or something. They were set up well and in good shape, too. Very shocking.
Click to expand...

Same with mine. I had played a bunch of them, and some 335s, and had never been impressed, until I picked up mine and bought it on the spot.

Sometimes you just need the right guitar, regardless of construction.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

Frank Lee knows what you are saying, in the big picture. Occasionally He will get a serious, serious jones for an SG. But then, before He goes and buys one (Frank Lee goes for Japanese Gibson clones and said jones usually involves seeing one around), Frank F'ing Lee will go to a guitar store and play some decent SGs. Frank Lee will then be reminded of why he likes the look of SGs and how some people sound playing them but He does not like playing them.

I hope this thread does not turn the 335 into the recumbent bicycle of guitars.

Thank you.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

I am the opposite. I spent way too many thousands of dollars over the past 30 years on every gibson, custom gibson types (hamer usa, dean usa), MIJ clones, of every solidbody they make only to find out none of them were giving me the gibson tone I hear in my head. I learned how to play on a.mid 50s 125 and played a borowed 335 for a year, and maybe that was what influenced my ears, IDK.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

Any time I saw a lefty semi-hollow in a store I would try it out. Over the years I've tried many different Gibsons, Epiphones, and Ibanezes. Nearly all of them were a disappointment. I once played a Casino that sounded amazing, but I didn't have the cash at the time. I had also played a really great Sheraton but disliked the gold and bling so much I refused to buy the guitar. Oddly enough, I've never played a Gibson 335 that made me want it.

This summer, I happened upon a lefty semi-hollow in the L&M near my new home. I played it. It was perfect - exactly what I had in my head when I thought "335 tone". I bought it then and there. It's a Chinese-made Epiphone Dot.

The frets could use a good polish, and I of course replaced the pickups and pots, but fundamentally it's a great guitar. It gives me something I don't get from any of my solid body guitars. The notes have this sweet bloom to them. I would say it sounds more "three-dimensional" if that weren't so clichéd. Perhaps most surprising is that it does heavy stuff really well, and is very versatile in general.

The only real mod I made was a push-push that flips the phase of the neck pickup. This gives me an almost Stratty tone in the middle position. It's a very useful mod.
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

I've always had an appreciation for semi-hollow guitars but never owned one myself until I picked up a Hamer EchoTone from the same era as Gene's. I love the guitar. It's so comfortably to play. I like the warm nature of it yet with the Duncan Designed pickups, I can get a nice bite out of it. I'm happy as hell with it. Probably close to the best deal I've gotten on a guitar of that caliber.

Now, in talking about guitars that I end up in the end deciding are not for me, the Telecaster. In its stock form, they just don't work for me. Heck, I even sold a MIJ Contemporary but that was partially to fund to PRS SE Singlecut Korina I had. For me to get a Tele and keep it, I'd have to have it custom done to what I like, otherwise I'll just end up letting it go after a while.

HamerEchoTone2012_forum.jpg
 
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Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

My best friend of 45 years bought a used 1970 335 in 71 for $275. Natural walnut nitro finish. Beautiful guitar. Incredible tone and playability. I recently offered him 10 grand for it and got a big laugh in return.
So, yeah I guess I do have a thing for semi's.
PC
 
Re: Reflections upon the semi-hollow guitar

I really feel I kinda been lucky. Being lefty and basically having mail order only options...yeah first world problem I know....95% of what I've picked up here in the last few years I've been able to bond with. Some might need some tweaking, new pups, electronics, playability etc... But for the most part...I've not really played any electrics that were just dogs that needed to head to the scrap yard. The only dead wood I got was awhile back when I bought 3 different Rondo Strats. 1 of the 3 was just crap. Fit and finish was OK for it's price point, but it had none of the flare or "mojo" a guitar could/should have.

A long the lines of semi hollows, I have limited experience. I would venture to say that they're probably a lot like acoustics. A good new acoustic will sound good out of the box. But the more it's played, loved, and made to make that wood vibrate, the better it sounds over time.

It sounds strange, but I think guitars of all kinds need to be "broken" or worn in. Some just need more luvin than others. Some are just better off as driftwood, but I think those are starting to be few and far between these days. Of course I don't pick up many right handed guitars and my options are very limited so my experience is marginal at best. It's quite possible that manufacturers have a tendency to use "better" woods in their left handed models so they don't have stock sitting around on guitars that can already be a pain to move on to customers.
 
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