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I usually play blues and blues-rock (surprise, right). Normally I have some light distortion going and understand that feedback could be an issue. I’ve been looking at epiphone’s wildkat pretty seriously, but am concerned about the p90s… I’m not sure if that would be too touchy or even if the set up is good for blues music.
If anyone knows of any comparable alternatives, I’d love to check them out. Similarly, if anyone has any thoughts on the wildkat, I’d really like to hear them. I usually play an epip les paul and this would be first big-ish guitar purchase ( for 300 or so).
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The Epiphone Dot Studio is in that price range. Have you tried this out? http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Studio-Electric-Guitar-Finish/dp/B001HJ2HQS.
Or are you wanting a smaller bodied hollowbody.
Here is a Epiphone 339: http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-ES-339-Semi-Hollowbody-Electric-Guitar/dp/B00MHWEYYW/ref=sr_1_33?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1434492753&sr=1-33&refinements=p_36:-40000
-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska -
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve been doing a little more research and I think I am definitely a fan of humbuckers over P90s. This pushes me away from the wildkat (despite that lovely bigsby) and toward a DOT.
Part of the problem is that I’m not too sure what I should be looking for, or take into consideration when picking out a guitar like this. Are there any specs I should give extra attention to?
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I’ve played the Epi ES-339 Pro at my local GC and it is definitely on my Wish List. It’s smaller and lighter than the ES-335 (Brian plays the Gibson ES-335) and has a built in solid center wood block adding some solid-body crunch to the openness of the hollowbody design. And it has versitility – PRO humbucker pickups which feature push/pull coil-tapping options to get the tone of a single-coil as well as a humbucker, depending on what you want at the moment.
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All the guitars mentioned previously are fine instruments for the money, but please take a look at the Ibanez semi hollows….they are in a class by themselves……I have the AM 93, and others here have the 335 size model, amazing finishes and quality, binding, classic 57 style humbuckers, grover style tuners……and wonderful tone…….can’t go wrong with these….and for the record I also have a Gibson ES 335 Studio and a Gibson Memphis Standard with P90’s (not really hollowbody)…..yes the 335 is in a different league…..but for a few $100…the Ibanez line is one of my favorites….
Enjoy the hunt and yes try them out live if you can……
Roberto
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@ccstewart wrote:
I usually play blues and blues-rock (surprise, right). Normally I have some light distortion going and understand that feedback could be an issue. I’ve been looking at epiphone’s wildkat pretty seriously, but am concerned about the p90s… I’m not sure if that would be too touchy or even if the set up is good for blues music.
If anyone knows of any comparable alternatives, I’d love to check them out. Similarly, if anyone has any thoughts on the wildkat, I’d really like to hear them. I usually play an epip les paul and this would be first big-ish guitar purchase ( for 300 or so).
Hey ccstewart,
I own an Epi Sheraton II which is like a dressed up Dot. It’s a beautiful guitar, but large in size. I grew to dislike the stock humbuckers that came in it and so swapped them for some Seymour Duncan P-rails. It’s better, but still not my favorite guitar due to it’s larger size. It’s all maple so it’s VERY bright sounding. I guess I prefer the mahogany tones a bit more.
For $300 you might take a look at this one;
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-vintage-modified-72-thinline-maple-neck-telecaster-electric-guitar?rNtt=squier thinline&index=1
I haven’t played one of these but they sure get rave reviews and are equipped with Fender Wide Range HB’s.good luck in the search!
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I’ve not yet played a Fender ’72 Telecaster Thinline Electric Guitar with the dual humbuckers, but this guitar has received almost 140 5-star reviews on the Musician’s Friend website. Question: Does it have a center block like the ES-335 and ES-339 to help sustain and lessen feedback? I can’t tell from reading its description online.
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@StratPlus66 wrote:
I have an Ibanez Artist AS-80 with two humbuckers which is now 32 years old (“happy birthday to you”) and which still looks and plays like the day it was born. Lovely guitars. Hope you find what you want!
Andrew
I agree with Andrew – Ibanez makes some great semi-hollow guitars and their quality is exception. For the current models, I would look at the models that have the Super 58 pickups.
The Peavey JF-1 EX is my first choice. It can usually be had new under $350 and the quality is surprisingly good.
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I have recently purchased a Guild Starfire IV semi-hollow body guitar. Please Note: I am very particular of what I guitar make and models I play. I conducted a very exhausted search to find a guitar to come as close as possible to a Gibson ES-335 (I own several Gibson’s however, I have been increasingly disappointed with Gibson’s price point vs. quality of workmanship) and this is the guitar in my opinion that fulfills my request. The Guild’s build quality is excellent, however this guitar is fabricated in South Korea and yes, I thought the same thing…..I would never buy a guitar made outside the USA – and I would match this guitar to a ES-335 on build quality any day of the week. As far as sound goes….I play through a Mesa/Boogie Express Plus 5:25 and this guitar sounds close to an ES-335 by rolling off the tone a touch. (So, do yourself a favor and test drive this guitar before you make any decisions. You can expect a delivered price of $890.00 which is far less than $2,800 for the ES 335.)
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@jmt1 wrote:
The Guild’s build quality is excellent, however this guitar is fabricated in South Korea and yes, I thought the same thing…..I would never buy a guitar made outside the USA
I used to think the same thing but with C&C technology quality has really improved mass production of guitars and lowered the price.
I have a Reverend Flatroc that is made in Korea and I really can’t complain about much. It plays well.
-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska -
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@Bryce.AKguitar wrote:
@jmt1 wrote:
The Guild’s build quality is excellent, however this guitar is fabricated in South Korea and yes, I thought the same thing…..I would never buy a guitar made outside the USA
I used to think the same thing but with C&C technology quality has really improved mass production of guitars and lowered the price.
I have a Reverend Flatroc that is made in Korea and I really can’t complain about much. It plays well.
Not to throw a wrench in the works here but…
CNC routing technology has aided the quality of guitars and has ensured that the next model coming off of the assembly line is the same
……for solid body guitars
Semi-hollow, full hollow & acoustic guitars are a different animal in the world of guitar assembly. Yes the parts may be milled to correct dimensions but extra care and attention has to be used in the assembly of these guitars.
Compare a $1500 Martin or Taylor to an assembly line any name guitar – you can see the difference and you can hear the difference. Both probably have parts made with the CNC process but its the final assembly that counts
I was in a GC earlier this year and several customers were playing acoustics – they sounded OK. But one guy started finger picking and the tone was so deep and rich that I had to walk around and see what that guitar was. It was a Taylor with a $3200 price tag.
We would think – sure, it better sound good for that price. And it should.But go into a store and play different acoustic guitars of the same brand and model – each one will sound slightly different. If you could go back and watch the assembly – you might see that a certain worker took a little extra care in the assembly process.
Guild guitars has gone thru several owners over the years but they have always been known for quality. I had forgotten about the Bluesbird, and when I was aware of them, the price was well out of my range. If they are down to $899, they would be well worth checking out.
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I could not believe the quality of the Epiphone ES 335 Pro (copy of Gibson ES 335) when I bought one a couple of years ago for CAN $369.
The necks is straight as a die, the finish is flawless, and the workmanship stellar. Humbucking pickups which also – via coil tap – convert to single coil.
A joy to play.
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I use a gibson ES-335 which is a really great blues guitar but I did use the epiphone dot for a time and found it a great budget choice. I have an epiphone casino which is a hollow body with P90s but it will feedback if you play it loud especially with any overdrive pedals – really though, it has a great sound if you play it clean and want a good 60s vibe or maybe play jazz with a clean amp. I love it.
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I would 2nd the suggestion on the Ibanez Artcore semi-hollows; for many years, I’ve termed Ibanez as the poor man’s Gibson.
I own an AGS-83 and I recently sold a AS-83; the quality and workmanship is first rate and the pickups sound good to the point that most won’t want to change them.I would also suggest any of the models from the Washburn HB series. The HB35 has been a production model for nearly 30 years and all of their other 335 copies are designed around the HB35. Like the Ibanez models, quality and workmanship are first rate
http://www.washburn.com/products/electric/series/Hollowbody%20Series.html
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