Any Hollow/Semi-Hollow Body Players Out There?

[KiwiJoe]

Hi all,

I'm just curious to get in touch with anybody who plays an ES-335 type guitar through a Boogie as I'm a proud, stoked, new owner of a Mini Rectifier, and I'm looking to share set-up tips with fellow players who have a thang for the hollow/semi-hollow sound playing blues/jazz/fusion/classic rock type stuff both clean and with gain for the big sustain and fat, round tone; think Larry Carlton-type tone (he did use a Mark I back in the late 70s-early 80s).

Cheers,
Joe

 

[lesterpaul]

I recently purchased a 335 and I love it-I play it through my C+ amps and I really dig using both neck and bridge pickups together-mine has '57 classics and they work well for me-I back the lead drive way down and find that breakup zone, and its really a massive,classic tone-as soon as I got the guitar, I realized there is no telling how many classic recordings a 335 style guitar has been used on...
-drop the bedroom settings and go for the throat-turn the mother up and feel the air thru the f holes... 8)
-its weird in the beginning-the semi hollow has such a different feel to it...
-can't help with the mini rec, but a big clean to breakup tone really shines-Carlton, Malcolm Young,etc...oh yeah....
enjoy!!!!!

 

[KiwiJoe]

I really dig using both neck and bridge pickups together-mine has '57 classics and they work well for me

I tend to stick with the neck pickup and use the bridge sparingly for a tone change-up at the right time. Mine is an Epiphone copy, and I think it has 57-ish pickups which I'm happy with, although I'll probably be looking into some Seymour Duncan 59 PAFs in the future. I've had them in the past on other semi-hollow guitars and have been quite happy with them.

-drop the bedroom settings and go for the throat-turn the mother up and feel the air thru the f holes... 8)

HAHA! I know exactly what you mean! 8) First time out with the new rig was with my bass player mate, with the house drummer and Hammond B3 player at a blues jam at a local pub a few weeks back. I was comping clean and singing lead on Stormy Monday, and when it came time for the solo, I hit the switch for the "vintage" setting on 10 watts with the pot on the guitar backed off somewhat for a nice, subdued sound, playing the "happy," BB King-type major pentatonic stuff at first, then throwing in some minor notes and gradually bringing it all in with that fat, round tone just singing. I could feel the guitar literally swelling, and it just reached-out and grabbed the audience :shock: ! The band just picked up and went with me, and the crowd seemed to really get off on it.

-its weird in the beginning-the semi hollow has such a different feel to it...

I'm glad you like the semi-hollow sound and feel. It is different and it's not for everybody, but for those of us who dig it, there's definitely something to it; and it requires an entirely different approach to gain and tone settings with the amp.

Cheers,
Joe

 

[swbo101]

I play my 335 through a Mark IV. I tend to play it on "Tweed" setting class A Pentode. I usually back off the gain and drive b/c I love hearing that hollow body sound and don't want to cover it up under too much gain. A nice bluesy tone.

The 335 isn't my main guitar but I do love the tone.

 

[rocksalt7]

I play an ES-355 thru my Stiletto Ace and 4x12...yeah it's loud!! The 355 sounds really incredible thru this amp. By using the neck pick-up, I'm avoiding the "treble" issue that a lot of Ace users mention. The 4x12 Recto cab helped too!! The '57 classics sound round and clear, very versatile tone wise. It's a lot of fun playing with just a touch of controlled feedback sometimes 8) .

Lately however, I've been thinking about getting back to a Les Paul for my main squeeze... I have a beat up LP Studio w/ burstbucker Pro's that just sound so raunchy and soulful w/ this amp, it's hard to put it down some times. Then I get back to the 355 and enjoy having two distinct sounds on tap. The fact that my 355 is drop dead gogeous helps too!! :mrgreen:

 

[lespaulguy32]

Well, I would LOVE me a couple of PRS Hollowbody IIs!

 

[M_anstrom]

I've got an Epiphone Alleykat I bought back in 07' for jazz band at my highschool. Ended up swapping the bridge pickup for a Dimarzio Breed pickup. Odd combo but shes a screamer now.

 

[uitar9]

Hagstrom viking, with SD triple shots, through a 5:25 ten inch. Mostly use the P90 PU's. The PAF's are also usable. Blues and crunch modes as the songs require.

 

[lyman]

I only have 2 electrics now but one of them is a gibson 335 in cherry red. It's an '86, so it's a reissue. I love the chunky neck on it. Had a full refret done a few years ago which it needed badly. It had those really low frets originally so I opted for something slightly taller. Definitely a player's guitar, not a collector.

Sounds good through my maverick, I'm almost always in channel 1 and usually in the 'bright' mode with that guitar (I like 'fat' with my strat but I change it up sometimes). Recently I've been getting into dialing in a brighter tone than I like and using the vol/tone knobs to tame the tiger.

It's a great setup for clean-ish and overdriven tones - or "big clean to breakup" as lesterpaul put it. I prefer that sort of a voicing with semi-hollow or hollow bodies. Nice to have options of course.

I'm not really into fusion, though I do have a couple Scofield albums that I dig. And medeski/martin/wood are great imo.

 

[bondy1978]

I play a 1971 355 through my studio 22. With the gain backed of to 2 on the overdrive channel it's an awesome blues/rock sound

 

[lesterpaul]

I play a 1971 355 through my studio 22. With the gain backed of to 2 on the overdrive channel it's an awesome blues/rock sound

a big hell yeah to that 8)

 

[Trey Blue]

I use a PRS Hollowbody II with my blue stripe MkIII. The controlled feedback is so smooth and everything I play comes out so clear (clean or dirty) that I almost never play my solidbodies anymore. I still love the solidbodies, but I'm just having too much fun with the Hollow.

 

[swbo101]

Question to you 335 owners out there. I bought one several years ago and mine has the newer "taller" frets. Most of my guitars are 30+ years old, back when the frets were "lower" and closer to the fretboard. I'm not sure if I like these newer ones, still thinking about having them changed.

Just want to get everyone's opinon.

Thanks

 

[lyman]

Question to you 335 owners out there. I bought one several years ago and mine has the newer "taller" frets. Most of my guitars are 30+ years old, back when the frets were "lower" and closer to the fretboard. I'm not sure if I like these newer ones, still thinking about having them changed.

Just want to get everyone's opinon.

Thanks

If you really don't like it and don't mind paying for a refret, go for it. Your opinion is what matters. It's really just personal preference and what you're used to. If you're not sure, try some guitars out side by side w/different fret sizes. It will be more useful than listening to my opinions, I guarantee.

 

[Don]

Question to you 335 owners out there. I bought one several years ago and mine has the newer "taller" frets. Most of my guitars are 30+ years old, back when the frets were "lower" and closer to the fretboard. I'm not sure if I like these newer ones, still thinking about having them changed.

Just want to get everyone's opinon.

Thanks

There's no reason to have the guitar re-fretted, just have the frets dressed lower.

I like 'em tall and skinny, myself.

 

[swbo101]

Thanks for the replys. I've brought it to one guy locally about dressing them down, and he felt that it wasn't a good idea. Thought I should leave it as is. There is another one I need to try, heard he's very good. I love the sound of the guitar, but just not used to those taller frets.

Thanks again.

 

[mikeyp]

I hear ya with the higher frets. You just have to be aware of your fret hand pressure or you'll push the strings sharp. I have a couple like this and do prefer medium frets. But I've adapted. There is no reason why you cant have them leveled lower.

 

[TTSTWO]

Back in the early 80's I owned a Cherry Red ES-335 copy, no brand name on the headstock or anywhere else and I never broke it open to find a brand name. Used to play it thru a crappy old tube amp (forget the make). It played and sounded great for a copy. It's on the list of never should have sold. Endless sustain. 8)

tt

 

[JT_Marshmallow]

Another hollowbody loving Boogie player here!

I love my Ibanez AS-80 (from back when the line was "Artstar" instead of "Artcore"). It's a 335 copy and has super buttery action like you'd expect from any Ibanez. It's got the wonderful Super 58 pickups which are incredibly Gibson-esque to my ears and fingers. When I was in a band doing a lot of John Scofield covers and other similar fusion stuff, I ran my AS-80 into my Boogie Mark IIA I had at the time. Scofield tone for days!

I always enjoy showing off the versatility of Boogie amps when I'm in a store like Guitar Center. Most people in there, employees and customers, are under the impression they are only good for metal. Just the other day I plugged a hollowbody Ibanez AF75 into a Rectoverb combo and played Jazz chord melodies and improv on it for 10-15 mins. I love the reactions - people walk by slowly, pretending to be looking at a piece of merchandise, but really are just listening to the wonderful tones I'm milking out of the thing. Eat that you narrow minded Boogie haters!