1 Topic by Tenement Funster (edited by Tenement Funster 2015-12-14 13:38:07)

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Topic: Hollow-Body Tryout

I've been eye-balling a pretty Ibanez AG95 hollow-body for a while, and decided to rent one for the weekend for a tryout:

http://blog-imgs-38.fc2.com/m/i/d/midnightfriend/s-AG95_DBS_12_02_s.jpg

This is smaller-bodied than the average jazz box, and also has a floating bridge which isn't pinned. And the sound quality aligned with these factors. It's very thin sounding, with a shallow bottom end and very little resonance. It also has a very low level of sustain, and required retuning several times. I'm taking it back today, and will have to keep searching, I guess. I'm thinking a bigger / deeper body with a centre-block, and the next tryout will likely be an Epiphone ES-175. They have a new version on the market, and it has genuine Gibson Classic '57 pickups in it ... here's hoping. I'd like to keep it under $1,000, so can't afford a Gretsch ... which would be my preference.

  • Zurf
  • Zurf
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  • From: Virginia, USA
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Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

It's awful pretty, though.

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
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  • From: Probably Somewhere
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Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

Are you interested in a semi hollowbody or just the deeper type?

  • badeye
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  • From: Cape Breton Island, Canada
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Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

Beauty TF,   go for the Gretsch...   ya....




lol   badeye     cool

one caper after another

5 Reply by dino48 (edited by dino48 2015-12-15 02:27:29)

  • dino48
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  • From: los banos,california
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Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

badeye wrote:

Beauty TF,   go for the Gretsch...   ya....




lol   badeye     cool

Good archtops. I have a Espana  175 copy and it sounds fantastic,it also has asuper fast neck and you have a zero fret/nut and adjustable bridge. I can play the B and F chords as easy as a C or D.The pickups were not good so I had them replaced at a low price.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman

6 Reply by Tenement Funster (edited by Tenement Funster 2015-12-15 02:27:06)

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

Thanks ... I definitely need a bigger / deeper body to get a more full sound from it. I tried one of the low end Gretsch's ($1,000) and those black-top Filter-Tron pickups didn't really turn my crank. I fooled around with a few at the shop today, and it's narrowed down to these two:

1) Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin c/w P-90 pickups:

http://www.soundhouse.co.jp/images/shop/prod_img/g/gg_032334k.jpg

2) Epiphone ES-175 Premium c/w Gibson Classic '57 pickups

http://images.epiphone.com.s3.amazonaws.com/Products/Exclusives/2014/ES-175-Premium/ES175Prium_VS_Splash.jpg

Both are around $1,000, and both sound / play terrific. Even though the P90's and the 57's are completely different pickup, they both sound very good. Gotta save some more dough first, but it'll likely be one of these two ... although I am leaning towards the Epiphone. Doing tryouts / comparisons is half the fun of getting a new guitar!

  • From: The Land Of Song
  • Registered: 2007-12-10
  • Posts: 5,704

Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

i'm a gentleman and i prefer blondes...so it's the epi for me

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

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  • From: massachusetts
  • Registered: 2010-10-18
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Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

Does it have to be brand new?? Could you find a better used one for the same money??

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  • dino48
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Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

That's got too be a hard choice,I am glad its not me.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman
  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Hollow-Body Tryout

joeyjoeyjoey wrote:

Does it have to be brand new?? Could you find a better used one for the same money??

Good suggestion, JJJ ... I'd love to find a used Gretsch for under $1,000!

We are a sparsely-populated rural area, and there aren't the pawn shops and flea markets here that you have. We only have one city in the entire Province of Nova Scotia, and it's half the size of Boston, with only a couple of quite scummy pawn shops. So instead, I check the online market called KIJIJI once in awhile, but most of what goes on there for sale isn't worth much.