Ok so you play guitar or are looking to learn….but which guitar do you buy? It’s a question that guitarists the world over ponder time and time again.
Sure there’s the ever greens such as the Fender Stratocaster or the Gibson Les Paul and their inexpensive copies. But that’s a well trodden path – what you want is a little character a little something that makes you stand out – what you want is a hollow body semi acoustic.
Why a semi acoustic?
Ok for starters a Semi Acoustic looks the business. Take a look at a Gibson 335 with it’s smooth double cut away design and it’s elegant curves. When you step on the stage with a semi acoustic people notice. Take a look at a Strat or a Les Paul then take a look at a Semi – there’s a stark difference first off, semi’s are big but more importantly they are much lighter than their solidbody, comfortable to play and pack a punch in the sound department.
Their sound
Coupled with it’s looks hollow-bodies have a great range of tone and musical capability. From the Epiphone Casino’s beautiful Jazzy tone to the Epiphone Wildkat that packs a rockabilly punch theirs a broad range of tones that can be generated. Hollow bodies traditionally come with two Humbucker pickups. Typically the bridge pickup can produce some great rock and roll tones whilst the neck pickups are great for jazzy Charlie Christian licks.
Their price
Although for a fully fledged Gibson 335 you may need several thousand dollars, these days there are a variety of budget alternative hollow body guitars. For example Epiphone make the Epiphone Wildkat which features a Bigsby style tremolo system for around $500. Other manufacturers such as Vintage and Ibanez all produce very good imitations of their more expensive counterparts at a much reduced price. If you shop around you’ll surprised at what you can afford.
Versatility
Hollow bodies are extremely versatile and lend themselves to a wide range of musical styles for example - Chuck Berry style Rock and Roll (Gibson 335), BB King style Blues (Gibson 335), Chet Atkins Country (Gretch Country Gent), Alt-Rock Noel Gallagher (Epiphone Sheraton) and finally 60’s Pop (John Lennon – Epiphone Casino) semi’s lend themselves to a range of musical styles.
Their tradition.
Hollow body guitars were some of the first electric guitars manufactured. Epiphone were making adjustable pole pickup semi acoustic guitars in the 1930’s so they have a long and proud history.
So the next time your thinking of getting a new guitar – sure a Stratocaster is nice and a Les Paul has finesse but if you want a great guitar, with great looks sound and versatility look no further than the hollow-body semi acoustic guitars at your local store.
ShanzuGuitars.com . The site offers the latest guitar news, resources, tools and tips for budding guitarists everywhere.
Written By: Adrian Martin
