The Affordable Semi/hollowbody Thread

BarleyCheech

A huge +1 for the Casino. They're not just for Beatles covers! With a bit of tap dancing I can skip between Young-esque screaming fuzz to a mellow jazz sound that's great for comping and back again.

siremoon

I've had mild to middling GAS for a semi for a while now but don't really want to stretch to Gibson prices.  The Epi 335/339s are ridiculously cheap and I've got into the mindset that at that price they can't be any good.  I know Epis are considered to be better these days but what's the general feeling on the 335/339?

dogload

If you fancy a Casino you might also want to consider the Peerless Songbird (or Revolution as it is now known).

If it's a reasonably priced Semi you're after, try the Hofner Verythin. They can be had quite cheaply, although I found that I had to replace the bridge pickup on mine as it was a bit woolly. FWIW I put an Iron Gear Alchemist HB-sized P90 in and it sounds brilliant. They look bigger than a normal semi, but are actually the same size, although (as the name suggests) they are indeed very thin, which may or may not contribute towards the very controllable and musical feedback that can be coaxed from it- very sing-y!

On the subject of the Peerless Songbird, I found the original pickups to be quite dark (when I received it, the previous owner had put on a set of flatwounds), so I replaced them with just a set of bog-standard Epi Casino ones and it is miles better. 

OilCityPickups

I had a Westone Rainbow 1 335 style copy in the early nineties ... that was a really nice instrument. Problem is it gets labelled 'rare and collectable' as it's Matsumoku and can get daft asking prices ... particularly on the flea bay.
I stubbornly maintain that the Artcore range, second hand, have got to be the best value around. Especially if you are looking for a fully hollow ... not something with a centre block. The consistency of the necks, precision of the inlays, general feel, and not really being a copy of anything are all in their favor. I paid £450 quid for both of mine in pretty well showroom condition ... and if you add in the cost of my pickups that's well sub £700 for two very giggable instruments, that look stunning to the audience as well.
New, I think the models with the better pickups are a better bet, obviously ... but I'm a cheapskate at heart ... and If I'd not been a pickup maker ... a pair of Irongear PAFs in a £250 Ibanez would have still floated my boat!

dogload

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I had a Westone Rainbow 1 335 style copy in the early nineties ... that was a really nice instrument. Problem is it gets labelled 'rare and collectable' as it's Matsumoku and can get daft asking prices ... particularly on the flea bay.

Yeah Westone Rainbows crop up like hens' teeth on ebay these days and as you say are a bit over-priced, although they are lovely instruments. I have one which is a bit of a beater (I've replaced the pickups and it has had various hole drilled in it etc) but I wouldn't sell it. 

If one of those ever comes your way for a good price, grab it!

dindude

Hopefully this qualifies, it was £800. I love my Midtown, it has tone for days.

Babones

rpr said:

I do like a bit of air in the guitar. here's mine -

The Hagstrom Viking is pretty reasonably priced. Mine's is the Rextone which has upgraded pickups and tone circuit ( and is in the classifieds cos i rarely use it). The standard model is a bit cheaper and well worth a look. 

Your guitar has nipples  )

TheOtherDennis

siremoon said:

I've had mild to middling GAS for a semi for a while now but don't really want to stretch to Gibson prices.  The Epi 335/339s are ridiculously cheap and I've got into the mindset that at that price they can't be any good.  I know Epis are considered to be better these days but what's the general feeling on the 335/339?

I think the one I have is excellent and Fretwired clearly likes his (although we've both upgraded the pups) and there's quite a lot of love on here for the Casino version.

IMO, if you can find a good Gibson, it will be so much more solid and hefty (not heavy necessarily, it just feels more properly built) than an Epi, but is the price difference worth THAT much given how good the Epis can be? I think you have to try them both to work it out for yourself, really.

ROOG

There is such a big gap in price between the Epi and the Gibson, if I could do the instrument justice I would buy the Gibson, not just because of the build quality but also because it would retain some intrinsic value.

I have spent a fair bit of time looking for semi hollow and hollow body instruments that fill the gap between the two extremes and found Peerless to offer an interesting alternative, I have a Gigmaster jazz. I also liked the Hagstrom Viking and Hofner very thin, recently spotted one of the latter in "Aroundabout sound" in Cheltenham.

RedRabbit

I'm not at home to take a picture of mine but it's identical to this one

http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/3123947/p6_u3wt1tvsf_so.jpg

Basher

dogload said:

If you fancy a Casino you might also want to consider the Peerless Songbird (or Revolution as it is now known).

Another contender in the budget Casino/ES330 type guitar is the new Ibanez ASR70. 

Given the love for the Artcore series on here I would be surprised if it isn't a decent guitar.

It's also nice to see something else with the fully hollow thinline + P90s spec and the price seems to undercut the Casino by about £100.

I'm not too mad on the rather "binary" nature of the black/yellow burst but these things often look much nicer in the flesh, where the gradient appears to be more subtle.

It would be interesting to hear if anybody's played one.

Jalapeno

Hofner Veythin / Verithin - been around for aeons.

Always been good value.

Longtallronnie

My brother has an Epi Dot which is lovely but I must admit, my Gibson Fat Neck 335 is an entirely different league. Given the new price is around six times the Epi it bloody well should be though!

Wasn't there a couple of Sheratons on here for sale? If I had the money I'd have been tempted. 

steamabacus

Nobody has mentioned the Hofner Verythin 'Contemporary'. When I bought my Ibanez AGS83B, it came down to a choice between the Ibanez and the Hofner.
The Hofner had a slightly wider nut width than the Ibanez and that's what swung it in the end. But the Hofners were very nice guitars (around £350 in 2008) and had decent pickups. Much better guitars, I thought, than the Epiphone Dots. The Dots were too heavily lacquered it seemed to me - I actually preferred the Dot Studios with the basic satin finish which allowed then to resonate a bit more.

4string

Interesting comments about the Rainbow 1, I had not idea they where 'sort after'. My first electric was/is a Rainbow 1 in burgundy with an increasingly aged cream binding, super slim neck - the slimmest I have ever played - and a brass nut. A while since I have played it (lives at my parents) but I seem to remember a useful cutting tone through the Sessionette 30 I bought with it. I must dust it off next time I go home...

OilCityPickups

My Rainbow was burgundy too ... lovely neck ... yes they seem to be attracting/suffering the same Japanese hysteria- particularly on the flea bay - that has hit some Westones, Vester, Fenix etc. Not that these are not excellent guitars ... just not really worth the silly money some sellers think they are.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-MATSUMOKU-WESTONE-RAINBOW-2-ES-335-MADE-IN-JAPAN-SEMI-HOLLOW-Birdeyes-/251328839211?pt=Guitar&hash=item3a845dbe2b
And it's not even the pretty one!

Phil_aka_Pip

Do those curvy Vox things count in this thread? And what about the Fret-King Elise?

dogload

steamabacus said:

Nobody has mentioned the Hofner Verythin 'Contemporary'. When I bought my Ibanez AGS83B, it came down to a choice between the Ibanez and the Hofner.
The Hofner had a slightly wider nut width than the Ibanez and that's what swung it in the end. But the Hofners were very nice guitars (around £350 in 2008) and had decent pickups. Much better guitars, I thought, than the Epiphone Dots. The Dots were too heavily lacquered it seemed to me - I actually preferred the Dot Studios with the basic satin finish which allowed then to resonate a bit more.

Yes they have!

badlydrawnbanjo

badlydrawnbanjo said:

chrisj1602;26572" said:

I like the Epiphone 339 and Casino.

I'm also waiting to see how much the Fender Coronado will go for.

Here you go, due next month. I'm going to get a Coronado I think....
http://www.soundaffectsmusic.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=coronado,+starcaster&order=relevance&dir=desc

Is £650 a bit expensive for a Chinese made guitar without a case (or even a gig bag by the looks of it)? 

OilCityPickups

I don't think I'd pay that for one ... but I'm naturally as tight as a fish's fundamental orifice.