The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    Does anyone else prefer the tone of semi-hollow over a hollowbody archtop?

    I’m not talking about preferring a semi-hollow such as a 335 for its lower maintenance, versatility, ease of playing but purely the tone of one over an archtop. There’s nothing like an archtop for that woody low mid scooped sound but I’ve always actually preferred a semi-hollow electric sound in jazz and don’t know why…

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Similarly, I prefer older recordings with less clarity. Hearing the guy breathing or fingers sliding across the strings bothers me.

  4. #3
    Yeah haha. Same here

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by AllanAllen
    Similarly, I prefer older recordings with less clarity. Hearing the guy breathing or fingers sliding across the strings bothers me.
    We had a recording of a Cello concerto which was lovely- except for the creaking chair and snuffly breathing that screwed up the entire recording........

  6. #5

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    To my ears, archtops usually have "bigger" notes, meaning a bigger presence, more overtones. Also a very specific attack. This (along with tradition), make them ideal for mainstream jazz playing, where each note carries a lot of weight, and chords can often be two or three notes only.

    Semihollows are somewhere in between archtops and solid bodies. To me they excel in jazz styles that are complicated harmonically or melodically, or use effects. Generally in situations where you would want a more immediate and less complicated response from the guitar.

    I personally go through periods where I either play semis or full hollows, depending on mood and current musical projects. But with my current bands semis have mostly been a convenience thing for feedback and volume ease..

  7. #6

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    I grew up playing semi's. In fact, everyone played semi's in my old neighborhood in Chicago except one guy who played an archtop and his nickname was "The Cowboy" because so many C@W musicians played them, at that time, as well. So, semi's are the perfect jobbers' guitar and although they do not sound exactly the same as an archtop, if you buy a quality instrument and spend some serious time with the instrument understanding its nature and potential, and know how to tweak your amplifier, you can get some very fat sounds out of them with the added versatility that if you want to play some R@B/Funk you won't need another guitar. I've toyed with the idea at least a thousand times in the past but I've never pulled the trigger. I guess I'm just a Semi lover. Pix below: Original 1966 Gibson ES125TC one owner.
    Marinero
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  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by tss79772
    Does anyone else prefer the tone of semi-hollow over a hollowbody archtop?

    I’m not talking about preferring a semi-hollow such as a 335 for its lower maintenance, versatility, ease of playing but purely the tone of one over an archtop. There’s nothing like an archtop for that woody low mid scooped sound but I’ve always actually preferred a semi-hollow electric sound in jazz and don’t know why…
    Horses for courses.

    But how I have a 335 it allows my 175 to be itself, which is a snappy, percussive bebop machine, whereas before its lack of sustain always annoyed me.

    Meanwhile the 335 can do all the chimey,
    smooth and legato stuff. Both require a slightly different technique. It’s taken me a few months to get to the point where I feel I can actually play the 335 as well as I can an archtop.

    The 335 does a thing where really obvious stuff, basic chord and rhythm parts sound interesting and three dimensional. On the 175 things are punchy and direct.