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I desire: a hollow body with mini humbuckers, thinline. Maybe 330-esque. Basically I want a versatile guitar that has a very good clean sound and doesn't get 60hz hum. Don't care if it's solid or laminate. Budget is flexible, if it's a keeper I'll sell a bunch of gear to make it work.
Important: I don't like the muddiness of typical humbuckers. Want something that doesn't necessarily sound like a fake single coil, but maybe like a low wind PAF sound would work well for me.
Compromises I'm considering: a semiholllow if it has a nice complex sound that approximates the hollow sound.
Current Candidates:
- Collings i-30LC (and then swap out the p90s for dogear mounted lollar mini humbucker).
- Collings i-35LC it's a semi but does it have a good enough plugged in sound? I want something lively with an acoustic quality.
Excluded Candidates:
- Gibson es 390. I bought this and am returning it. This guitar is awesome on paper and the pickups are pretty good. But 21st century Gibsons suck and it has a bad fret. I haven't seen a $500 Eastman with anywhere near as bad QC.
- Seventy Seven: I just don't like their aesthetics.
- Sadowsky SS-15: Don't want poly finish and sound examples sound bland and too thick. Cliche modern jazz tone to my ear.
What other candidates are there?
If I can get something in black, walnut, or violin finish, that could be cool. I'm getting tired of jazz guitars only coming in sunburst.
Another question: do I even need it to be hollow?I keep wondering if hollow has any effect on the plugged in tone. Whenever I plug my tele in I am reminded about that gorgeously complex acoustic twangy tone and start to think hollowness doesn't matter. But then I plug in my hollows and get convinced otherwise. I'm convinced this is all in my head to justify the arbitrary GAS.
Thanks everyone.
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02-20-2019 07:29 PM
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Are humbuckers a requirment for sure? I had an ES-125TDC a couple of months ago that was loaded with Lindy Fralin noiseless P90s that sounded amazing.
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epiphone sorrento ?
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Epiphone Johnny A. Ltd. Ed. It has full size p'ups (Gibson Classic 57s) but with a long scale 25.5 neck it has more twang when needed. Also does jazz very well. Ignore if the Bigsby turns you off, but its a great git.
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I don’t want to swap pickups on a vintage guitar, and I would be concerned about nut dimensions on Gibson 125 tdc. I own an ES 225 TD already so I don’t want to go down that road with a less attractive and modified guitar.
A vintage sorrento seems ok but same concern about nut dimension.
A contemporary Epiphone is outside of the lower end of the budget. Also that sound clip turned me off.
Has anyone played the Collings guitars I mentioned? This really has my attention, but I’m afraid those pickups might be too muddy:
I really wish Collings made the i30LC with mini humbuckers. The Gibson 390 that’s waiting to go back to GC ticks so many boxes but it just feels cheap and has shoddy workmanship.
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did you hear the clips of mine? i've never played a semihollow that had this much of an acoustic sound...
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That one sounds nice Jack, but I just don’t like the look of 77s. Shallow of me, I know.
If anyone can point to something without a sunburst you get bonus points.
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I know there are contemporary builders making guitars like this: Schottmüller, Moffa, Buscarino, VB. I think VB and Moffa guitars are hideous. The Buscarino prodigy looks cool but these boutique ones are hard to find and I hesitate to place a custom order. I want to get my hands on something first to make sure it suits me.
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I’m sorry my point wasn’t really about modifying a vintage guitar, it was more about noiseless P90s. I thought of it since you mentioned putting dog ear mini humbuckers in a guitar.
The ES-125TDC I was talking about just happened to have the Fralins in it. FWIW, it was also a 1960, so it had a 1 11/16” nut.
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A 1961 Blonde sorrento looks pretty decent but people are asking for outrageous prices for that. The sunburst ones just aren’t attractive.
Originally Posted by pingu
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I have a CP Thornton Professional which is a 14” semi-hollowbody made by luthier Chuck Thornton. It does much of what you describe that you are seeking. Being made from solid woods (bigleaf maple top and a honduran mahogany body) it definitely has a warm, woody tone. I had mine built with a 1-11/16” nut and a 25” scale. Lollar Imperial Low-Wind humbuckers with a 5-position switch so I get three clear, warm humbucker positions as well two coil tapped positions. It is one of the most versatile guitars that I have played. It weighs 6 lb. 14 oz.
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it looks like a 335, how can you not like that? lol Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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An Eastman T146 might work for you. It's 1.75" at the rims, solid carved top, and the Armstrong pickup in it, if properly wired, gives a tone somewhat close to a single-coil, but quiet. You can get a used one for a reasonable price. IMO, one of the better values available.
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No Eastmans. I love the 1 3/4” nut but the necks are too slim.
Jack, it just doesn’t haven’t the mojo. It looks just close enough to the 335 that the subtle differences start to bug me. Same reason I dislike Heritage’s take. Collings diverges more tastefully, in my opinion. This is entirely subjective of course.
sorry for being such a princess, everyone.
That Thornton looks really cool. Reminds me of my Grez Mendocino which is a phenomenal instrument. The gold foils on it get the hums though. Maybe I need to make the drive up to Petaluma to try out that Mendocino with humbuckers that he has for sale. Grez is seriously impressive stuff, which brings me to my next point:
more boutique suggestions and fewer big box / factory suggestions please. I have heard of Epiphone, 77, And Eastman. Looking for more rare things like that Thornton. Yanuziello is another builder I have been super curious about.
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QAman, wanna get your input here, I feel like you know my taste pretty well. I’m thinking of making a trip to the northeast to visit some shops around NY and MA.
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I feel like I could live with the bigsby on something this cool.
Last edited by omphalopsychos; 02-21-2019 at 12:21 AM.
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A nice 330 is the bee's knee's. Gas on
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+1. Originally Posted by Longways to Go
But, If you factor in it needs "MoJo" and "more boutique suggestions and fewer big box / factory suggestions please" and no thin Eastman necks...
That puts out the relatively inexpensive ES-330 of 2018 ("But 21st century Gibsons suck") with HB's and a medium chunky neck. With one of these and a pup change from the BB's it should be ideal. But as it is, I got nothin' :-)
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I have a D'Aquisto Centura DQ-CRE, which has nice acoustic tone in it. Thinner than 335, slightly bigger than les paul, and super light. I think it's discontinued though.
Last edited by takauya; 02-22-2019 at 02:08 AM.
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I have a Mirabella thin-line hollowbody incoming. Carved spruce top; 1-3/4" neck width, 25 - 1/2" scale; Lollar Imperials; coil splitting; bone nut; steel/ebony/bone bridges. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
I'll let you know how well it can capture the classic hollowbody archtop vibe.
AlbertLast edited by AKA; 02-21-2019 at 02:36 AM.
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Too bad you didn’t like the 390. I really like mine. Supposedly it had a pro set up before I got it so maybe the frets were leveled. You must have gotten a “Friday” guitar because mine looks and plays like whoever built it cared.
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Why not have your Grez modded with new pickups?
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Incoming. Hope it sounds as good as it looks. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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A Gibson es 175T in wine or walnut might be worth considering. I couldn't afford one, so I got an amber 1962 Epi Sorrento 50th anniversary reissue instead.
Last edited by cosmic gumbo; 02-21-2019 at 05:40 AM.
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I too get tired of looking a gits in the very boring tobacco, or "Vintage" burst, unless Heritage or sometimes if Ibanez did it, and being less sensitive to color opens up a whole world of buying possibilities. In the 60's (in my crowd) the Gibson Cherry sunburst was considered "girly" :-) I bet anyone who hung on to a late 50's CSB LP is having the last laugh. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
Does hollow vs. solid vs. semi make a difference? Play a Gibson Les Paul ES and any other Les Paul, or an ES-330 and ES-335 (Sorry this is the only maker I have wide experience with) and the answer to that question (to me) becomes abundantly clear... yes. Sure there are demos all over with "blind" tests to pick out a body style, but a famous player when asked about solid body gits...
"if he ever tried playing solid-body guitars again, he said "solid bodies are strange to me, I need to feel the body"
Nuff said Mr. Hall.
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