Help me buy a hollowback

[jazzpazz]

delete

[lammie200]

I like the Guild A-150 Savoy in that price range. Epiphone Joe Pass may be another to consider.

[rlrhett]

Wes played, IIRC, a Gibson L5 and later a Gibson ES-175 through a Fender Deluxe. These are very expensive, almost fetishized, guitars now.

There are people who believe only a 1963 Gibson L5 that some collector paid $35,000 will get you the sound, others believe a $350 Squire Telecaster will work just as well.

I love a full 3” deep archtop. I don’t know that I can’t get the sounds I want from a cheap slab guitar, but an archtop inspires me with its physical beauty and the way it feels in my hands.

In that price range, a used Epiphone ES 175 Premium might fit the ticket. It will be very similar in size and feel to what I imagine Wes would have played without being some insane fortune. There are Easmans and Ibanez that are also in that price. They have their own subtly different feel and tone.

But you may actually not enjoy playing a big jazz box. The right neck pickup on a Tele might be a better fit. I know you said it is hard to find a lot of guitars in your country, but you really will do yourself a favor by trying different guitars to see what fits you. Perhaps if you get a chance to travel to Germany or the UK you can try some out.


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[Peter C]

The whole Ibanez range, all good guitars:
Jazz Guitars – Thomann Norway

[rlrhett]

If you are just starting out, I would have to recommend one of the surprisingly good Chinese guitars sold on Amazon. Delivered to your door, hassle free returns, and you can get surprisingly good guitars for half your budget. The problem with cheap Chinese guitars is that you can always get a bad one. Using Amazon makes returns easy if you do.


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[John A.]

FYI there's no such thing as a hollowback guitar (I'm guessing that's some sort of mistranslation from Norwegian?). There are solidbody, hollowbodiy (also called archtop) and semi-hollowbody. There's also no such thing as one guitar being more "authentic" than another for jazz. If it sounds good to you, it is good. It doesn't matter how it's shaped. It doesn't have to be hollow. Solid and semi-hollow are fine, too.

Some specifics:

- I haven't played that particular PRS, so I can't comment on it beyond saying that in general PRS SE models are good guitars and a good value. If it has a neck pickup, it'll work.
- Epiphone ES-175 Premium -- those are nice guitars and well worth considering, but they're not made anymore so you won't find a new one (which you say is important to you).
- I agree with Peter about Ibanez. You can't go wrong with any of those on the Thomann site.
- Consider the Godin 5th Ave Kingpin I had one, and liked it very much.

Also, maybe post a list of the guitars that are available to you, and people can give opinions on those.

[m_d]

Just a though, maybe you could ask Morten Faerestrand. He's a really good player from Norway and used to do all sorts of useful YouTube content, including on gear.

[ccroft]

I'll second the Godin Kingpin. Perfectly playable hollow guitar and a great buy, but I'd say OP wants something with a hum bucker from what he says. Epi or Ibanez would probably make him happier. Also the new D'Angelicos.

But the Godin is great. It's money well spent and I'll keep mine, even though I have other instruments that I prefer. Might be a good starter if he can't find something else in his price range.

Here's a good primer on hollow backs ;) if he hasn't seen it. Not sure the price guidelines are up to date:

Jazz Guitars Buyer's Guide - The Best Guitar For Jazz [2021]

[AllanAllen]

My knee jerk recommendation is Epiphone, they just reissued the Broadway.

Of the guitars you borrowed, which was your favorite? With that info we can point you in the right direction.

[Little Jay]

For Wes-type of sound I think a humbucker guitar is the easiest way to go.

Since I bougth my Ibanez AF55 - the cheapest hollowbody in their catalogue - I am a fan: they play well, sound good and look the part. Their quality control is very good. And all of that for small money.

Should you consider an AF55: you can gig with it right out of the box, but it’s a great platform for modding it as well, so it could serve you for years to come. Check my elaborate thread about that…..

[John A.]

Hollowback is just my autocorrect going crazy when typing hollowbody

Ive canceled my order on the rps hollowback. It's probably a good guitar, but not a hollowback for jazz. As it's just a normal electric guitar hollowed out.

Archtop is definitely what I want. Im thinking about buying this cheap Epiphone Joe pass guitar emperor ii I see available. Which I can later resell or keep, as this madness will grow on. So I can develop my style and skills. Then I know more about which guitars I like and don't later down the line, when im getting a more expensive better one.

As ive learnt much more since I made this thread. Im pretty sure the goblin with its p90 won't give me that Wes sound?

Wes's sound came much more from the playing with his thumb than from the gear he used, and in fact a lot of his recordings were done with an L5 with P90s (e.g., the early organ trio albums). P90s sound great. The only real drawback is that they can be a lot noisier than humbuckers, but there are ways to mitigate that. This recording is a Godin Kingpin with a P90

[mr. beaumont]

Im thinking about buying this cheap Epiphone Joe pass guitar emperor ii I see available.
As ive learnt much more since I made this thread. Im pretty sure the goblin with its p90 won't give me that Wes sound?

The Epiphone and the Godin are good choices.

The Wes sound is definitely in the thumb. Actually, I think you can hear on the recordings that if someone picked up his guitar and played it through his amp settings with a pick, it would be bright and shrill.

[Sleeko]

Guild X-150 Savoy may fit your budget. It's an entry model that doesn't feel like one. Mine is Corona made USA.

[Alder Statesman]

Just another suggestion. D’Angelico Throwback Style B. If you can find one instock at your local GC it is $1150 with case. (Online they are $2k.) I really like mine.

[John A.]

Just another suggestion. D’Angelico Throwback Style B. If you can find one instock at your local GC it is $1150 with case. (Online they are $2k.) I really like mine.

OP is in Norway.

[BreckerFan]

Peerless guitars may be worth a look too. I had a Monarch for a while, which is all solid wood (pressed rather than carved). They're a little smaller in depth and overall body size than full 17" Gibson archtops, so acoustically not as lively, but a little more comfortable to play. They're over $1k new, but I got mine used for about $800