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After playing multiple different styles of guitars I have found that for now, playing big bodied archtops might not be for me, at least for a main guitar. I simply play much slower and less comfortably than I'd like. At a recent trip to Guitar Center I've found that semi hollows are really comfortable to me as well as Ibanez's more recent small bodied, fully hollow, sound-posted models (AMH). I'm having a battle of my heart and brain so help me hash out these two models as one of these will essentially replace my hollow body as my 'main' guitar:
Ibanez AMH90
Pros:
- Ultra comfortable and lightweight (like 6lb I think, crazy lightweight) with a little body I can still wrap my arm around that I like
- Unplugged sound is great and superior to a semi hollow. Very resonant and lively, if just a touch boxy (I play 75% of the time unplugged)
- Neck was comfortable with good frets. Fantastic upper fret access
- Driving back from GC I thought about this model the most (has my heart)
Cons (more like doubts I need cleared up):
- Not sure if it's as 'future-proof' as a semi. If I start cranking gain or playing loudly is it going to feedback a ton or will the soundpost and/or body size kill that?
- Not 100% sure how warm of a sound I can get from this because of the small, fully hollow body. I would like, theoretically, to have the ability to get a super fat/dark sound similar to Pat Martino. I know the Super '58's will get me there, just not sure if the small/hollow body will hold me back.
- Neck dive (sort of). Playing seated is not a problem as my arm is around the body anyways which counteracts it. Not sure standing. I almost never play standing
Semi-hollows (would pick an Ibanez AS93)
Pros:
- 'Future-proof' and feedback resistant enough for anything outside of heavy metal. I feel if I got a semi-hollow, I really would not feel like I would need to get another guitar as this would have 90% of my bases covered. I may still GAS over the AMH90 I played though
- Ibanez neck is spec'd exactly the same between this model and the AMH90, so I'm 90% sure it would feel the same. The upper fret access is technically superior to the AMH90, but I found the lower horn on the Epi 335 I tried got in the way.
- Comfortable. Feels like a hollow body but without having my arm so far forward
- Unplugged I still get enough volume for ultra quiet, at home practice/noodling
- On paper, this one seems like the best choice (has my brain)
Cons:
- Did not try out this specific model, just a bunch of semi-hollows. So I am generalizing. I much prefer trying the specific guitar I play but this can be difficult, this is the biggest con as I would have to buy blind
- Weight
Note that I tried the AMH90 in person and the AS93 I did not. However, I tried a ton of semi hollows (played an Epi 335 for a long time, that was my favorite at the store) and found them all very comfortable for me and I love the stock Ibanez electronics (Super '58) which is why I chose that one. I liked both styles of guitar, and feel I would be happy with either. I could play equally fast on either. Price is not a concern as they are both around the same price. My biggest concern is, I don't want to find in some months time that I have accidentally handicapped myself by not making the best decision. I liked the AMH90 the most, but it's also the model I have the most doubts on.
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05-16-2024 09:58 AM
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A guitar finds you, not the other way round. Follow your heart.
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yes ! follow your heart ,
Originally Posted by docsteve;[URL="tel:1336426"
get that actual guitar you played
and loved , that actual guitar ….
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A nice and narrow problem to have. I've been super happy with my Epi ES-339 Pro, which is small in all three dimensions. And I've had great fun with my turquoise Epi Casino Coupe, equally small but even lighter.
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The cons on the AMH90 included some things you can test out.
Buy it with a return privilege and see if it feeds back, or isn't warm enough or if the neck dive bothers you.
And, if it does feedback, there are ways to address it.
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Super dark later Pat Martino tone is easy on any guitar- roll the tone knob virtually all the way off. In his later years, Martino played small hollowbody guitars. in his earlier years he used a full-sized archtop and a much brighter tone.
The sense of connection to the guitar is not logical or rational. But go with it. Unless you are standing in front of a very loud amp, I very much doubt feedback is going to be a problem. In front of enough amplification, a Telecaster will feedback. Neck dive is something you can only find out by putting a strap on it and standing up.
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I'd go with your heart and not overthink it. It sounds like the AMH90 has already grabbed you, so I'd go for it.
You can always sell it down the road if your requirements change. But I think spending time with a hollowbody you like is going to be a good thing.
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You're buying from GC, right? My suggestions would be either:
1. Buy one of each. Play them for 44 days, return the one you like less on day 45.
or
2. Buy one of each used and keep them both for not much more than one of them new (or return one on day 45 and keep the $300 you saved by buying used).
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Go with what feels and sounds the best to you. For years I played a 135 and found it more than acceptable for good old traditional jazz.
A few years ago I was able to get another 175 for a decent price, and while it’s my dream guitar, the 135 is still a guitar I will keep and play.
So many of the pros have played a semi and made it sing—Larry Carlton and John Scofield come to mind.
If I want to play unplugged, I actually get my flattop (Voyage Air OM model). For plugging in—the 175 or 135 work equally well.
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There are so many choices nowadays,like a Chinese Restaurant menu,Lol! I’ve been through so many guitars and I now play the Kiesel/Carvin Alan Holdsworth headless guitar as my main choice.
I never would have guessed it had I not needed a travel guitar. And though it’s not perfect, it works for me on all my gigs, sans acoustic gigs.
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The only reason I'd pick one over the other is if I'm going to play somewhere where feedback is a big concern. A semi-hollow-body will have less feedback issues. Or a hollowbody with no soundhole will do fairly well as well. Beyond that, really, it's about getting a guitar that speaks to you.
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There's a point where you feel certain options will work. You're at that point. Beyond that is something that happens with the bonding process: You become a player you or we could never imagine. You're ready to be there.
You'll be good with what seems right at the moment, and as for the reservations you have, they will become irrelevant as your musical style and playing style evolve with the guitar; you'll work with the perceived limitations and they will become strengths.
This isn't about narrowing the ideal instrument, it's about choosing a partner to explore the unexpected with. If you're excited and committed, it matters less about which choice you go with and more about looking forward to playing every day. Go with your imagination, imagine which you can be effortless with, and go for it.
I'm sure once you have either in your hands, you'll know you made the right choice. It's an instrument of music. Good luck!
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Guitar love is fickle. No one guitar will hold your heart forever. But when it does, you make your best music.
Get the one you clicked with. That is a great way to begin any romance.
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Thanks everyone, I'll keep all these comments in mind. I did really like the AMH90 but I do want something practical and they seem fairly inexpensive and still in production so if I end up making a more "sensible" choice I can always get one later. I suppose the same would be true for the AS93 as well. We shall see. In any case I think I've decided on at least keeping my current full hollow body so I'd like something to supplement that.
In any case, I will go back to GC sometime soon and try everything out again now that I've slept on it some. I've had it before where I'm totally enamored with a guitar only to come back and find I did not really like it anymore after some time away.
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So I did go back and the AMH90 they have is on clearance for a good price. I looked over a bunch of threads on here about these models and noticed some people mentioned that if their bridge is all the way down the action is still high, probably because of unseasoned wood drying out after the instrument is made. Unfortunately, the one I saw at GC also has this problem and there is no way the action could get lower and the neck was straight so I will have to scour online!
Fortunately, after playing a bunch more semi hollows I realized I do like them, but I like the AMH90 a good bit more. I was also surprised at the Ibanez AZES31 at how crazy good the neck and fretwork was and how cheap it was, about the only solid body I liked at all.
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Just to be sure, do make sure it's not due to an improperly adjusted truss rod. Improper relief can look like high action in some cases. Worth a look anyway. Press at the first fret and the 15th, is there a lot of string clearance between? Have them tweak with an allen wrench. If the action is high at the nut (not an uncommon complaint off the factory line), have the action taken down at the nut. There is a chance it will come in just fine...a chance, but worth the effort of inquiring about. Originally Posted by chris32895
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I did check all that, I've done plenty of setups at home. Nut was a little high, but nothing crazy. The neck was almost perfectly straight. Action was still really high and that bridge had not room left. The instrument was also quite dirty and on clearance so I am somewhat assuming someone bought it, realized the issue, and someone at GC said to put it on clearance. Oh well, it played well enough for me to realize I like the design of the instrument. Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
As luck would have it I found one on Reverb with a case for about the same price as the one on clearance so I went ahead and bought that one! Apparently it has a chunkier neck which I like and I verified with the seller that the bridge has room to go down. Fingers crossed
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Technically speaking the AMH90 is a semi hollow as it has a big chunk of wood under the TOM style bridge the connects the top and back. It is sort of like a smaller version of a Casino, but with a different pick-up set-up and smaller body.
When you get into these smaller semi-hollow guitars, sustain is their main strength and that normally is the deciding factor for them.
With full hollow bodies, tone is your primary concern. Feedback will always be an issue, and it gets down to amp placement in relation to the guitar and your volume level. One guitar cannot, and will not cover every situation. Take the ES-175; it has a thicker top to reduce feed back, but that also kills it's unplugged tone as do the pick-ups in the top. So even though it is a full hollow body, it would be a lousy choice for someone who plays it acoustically 90% of the time. Plugged into Twin or Deluxe Reverb however, its a monster. I have an ES 175 and will never let go of it, but for unplugged playing I use a Epi Emperor Regent, it has a floating mini bucker, and spruce top that sounds great.
I am surprised you did not mention how it sounded plugged in because that is really important. The amp is 50% of your sound and makes a huge difference. Everyone knows that a cheap guitar can sound good through a top shelf amp, but a great guitar will sound like crap through a cheap amp. Most of these under $1K guitars have decent, but not great pick-ups and upgrading them can make a huge difference. For example, I put Gibson PAFs in my MIK Epiphone Sheraton, and they transformed it into a wonderful tone machine that just oozes soul.
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The guitar's plugged in sound was great, which is why I didn't really mention it. The Super '58 pickups with Ibanez's stock harness work perfectly for me. I run my guitars through a Quilter Superblock US into a TOOB 6.5GP. I also played a different guitar into my amp setup which has the exact same electronics and it sounded great. I didn't like the guitar (an Ibanez AR420) so I returned it and decided I wanted something else with the Super '58's as I liked them Originally Posted by jaymen
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Alright just got this delivered today, so here are my thoughts.
Mine was a used model so I'm not sure what the factory setup is like for these but mine has a perfectly cut nut and outstanding frets, totally smooth. It's possible mine had luthier work done to it before I bought it. I did try heavier strings (11's, roundwound) and found the guitar did not take to them well so I went back a gauge to NYXL 10's and the guitar really bonds with those, I may go lighter in the future. I will say the other AMH90 I tried at GC one time did have the bridge issue, but the frets were equally as playable.
I'm a bit on the fence about this one. I initially tried and really liked one at GC but like I said above, it had issues with the bridge not being able to go down all the way so I passed. However, that was the reason I got into this model in the first place. The neck on that one was thinner and therefore the guitar was overall lighter and balanced better. The one I just got delivered has a chunkier neck, which is fine in it's own right and very comfy, but the neck dive is much more noticeable as a result. However, this version I have in every other regard is ultra clean and it plays really really well. Still, a well balanced instrument to me is more important as fretwork can always be patched up.
The seller has a return policy and I'm going to play around with it today, see if I'm going to keep it or send it back.
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you’re narrowing it down which is good
you like that model
just a matter of finding one you like
without the neck dive issues
some people have swapped the bridge
for a shorter one to get the action
correct
a bit of a drag , but I’ve done plenty
of mods to my main guitar to get it
how i like it ,
IMO it’s worth the faff to get a guitar
that works correct for you ….
then you can forget all about the
details and just play !
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I totally agree but I'm trying not to be too picky. But years of trying tons of gear has led me to this point for a reason. I do really like the AM body shape, which makes me think if I got something similar but that is semi hollow rather than full hollow I may be happier. I'm going to give it another day/night and see what I want to do Originally Posted by pingu
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Can anyone date this? goodwill epiphone
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