karoo
Hi guys
I'm looking to buy a hollow body electric guitar. I want a semi 'cause I want the sound mixture between solid and hollow. I came across the gibson es137. Have any of you heard of this guitar? the only problem I have with it is that it costs a lot, but it has laminated top, back and sides as well as a 3 piece neck. I thought for the price it would at least have a one piece neck.
Your advice on other models will be appreciated.
Bob-Dubery
It would help if we knew where you are. That way if we think there's something that might be interesting to you we can direct you to a store in your town where you can try it.
And what sort of budget constraints do you have?
And my regular tip: look at good condition 2nd hand guitars. That's usually a good way to get more guitaring bang for your buck.
singemonkey
I'm not sure if that's typical for a 137 or not. Fact is that three piece neck construction was a luxury feature of '50s Gibsons. The cheaper Les Paul and ES335 models had one piece mahogany necks because they were cheaper - not because it was a superior construction. During the '70s most Gibsons had three piece neck construction - usually all maple - to try to reduce the disappointing tendency of Gibson necks to snap off in a stiff breeze. It didn't entirely work though.
ESP's fancy guitars still have three piece necks and headstock join volutes though.
So this is not a cheap feature.
When was the guitar made? What else are they saying about it? What's it going for?
karoo
I want something with a bit bigger body but not full hollow body. Don't laugh....I'm situated in Potch. So if i have to go view a guit i'll probably have to drive to jo'burg. The price needs to below about R15K. What do you guys think of buying a guit of ebay? how do I post an image?
Matt-White
Same goes for Ibanez: Their higher-end guitars have necks with multiple pieces, and the cheaper ones have one-piece necks.
BTW, dont discount the Ibbys. Always very good value for money, IMO.
In general: You will also have to decide what type of sound you want. I have a great Telecaster Thinline, which is a semi, but it obviously sounds totally different to eg. the Gibson or ESP mentioned here.
karoo
Do you know of any shops in pretoria or joburg where i can try various brands of semi-hollows?
MikeM
Music Connection, Marshall Music. Andy McGibbons. All within 15min or so of each other. Enough to keep you busy for a day or 5.
What do you want to play on this guitar? There's a very big difference between an L5 or ES135, an Es335 and something like a CS 336. Varying from Hollow-body electric to almost chambered electric.
I am sure if you suggest some music you plan to play on it, the folk here could give you a bit of insight as to what will work best for it (In terms of options, in the end it is up to you, but I think you're here to get a more informed opinion yes?)
Bob-Dubery
karoo wrote:
Do you know of any shops in pretoria or joburg where i can try various brands of semi-hollows?
Mike has already given you some names. I think you really need to refine your parameters a bit more. Different body shapes and constructions, different PUPs will all give different tones. There is no one "semi-hollow" sound.
Carparelli, for example, make some quite deep-bodied instruments with P90s on them, also a thinner but still hollow bodied guitar. So those are both semi-acoustics, but quite different instruments. Lots of things to look at. Make an early start and give yourself time to check out some instruments properly.
karoo
Just found some vidoes on you tube on the gibson 137. Seems like a guitar that can handle a lot of different sounds. It fits in quite well with the type of sound I'm looking for. No just to find one.... Here's the you tube link:
karoo
thanks for the replies guys, I think i'll go visit the shops mentioned and play with some guits and talk to the people there.
MikeM
Link is broken.
I don't mean to force some knowledge on you, but don't just get stuck on the first guitar you find. R15k is a reasonable amount of dosh and you don't want to just splash it out on the first thing you find.
Like I said, it'd be a very good idea to suggest what you'll be playing here as salespeople are usually pretty biased. But hey, your money! Enjoy!
karoo
I want a guit for lightish overdrive blues and rock tones. Solid bodies (eg. les paul) doesn't offer the smoothness and roundness of sound that hollows does. I won't be using it for jazz type stuff, that heavy round sound on the other hand is too much. So I thought that the semi-hollows will fit my style best. I want to play with as much different makes as possible before buying. I mean there's also gretsch that i'm dying to try. So I'm not set on buying the gibson es137, just from what i've seen/heard, it does sound impressive. What models does Jamaha offer that will fit this light overdrive/blues ?
karoo
sorry, here's that you tube link again
MikeM
Don't know about the Yamahas, but you seem to be going for the right thing. I'd try an Es335 (Or clone - one of the best guitars I have ever played is a cheap Tokai 335 copy) as well. They're less susceptible to feedback. Perhaps look at the brand Eastwood too. Very nice Jazzy guitars, McGibbons stock them.
karoo
whats great on the es137 is the vari-tone switch. it filters out certain frequencies. it also can come loaded with P-90 pick-ups or a 490R at the neck and a 498T at the bridge. What is the difference between these pick-ups?
Banditman
If you've got a limit of R15K, then you can get a lot of guitar for the money.
Try out one of the Tokai ES-335s. Even the entry level models are really nice (hard to believe they're made in China). Epi 335s and the Epiphone Sheraton II are also decent. Got my Sheraton for R3750.00 & it was fine as is, but is sounding better upgraded.
Ibanez do some decent semi-hllows, and the PRS SE mentioned is also a good 'un.
Wildcard try - Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline. Played one for the first time yesterday and really liked it. Light weight, easy to reach higher frets thanks to the nice mahogany set neck, ash body and two P90s.
Heck, stretch another 5 grand and you might be lucky enough to find a worn but solid Gibson ES-335.
karoo
but if i stretch R5K, is the gibson so much better than the rest? also, what do you guys think of buying off ebay?
MikeM
Shipping is a risk. And you don't get to try before you buy. If you're saving a bundle sure, but paying a bit extra for piece of mind can be worth it.
slyd
Matt White wrote:
Same goes for Ibanez: Their higher-end guitars have necks with multiple pieces, and the cheaper ones have one-piece necks.
BTW, dont discount the Ibbys. Always very good value for money, IMO.
+1 on the Ibanez! Check out the AS series . . . .awesome, with a coupley pup variations. One of my long-playing mate's
fave axes! ?
And you'll have leftover cash to splash on some decent accesories
IMHO :-[
http://www.ibanez.com/HollowBodyGuitars/Series-as
