Pegleg Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I keep coming back to this... I've had a Gibson LP Custom (1975)_and two different G&L Tribute Tele's (2011)... was thinking a Gibson ES model might be worth a try. Just want to add some variety. I play near zero lead licks, almost exclusively open/bar chords. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Peg... You didn't say what kinda music... Personally, I'd recommend some different stuff depending on what you're doing. Also, I think setup and strings and ... just plain, what do you feel physically comfortable with. But there are lotza different shapes that may better fit what you want to do - and there are lotza different types of tone one might get from all sorts of guitar/pickup combinations. That's why basically I'm looking for what kinda sound you want: 30s swing rhythm chording? 50s-60s country chording? Grass or Blues? You may find a new world with an AE that fits your schtick. I've several that can cover a whole world from certain types of blues to a bit of jazz to... whatever. Or there are lots of archtop variations with various sorts of pickup choices for different sorts of music. If you're scared of feedback 'cuz of what you're playing, look into something like an ES335. But bottom line is... whatta you really want? It sounds as if you don't want a board. A Gibson Midtown is a step up with a kinda board that looks like a semi; then there are the thin semis, then thin hollows... AE with dozens of pickup options... Then there are what strings do you want on what kind of a neck and... Sorry I ain't helping... but I think you're asking for too much input given too broad a specification. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 a couple in here , one of who was definately parlourman , said a while ago that the guild electric's were as close to playing an acoustic as you could get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I think you're on the right track when you mention the ES series. In the 70's I was a Strat and Les Paul player until I got my hands on a REALLY nice 335. I played that 335 for 20 years as my main gigging guitar in a blues band and a Motown/R&B show band. That 1975 ES-335 was the finest, and easiest, playing guitar I ever owned. I literally wore it out and had to replace it. I replaced it with an ES-345 which I am also VERY happy with. You can't go wrong, and won't be disappointed, with a nice 335 (or 345). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Depends on your perspective. And the acoustic. And the electric. And the music. And the strings. Some of the Epi Emperor series kinda feel like an acoustic. Gibbie and Epi both have some more or less large size boxes considered jazz boxes. The 1950s Gibson CF100E was shaped much like today's Epi PR5E but had a mag pickup - and both of these "feel" much like an ES175. Their basic shapes aren't at all that different from small-mid size acoustics. Take a 175 and it's several "different" guitars depending on whether you have heavy flatwounds or 9-42 rounds. OTOH if you're used to a jumbo or a dread, almost anything will feel a little odd, although the 335 or Epi Dot can fit the bill of basic shape. Just using the "nanomag," the Epi Masterbilt AE series can sound "electric" and get you into a dreadnaught/AJ style body. They also have a phase switch to help keep you from feedback hades. Some Gibbie AEs, I think, have similar setups - but how you run 'em through an amp can make a big diff too, along with different kinds of strings. Again, it's what playing you're doing... at least IMHO. Jazz/swing/rockabilly/country? A hollow archtop from a 175 to larger bodies. I personally love the 175. In the 50s and 60s the "jazz box" remained standard for a lot of rock and country as well as "pop" bands. It's just that the jazzers kept playing 'em and the more electrified folk tended toward less feedback for louder amplification. FYI, all my "acoustics" are AE and come in different sizes and styles dating from the first real AEs I'm aware of, the early/mid 1970s Ovations; I've a cupla jazz boxes and a thin body semi-hollow and just one solidbody, a 1970s S100c Guild that's kinda an SG. My cheapie dread-size 12 wears a mag pickup just like an electric. Heck, similar soundhole mag pickups might fill your bill, depending on lotza factors, though. Again, whatcha doing with it? Loud rock or country band? Consider feedback etc., etc. The AE boxes have different strings and I figure for different amp settings depending on what style music I figure to play. The jazz boxes have been used for everything from cowboy to rock to country to pop and jazz, but wear quite light strings I caress rather than beat uponst as though I were doing bluegrass backup. EDIT: Larry... Yupper, that semi is what I take if I'm going to do any sort of current "band" stuff regardless of style, especially in lousy weather. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Peg... You didn't say what kinda music... Personally, I'd recommend some different stuff depending on what you're doing. Also, I think setup and strings and ... just plain, what do you feel physically comfortable with. But there are lotza different shapes that may better fit what you want to do - and there are lotza different types of tone one might get from all sorts of guitar/pickup combinations. That's why basically I'm looking for what kinda sound you want: 30s swing rhythm chording? 50s-60s country chording? Grass or Blues? You may find a new world with an AE that fits your schtick. I've several that can cover a whole world from certain types of blues to a bit of jazz to... whatever. Or there are lots of archtop variations with various sorts of pickup choices for different sorts of music. If you're scared of feedback 'cuz of what you're playing, look into something like an ES335. But bottom line is... whatta you really want? It sounds as if you don't want a board. A Gibson Midtown is a step up with a kinda board that looks like a semi; then there are the thin semis, then thin hollows... AE with dozens of pickup options... Then there are what strings do you want on what kind of a neck and... Sorry I ain't helping... but I think you're asking for too much input given too broad a specification. m Yes, I'm with Milod here, we need a few more details or it could be any guitar.... I would add tall, short, fat, thin....Short Skinny with a hu----uuuuge guitar? BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Actually, I think PM meant Gretsch guitars. The way I see it if one of the worlds best rhythm guitarists Malcolm Young plays one, then they must be darn good rhythm guitars ! a couple in here , one of who was definately parlourman , said a while ago that the guild electric's were as close to playing an acoustic as you could get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 you may well be right EA sorry +1 for little malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I hadda nice orange Gretsch in the '70s. Disengaged the Bigsby whammy that most certainly is a Gretsch hallmark on its semis. Still never bonded with it and it went away a cupla swaps prior to ... the Guild solidbody and a bit after the two early AE Ovations. The steel string Electric Legend actually played quite a bit of "country" rhythm in saloons of the day. That's part of why I asked what kinda "electric" rhythm guitar... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Fields wide open. Semi-hollows add air to the mix (+)but humbuckers (ES335 etc)tend to clang not ching ( <_< ). That said, Tom Fogarty of CCR played his strums on Guild Semis & Bro. John F chorded a Paul. Gretsch semis go 'ching'. Ry Cooders fav for strum & chords. Fenders give you ching, seperation, balance, air. Choice of pick & finger men, James Burton to Richrd Thompson. Teles have the harder aggressive edge (D18-d28) Strats are a little softer, more transparent (J200) Rickys also go ching, especially the semis. Two words: Tom Petty A lot of it is in the amp. Go clean with a splash of reverb or chorus. Unless you are playing Poncho Sampredo to someone's Neil Young. In which case, turn it to '11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Love the electric to acoustic comparisement, very cool, and informative for somebody like me who is not that into electrics. So where does a Les Paul fit when making an acoustic comparisement, Advanced Jumbo, Songwriter ? Fields wide open. Semi-hollows add air to the mix (+)but humbuckers (ES335 etc)tend to clang not ching ( <_< ). That said, Tom Fogarty of CCR played his strums on Guild Semis & Bro. John F chorded a Paul. Gretsch semis go 'ching'. Ry Cooders fav for strum & chords. Fenders give you ching, seperation, balance, air. Choice of pick & finger men, James Burton to Richrd Thompson. Teles have the harder aggressive edge (D18-d28) Strats are a little softer, more transparent (J200) Rickys also go ching, especially the semis. Two words: Tom Petty A lot of it is in the amp. Go clean with a splash of reverb or chorus. Unless you are playing Poncho Sampredo to someone's Neil Young. In which case, turn it to '11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tafmutt Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I had similar requirements some years ago and had a limited budget. The Epiphone Sheraton worked out very nicely. Good luck. MJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 So where does a Les Paul fit when making an acoustic comparisement, Advanced Jumbo, Songwriter ? Songwriter sounds right. More overtones, less separation. Doesnt have a tight string (25.5-26.5), so not so much cut. Best case= john Fogarty, worst case Frank Sampredo. A Paul with P90s=more like an AJ, the balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjl200 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I found mine :) ....A ES335 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegleg Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Depends on your perspective. And the acoustic. And the electric. And the music. And the strings. Some of the Epi Emperor series kinda feel like an acoustic. Gibbie and Epi both have some more or less large size boxes considered jazz boxes. The 1950s Gibson CF100E was shaped much like today's Epi PR5E but had a mag pickup - and both of these "feel" much like an ES175. Their basic shapes aren't at all that different from small-mid size acoustics. Take a 175 and it's several "different" guitars depending on whether you have heavy flatwounds or 9-42 rounds. OTOH if you're used to a jumbo or a dread, almost anything will feel a little odd, although the 335 or Epi Dot can fit the bill of basic shape. Just using the "nanomag," the Epi Masterbilt AE series can sound "electric" and get you into a dreadnaught/AJ style body. They also have a phase switch to help keep you from feedback hades. Some Gibbie AEs, I think, have similar setups - but how you run 'em through an amp can make a big diff too, along with different kinds of strings. Again, it's what playing you're doing... at least IMHO. Jazz/swing/rockabilly/country? A hollow archtop from a 175 to larger bodies. I personally love the 175. In the 50s and 60s the "jazz box" remained standard for a lot of rock and country as well as "pop" bands. It's just that the jazzers kept playing 'em and the more electrified folk tended toward less feedback for louder amplification. FYI, all my "acoustics" are AE and come in different sizes and styles dating from the first real AEs I'm aware of, the early/mid 1970s Ovations; I've a cupla jazz boxes and a thin body semi-hollow and just one solidbody, a 1970s S100c Guild that's kinda an SG. My cheapie dread-size 12 wears a mag pickup just like an electric. Heck, similar soundhole mag pickups might fill your bill, depending on lotza factors, though. Again, whatcha doing with it? Loud rock or country band? Consider feedback etc., etc. The AE boxes have different strings and I figure for different amp settings depending on what style music I figure to play. The jazz boxes have been used for everything from cowboy to rock to country to pop and jazz, but wear quite light strings I caress rather than beat uponst as though I were doing bluegrass backup. EDIT: Larry... Yupper, that semi is what I take if I'm going to do any sort of current "band" stuff regardless of style, especially in lousy weather. m No jazz or blues... I play a variety of stuff from Jackson Browne to Jimmy Buffet to a host of different country songs to gospel to CCR to CSN&Y to AKUS to Eagles etc.etc.etc..... as far as what sound I want, I'd have to say it would be "vintage clean". I'm a flat picker, mostly strum, some travis picking. What I'm really wanting is some feedback/experience relative to an electric that plays/feels most like an acoustic, I'm "heavy handed" so I'm going slap 13's on whatever I get assuming the nut slots will accommodate. Yeah, I know, sacrilege in a lot of "circles", I've already been chastised for such folly, so save your key strokes... as much as I hate the notion, I probably just need to visit the local GC and try a few. Thanks for the replies/opinions though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Peg... The only guitars that feel and play much like an acoustic but sound like an electric are either an AE with a mag pickup setup of some sort or a full hollow, flattop or archtop - and the archtop will still feel a little funny. Been there, done that. A lotta jazz guys use heavy strings on their jazz boxes. A lotta rhythm guitarists over the years have used mag pickup setups of various sorts on flattops, too. Gibson had some of 'em available back in the early '50s. The 335 could probably handle what you're looking for as well as any more or less purely "electric" guitar. Gibbie, Epi and some others have combinations that allow you to use a flattop with a full system meant to play a magnetic and/or piezo pickup. Yup, both. If "feel" is your main schtick, you may consider that route, especially with the larger size flattops. Frankly I'm not sure you really will be happy with an "electric." Just an observation. Regardless, your string choices and picking style - and the amp you choose to use, however you choose to set it - will play a huge role the sound you'll get from any "electrified" guitar. That's why I have a batch of AE with variations of sizes, mag and piezo, a cupla full hollows, a semi that gets used a lot and a cherished Guild S100c 1970s SG clone - and different amplification setups. Here's a point on "feel." I started nearly 50 years ago with a classical guitar. The ES175 is about the same size, so is that PR5E Epi AE that's awfully inexpensive and worth its weight in gold for much of what I do. Nothing else I've played feels as comfortable as that general size and shape to me. Yet for what others in the herd can do, I wouldn't dump the big-body AEs, the semi or the Guild. Each has a place in my toolkit. Given I've kept some for more than 40 years of pickin'... pry 'em from my cold, dead hands only. Pay your money and take your choice. I have. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazerface Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Get a slab with a p90 or two...jr or jr special. I play 12s on mine, 13s should be no problem. Just get one with a TOM brodge and not a wraparound tailpiece, unless you get one thats set up for a wound G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyReb Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Pegleg....I was basically in the same situation as you not long ago. I'm a bluegrass and country player, and heavy handed with a guirilla grip. I'd always played acoustics with mediums. I bought a fender telecaster at one time and never could bind with it. It was so touchy and sensitive to my heavy hands I couldn't stand to play it. Finally I went round two looking for a electric that could handle me. I ended up with a Gibson Les Paul 50s tribute. It has a 50s fat neck profile and had a very sturdy feel to it, and isn't touch sensitive to my heavy handed ways. I play clean tone all the time.....heck I even flatpick bluegrass on it lol. The body surely doesn't feel acoustic but the neck makes up for it. Maybe you should try one with a 50s neck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I keep coming back to this... I've had a Gibson LP Custom (1975)_and two different G&L Tribute Tele's (2011)... was thinking a Gibson ES model might be worth a try. Just want to add some variety. I play near zero lead licks, almost exclusively open/bar chords. Any thoughts? An ES125 might be to your liking. It has a thick body and feels similar to an acoustic....?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 There's no "right answer" to this question, although it's a good question! The answers will be as many and as variable as people are. I play Gibsons almost exclusively for my acoustic arsemal, and I tend to favour rhythm playing, although I dabble in a bit of fingerpickin' stuff too. When I switch over to electric, it depends primarily on the role that I am filling at the time -- and to an extent, what 'tonal space' my head's in at the time. Most often, I tend to reach for either of my Rickenbackers (6 or 12), both being semi-hollow 360 models. They play very nice and are reasonably versatile tonewise, but obviously, they can't "do" everything. Every so often, for a switch, I'll go over to the semi-hollow Gibson ES-347, which has a fuller, rounder, ballsier sound. And then just for kicks, I like my early 70s Toyota hollow body thing, which is just a fun guitar too. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegleg Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 Thanks for your thoughts folks, differing opinions/experiences but reading back through the thread there does seem to be some consensus relative to a hollow body, either Gibson or Epi, Guild or Gretsch... the later prompted me to remember a former band mate who had a Gretsch Country Gentleman years ago..... he played a lot of country and Beatles music. I never got to play it because he kept it at his parents home in Kansas (it was a cherished instrument, I'm betting he still has it)... he played a Gibson SG standard on the road. Well, some food for thought.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 An ES125 might be to your liking. It has a thick body and feels similar to an acoustic....?? I am not sure about the ES125 for country strumming, Retro, but it sure is great for blues fingerpicking..... Some great guitars pictured above, and Milod I want your 175! Rare as hen's teeth down my way, which is why I grabbed my 125 at the pawn shop when it came past! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acousticworship Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Try an Epiphone Casino. It's a great rhythm guitar. The P90's bite and add some clarity, the hollow body give it some real depth and a 3-D quality. Plus you feel like John Lennon playing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Try an Epiphone Casino. It's a great rhythm guitar. The P90's bite and add some clarity, the hollow body give it some real depth and a 3-D quality. Plus you feel like John Lennon playing it! Do you mean a brand new Epi Casino, or a vintage one? (newish one for sale at my have pawn shop.) BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I love them all, from the Fenders thru the Ric's & the Gretsch's. Like my 61 Reissue SG too. But, I do love my Elitist Casino, Gretsch hollow body 5122DC (would like a Country Gent 6122 or a 6120 someday), & a Ric 330 about the best. The Ric's will give quite a bit of sound range as well as the Ric sound. Only a Gretsch w/ Dyna Single coil pups can sound some like that IMHO. The Casino is a wonderful guitar, light, fun and great to my ear anyway. Those make me feel close to an acoustic playing some. Like the stout neck on the Ric, how light the Casino & Gretsch is. You need to figure what you want to invest as well. The Gretsch 5122 is about $900 w/ case, and they go WAY up from there. Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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