Spike.53 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm new here and a just starting out blues player. I'm learning on a Strat but it seems like more and more I see the semi hollow used for playing blues and I'm starting to wonder if I should not have started out with a semi hollow. They cost considerably more than a Strat, I'm wondering if I should have started out on a semi or if I should sell my Strat and buy a semi hollow. Any advice from an experienced blues man out there? Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffery Smith Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm new here and a just starting out blues player. I'm learning on a Strat but it seems like more and more I see the semi hollow used for playing blues and I'm starting to wonder if I should not have started out with a semi hollow. They cost considerably more than a Strat, I'm wondering if I should have started out on a semi or if I should sell my Strat and buy a semi hollow. Any advice from an experienced blues man out there? Michael Lots of blues players out there with semi-hollows. The Epiphone Sheraton and the Dot are both capable performers, and are very reasonably priced. If you like the sound of P90 pickups, the Epiphone Riviera is a good choice as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Do NOT sell your Strat! "The Blues" is a genre! Your Strat is more than capable of rendering great Blues tones! As is (frankly) any other guitar. It's all in the heart, mind, and "fingers" of the player! Having said that, Jeffery is right...Epiphone makes some great and affordable semi-hollow bodies, that will more than fit the bill. Check out the ES-339's as well, for a smaller bodied semi-hollow. Try out, as many as you can. There will be one, especially, that has the right combinations, for YOU! Cheers, CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 A plethora, of Epiphone Semi-hollow body models, to choose from: http://www.sweetwater.com/c592--Semi_hollowbody_Guitars?params=eyJmYWNldCI6eyJCcmFuZCI6WyJFcGlwaG9uZSJdfX0 Or: http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Electrics/Archtop.aspx Have fun, browsing! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve112 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm new here and a just starting out blues player. I'm learning on a Strat but it seems like more and more I see the semi hollow used for playing blues and I'm starting to wonder if I should not have started out with a semi hollow. They cost considerably more than a Strat, I'm wondering if I should have started out on a semi or if I should sell my Strat and buy a semi hollow. Any advice from an experienced blues man out there? Michael Don't sell your Strat, blues sounds great on them, think SRV, Buddy Guy, KWS etc. Likewise on semi and full hollow-bodies, just different from Strats. My main guitar is a Strat but I also have a Dot with a pro setup that plays as well as my three previously owned Gibsons. No need to spend a boatload of money when there are a number of good Epiphones to choose from. You'll just have to play as many as you can to find the one that fits. http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Electrics/Archtop.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc3c46 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I'm new here and a just starting out blues player. I'm learning on a Strat but it seems like more and more I see the semi hollow used for playing blues and I'm starting to wonder if I should not have started out with a semi hollow. They cost considerably more than a Strat, I'm wondering if I should have started out on a semi or if I should sell my Strat and buy a semi hollow. Any advice from an experienced blues man out there? Michael Buddy Guy + Strat = Blues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Do NOT sell your Strat! "The Blues" is a genre! Your Strat is more than capable of rendering great Blues tones! As is (frankly) any other guitar. It's all in the heart, mind, and "fingers" of the player! Having said that, Jeffery is right...Epiphone makes some great and affordable semi-hollow bodies, that will more than fit the bill. Check out the ES-339's as well, for a smaller bodied semi-hollow. Try out, as many as you can. There will be one, especially, that has the right combinations, for YOU! Cheers, CB THIS!!!! You can play just about any genre of music on any guitar, and there are a ton of players of all genre's using all sorts of guitars. As CB said, it's in the player, not the guitar. That said, I have really gravitated to semi hollows over the last few years. Mostly, I don't get along well ergonomically with my Strat, and the LP gets a bit heavy over the long haul, so semi's & hollows for me mostly, and yep, Epi makes some very attractive models from a feature/price point of view, as do several others as well. As CB said, try out as many as you can. Long story short though, it isn't the guitar itself, it's how you use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 definitely keep the strat if you can. depending on your budget, and how much patience you have for Ebay or locally, craigs list, if you can scrape up about 250 to 300, you can easily get a 339 or 335 epi semi hollow. the 335 pro, which looks pretty sweet, is around 500 new.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias Graves Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Keep your strat. Buy an ES-339 Pro. I got this one new on sale for $350. Can't beat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Keep your strat. Buy an ES-339 Pro. I got this one new on sale for $350. Can't beat it. Nice One!! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matonanjin Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 First off, to echo what Charlie Brown said, do not sell your Strat!!! The Strat seems to have worked for Clapton, SRV, Walter Trout, Hendrix and a few other blues guys that maybe you have heard of. But back to the semi-hollow, I also decided to go that route. Not because of musical reasons but for medical ones. Due to two spinal surgeries my neurosurgeon put me on a very strict weight lifting restrictions. I'm going to start a NGD thread but last Sunday I picked up this Epiphone Casino Coupe. I looked at a lot of other more expensive semi-hollows, especially Gibson, but picked this up in my local guitar store and the search was over. It is light and the 339 size is perfect for me. And it was reasonable. Fortunately, when I stumbled into the store, completely unknown to me, they were having some sort of "Reopening Sale". They've been there in that location for decades but I didn't complain. With the 15% off and with tax it was slightly over $400. I've been playing it now for a couple hours a day and am more in love with it every day. I've got a Strat and a LP Studio Deluxe but I bet this guitar, even after the weight restriction is lifted, will get as much playing time as any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lengle1981 Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Keep your strat. Buy an ES-339 Pro. I got this one new on sale for $350. Can't beat it. I wish they did the exact same model in 335 body. P90's and Pelham blue, I'd snap one of these up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Indeed, the Strat is a guitar capable of the blues. It could be said, if you can't play blues on a Strat, then you haven't learned how to play blues yet. Same can be said for any of the other guitars posted here. Not having seen your Strat, and knowing nothing about it, can't say if you should sell or keep. On the one hand, you should always plan on taking a hit on selling...it's a loss no matter how you look at it. But maybe it isn't worth keeping...especially if you don't enjoy playing it. I think we've all bought some dogs of guitars we thought would be good, and likewise, have sold or lost guitars we wish we could get back that we didn't appreciate at the time. That will give a guy some blues right there. I think the search for THAT guitar is always a worthwhile one. No one can tell you what that is, but rather, we can share in the joy for you as you find it. And don't neglect the amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Summers Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Even a "bad" strat can be good if it speaks to you. John Mayall is pictured with a Squier strat on one of his album covers. Make sure it is set up properly, then if you don't like the tone consider changing pickups. It will always be part of your sound spectrum. Then consider getting a semi-hollow or a full hollow body to complement that sound. Dot, Sheraton, or Casino - I have a Dot and a Casino, at low volumes like the Casino tone, but at high volumes like the feedback resistance of the Dot. So, for recording I use the Casino but for playing out use the Dot. BTW - same rules with the hollows - I thought the Dot pups were dull, so changed to a Duncan Jazz at the neck and JB at the bridge and love the new tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 What's really fun/funny/ironic...is that a LOT of the old "Blues Masters" used guitars that were "bargain's" at best! Many of which weren't even "electric" as we know it, today. Some old flattop, or archtop with a cheap pickup, in many cases. They simply didn't have access (or expendable income) to purchase the kind of quality, even at lower prices, that some folks turn their noses up at, nowadays. Yet, those old recordings are revered, these days...not matter what guitar they were actually recorded with. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffery Smith Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 One thing to take into account is that the semi-hollows are short scale 24.75" while most Fender models are longer scale 25.5". Short scale makes the guitar a bit easier on the fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old mark Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 More and more professionals are using Epiphones these days as people discover how great they are. If you can find a few in your area, play them. What might be an ideal guitar for me might not be for you...and there still are variations between guitars of the same brand and model. Find something that makes you want to play it...mostly it is the player, not so much the instrument. Enjoy your search and developing blues style - the learning never stops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lengle1981 Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Have epi ever released a 335 with the soap bar p90's. Looking at that 339 makes me wish they'd make one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Have epi ever released a 335 with the soap bar p90's. Looking at that 339 makes me wish they'd make one As "full body" 335 shaped Epi's go, with P-90's...the P-93 Riviera is the only one, out now, so far. It's a NICE guitar, too! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lengle1981 Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 As "full body" 335 shaped Epi's go, with P-90's...the P-93 Riviera is the only one, out now, so far. It's a NICE guitar, too! CB Those have the dog ear p90's on them. The 339 above ha soap bar p90's and is sweet looking. Maybe it's something epiphone might look at, I knew they brought out a 339 with humbuckers but this p90 version, wow it looks beautiful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Those have the dog ear p90's on them. The 339 above ha soap bar p90's and is sweet looking. Maybe it's something epiphone might look at, I knew they brought out a 339 with humbuckers but this p90 version, wow it looks beautiful True, I was thinking more in terms of P-90 Tone/growl, as opposed to the aesthetic's. My Bad! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lengle1981 Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 True, I was thinking more in terms of P-90 Tone/growl, as opposed to the aesthetic's. My Bad! CB I do love a p90 though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldrix Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 It's all in the heart, mind, and "fingers" of the player! I agree completely with Mr. Brown. A Great Blues player can make ANY guitar sound sweet. It's about how you feel and play the guitar, not the guitar itself. BTW, Mr. Brown always has great advice. He's worth listening to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I've discovered (for myself, anyway) that the recent '62 Reissue guitars are great hollow/semi-hollow guitars for the money. I just bought my second one, a Sorrento this time (the first was a Sheraton), and both were stamped 2nd or used. A majority of these "refurbished" guitars have very little, if anything wrong with them. I got both of mine, with the original cases and all of the bling, in the $400 range. Granted, neither came with the Gibson mini-humbuckers, they had SD replacements, but that's OK, as I was planning on replacing the pickups anyway. The build quality on these reissue guitars is great, they come with already upgraded electronics and tuners. Sure, you have to look very closely at some of them, they'll have repaired necks/head stocks or other structural problems, but most make excellent modding platforms. Just do the research and ask the questions. My first "2nd" Epi was a Zephyr Blues Deluxe. They are hard to find, and expensive when you do find one. The only thing that two nationally known luthiers could find wrong with it was the stamp on the back of the head stock. My Sheraton had SD pickups and "chrome", instead of nickel hardware. The Sorrento? Again, couldn't find a thing wrong, except the non-stock pick ups. Basically, I've saved about 25% on the cost of the guitar, for putting up with the head stock stamp. I get over $100 for SDs, when I pull them, which goes towards replacements. The Sheraton now has some custom-built Firebird pickups and the Sorrento is in the process of getting a pair of old Dearmond-Rowe gold foils installed. Like I said, great modding platforms if you like hollow body or semi-hollow Epis. Oh ya, the ZBD just sold for more than I paid for it, guy didn't blink at the 2nd stamp. He couldn't find anything wrong, either. I don't shy away from the stamp, I look for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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