What about a lower end hollow body?

[Kip Carter]

Recommendations??

I've got a line on a possible trade for a Epiphone Arttone AF75TDG IV in good shape. I am really tempted as I've been wanting to get a hollow body electric for a while and this looks like a nicer one that I could maybe build up a bit after the fact if I wanted to.

I've read some reviews online regarding them and seems that they all are positive with nothing that would be glaringly negative. Any better bargains out there in this price point or should I be looking for something else in a hollow body perhaps?

[Glennwillow]

Looks like a pretty nice guitar, Kip!

- Glenn

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Kip Carter

...I've got a line on a possible trade for a Epiphone Arttone AF75TDG IV in good shape...should I be looking for something else in a hollow body perhaps?

That's an Ibanez, Kip...

Since you didn't give any indication in your OP about exactly how much you'd be willing to spend, I'll keep my alternative suggestions in the under-$1K bracket and let you sort out what appeals to your ears/wallet:

• Epiphone Joe Pass/Swingster: two sides of the same coin, the JP being a straight-ahead 16" twin-humbucker jazzbox, the Swingster a roots/rockabilly machine in the Gretsch mold with Bigsby and series/parallel coil wiring;
• Epiphone Broadway: if you've ever jonesed for an L-5CES but don't have $10K floating around, this is your classic 17" Big Band-style archtop - a good one will hold its own against instruments four times the price;
• Washburn J3/J5/J7: their take on the 16" (J3)/17"(J5/J7) twin-humbucker electric archtop - the ones I've played seem to have more consistent QC than Epiphone;
• The Loar: several variations on the ES-125 theme: LH-279 (dual P-90's/non-cut), LH-280 (dual-humbucker cutaway), LH-301T (single P-90 non-cut thinline), LH-302T (the George Thorogood ES-125TDC), LH-304T (same with humbuckers), LH-309/319 (patterned after some extremely rare ES-125's built on L-50 carved-top bodies, with one or two P-90's respectively);
• Gretsch Electromatic 5400 Series: I think I'm safe in saying that you and I are of an age where we wouldn't dream of buying a hollowbody electric without auditioning at least one Gretsch; if you can't afford a new Anniversary, Country Club, 6120, Nashville, Country Gent, or White Falcon you're not giving up much in terms of looks, tone, or quality with one of these - IMO they've got the best QC of all the Pac-Rim imports in their price range, and they all come with honest-to-Chet Filter'trons to boot;
• Gretsch Electromatic 5600 Series: arguably the best semi-hollows under $1K and well worth a look even if you're after a full hollowbody - the lineup consists of a near dead-on reissue of the ultra-rare cats-eye 6117, a three-pickup Viking variant, and a double-cut Duo-Jet;
• Godin Kingpin/CW II: if you find most full-depth archtops thuddy and muddy I've got your guitars right here: crisp and lively like a Gretsch, with the power and drive of P-90's and more versatility than your typical hollowbody (I've got the CW II dual-pickup/cutaway version, and it'll do anything short of death metal) - comes in just under $1K new but made to a standard that only Gretsch can approach, and highly recommended;

That should keep you busy for a while...

[Kip Carter]

Absolutely food for thought Steve... you always manage to do that for me sir.... thanks for the input ... oh by the way.. I was eye balling a White Penguin earlier tonight wishing my budget went that far.. even though that isn't considered a hollow body it is hollow...and a very sweet gitfiddle!

[Bingoccc]

I'm just here to second the Gretsch. Check out some Electromatics if you can. It was what I settled on.

[redir]

I've not worked in a music shop in many years but I've always felt that since there is a lot more to a hollow body electric guitar they tend to be better then their alt brand cheap solid body guitar equivalents. Epiphone Joe Pass for example is pretty much as good as it gets. Sure it's not a Gibson but what ever. That Ibenez is a sweet guitar and I'd pick it up in a second if the price was right.

[maxtheaxe]

If you're looking for a jazz-box type axe, I think you're on the right track with that Ibanez.

If you want something a bit more versatile (jazz/rock/blues/et al), there's a Chinese made Ibanez Artist John Scofield model for about $1k (the Japanese ones are about $2.6-$2.8k), these come with the Super 58 pups which IMO do a pretty darn good PAF impression. They also have the castle headstock, which I prefer, and the ab/mop/ab block inlays on the fretboard. Nice!

[Thom PC]

Played a Epiphone ES 339 yesterday and was very intrigued. I'm a complete newbie WRT electric guitars, but this one was able to hold its own against many more expensive Fenders and Gibsons IMO.

[mikealpine]

I think the 339 is a great instrument, perfect size (at least for me at 5' 5" tall and trim). I've found Epi quality to vary from instrument to instrument, more so than some other brands, so I'd ask to play a few, if available, and pick the one that I thought best.

[The Old Gaffer]

The best bargain hollow-body electric I have played recently is the Epiphone ES-175 Premium. Fantastic instrument with USA Gibson 57 Classic humbuckers.

[syrynx]

I've no advice to offer, but I recently encountered this video in which Rory Hoffman is playing a Godin Kingpin through a Peavey Classic 30, and thought it might be informative.



FWIW, the guitar Jack Pearson plays in this clip is a Squier Bullet Strat, stock except for the volume control and a tone control rewired to the bridge pickup.

[Danley]

People's ideas of "lower end" vary, but I want this:

[Outhouse]

I Enjoy my Ibanez artcore AF75 and it was cheap and is a really nice instrument.


Here/s the catch, out of the box they need a good set up.

I leveled and polished frets, set into, and nut height, and now its a tight rig.


The rig in the pic is like less the trem.

You will get buzzes out of the bridge which is the common problem/issue on these. Trick is after set up to use clear nail polish on the adjustment bolts in the box after set up is finished. Or use the wooden bridge that was supplied in many of these.


Beauty of these rigs is strings effect the playability and tome so much, you can set these up with thick flat wounds and go for a jazz tone, or I run EB 10's and go for a more electric feel.


This is a rig that has potential for very little invenstment


Edit, you also have to watch that the plastic fretboard inlays are not coming loose. Very common but an easy fix.

[Kip Carter]

Well I got it and i'm loving it... guitar is better than the ad showed.... I'm thinking I will upgrade the humbucklers at some point it could use new strings and a setup to fine tune it but it is very playable as is.

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by Danley

People's ideas of "lower end" vary, but I want this:

Have you played one? I've tried a couple. I really wanted to like it. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.