ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL.....

[Steadfastly]

If all other things were the same on a guitar except the body and one was a solid body and one was a hollow body, I think the hollow body would sound better, quite a bit better.

 

With this said, I wonder why there are not more hollow body guitars. Do you think it's mainly price, since hollow bodies are more expensive to make and thus, more expensive to buy?

[Kramerguy]

IMO hollow bodies and semi's have a distinct tonal difference that makes them unique from solid body guitars. Can't get a good EVH tone through my semi hollow body...

[Burgess]

Hollow bodies are very difficult to play in a rock situation where you have moderate to high volume with some or even a lot of gain. Very difficult indeed. OTOH, solid bodies and semi-hollows will handle that situation quite easily. So since most people play rock they will generally choose a guitar that is more suited to that task.

[hazydaz13]

don't they have significant feedback issues over solids? think I remember George Thorogood discussing this in an article once. I've never owned one before, so can't say from firsthand experience.

[Burgess]

IMO hollow bodies and semi's have a distinct tonal difference that makes them unique from solid body guitars. Can't get a good EVH tone through my semi hollow body...

In my experience semi-hollows and solid bodies produce a very similar sound while full hollows are an entirely different beast.

[tlbonehead]

 

don't they have significant feedback issues over solids? think I remember George Thorogood discussing this in an article once. I've never owned one before, so can't say from firsthand experience.

 

Yep, his hollows are severely modded and you can hear that he uses very little low end to keep the guitar from taking off.

[Kramerguy]

In my experience semi-hollows and solid bodies produce a very similar sound while full hollows are an entirely different beast.

 

I like to think of them as choc, vanilla, strawberry

 

The semi seems to be directly between the other two in tonal qualities, but I always felt it at least maintained more of the hollow tone than it did the solid tone.

[Burgess]

don't they have significant feedback issues over solids? think I remember George Thorogood discussing this in an article once. I've never owned one before, so can't say from firsthand experience.

Yes. Anything played at or above that of an acoustic piano is subject to feedack. And we're not talking about the nice feedback that gives you endless sustain. We're talking about a nasty low pitched growl that comes from the body resonating and has nothing whatsoever to do with the notes being played.

[Burgess]

I like to think of them as choc, vanilla, strawberry The semi seems to be directly between the other two in tonal qualities, but I always felt it at least maintained more of the hollow tone than it did the solid tone.

The semis I've played have been much closer sonically to solid bodies. In my experience the difference is subtle at best. You'd be hard pressed to tell a semi from a solid on a recording especially if the engineer had his/her way with the track.

 

Full hollows are a world of difference from either semis or solids. In essence really an archtop acoustic with a pickup or two built in.