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Which low end semi hollow body should I get?


killerbeez

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I have an Ibanez Artcore AS73. love it! definately worth consideration.

 

 

Ibanez AS83 - funk/jam/rock, sounds killer all around - am looking at new pups cuz stock are a little hot, but quality of build and playability are sweet - low action, good sustain, sturdy electronics, good looks etc. - may buy another one for b/u...

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That's quite a harsh assumption. A lot of companies are putting out quite decent cheap semi hollows that are far from a {censored}ing piece of junk

 

 

I have yet to find one.

 

Oscar Schmit-sucks

Peavey- Sucks

Cort-sucks

Washburn-sucks

 

Epiphone- better but still sucks

Ibanez- Epiphone syndrome.

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Here's what I have for low to moderate semis.


1. Raven RP450- It has that certain something. I love it. Replaced the pickups

with GFS Dream 90's.

2. ...

 

 

hi - i am thinking about getting the raven rg450 semi hollow but am hesitant cuz i've never played one - sounds like you have one...? if so, can you tell me a little about neck (wide-fat vs. wide-thin, or 50's vs 60's slim-taper if that's a better comparison)? how big is the body compared to a 335? i'm trying to find something with a little smaller body than 335 style but still with good sustain and resonance... thx for any info you can give me on the raven!

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I have yet to find one.


Oscar Schmit-sucks

Peavey- Sucks

Cort-sucks

Washburn-sucks


Epiphone- better but still sucks

Ibanez- Epiphone syndrome.

 

 

Exactly what are you looking for in a semi-hollow? IOW what would it need to do/have not to suck?

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I shopped around a lot for one last year before finally deciding on a nice used MIM strat. I dont really like to buy low end electrics off the net, I like to play em first, they have to feel right. Heres what I determined from playing a bunch of Artcore semis, Dots, and Sheratons at 2 GCs and 2 or 3 other smaller shops.
Fit and Finish-as a rule the Artcores, Dot Studios, and Sheratons were put together the best. Most all of em I tried seemed to have no issues like poorly cut nuts, scratchy pots, Loose knobs, etc. Just about every Dot I picked up had something niggly about it. I found a couple that were right, but they were blonde, and a blonde 335 just dont seem right to me. I like em in cherry, black, or brown burst. I'm sure there are plenty of decent Dots out there, but I just coundt find one at the time in a color I liked.
Pickups-Artcores seemed generic and vanilla. Cant explain it, cause I like these pups pretty good on the full hollow artcores. Liked the Dots and Sheratons pretty good, tho they do loose some highs with the vol knob below 7 or 8. The pups on the Dot Studios were the best, but I just coudnt get past the black hardware.

Still gonna pick up a semi at some point, just havnt been looking as hard lately. A friend just got a 1 yr old AS73 and practice amp off ebay for $200.
Its a good player. But it confirmes my previous findings about ther pups. Servicable but lack character. Id hafta change em.

I've pretty much decided I'm gonna sit back and wait for a slightly used Dot Studio to turn up cheap. Then maybe dress it up a little with some gold or nickle hardware.

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My new Oscar Schmidt OE30 arrived today in two pieces so that p.o.s. is going back. I've played the one above, the Washburn HB30 and Hb35's and the Epiphone Dot Studios...all seem to be pretty good. Are there any others that I should consider? Not looking to break the bank and know that on the bottom end, you'll compromise something (ie. probably need to upgrade somewhere). Would like to spend under $200 if possible. I'm leaning toward the epi dot studio right now, but the Washburns played very well also. Please weigh in!

 

 

I definitely like the washburn offerings over any of the similarly priced epiphones I've tried, I can't find any mic epis I like in the $300 range to save my life - I like the sheraton, but it costs 2x as much

 

I picked up a black cherry hb30 not too long ago, $297 with an included washburn hsc - this hb30 is not the original cherry red you see on hb30's everywhere, this is a different production run, the paint is more of a maroon and deeper red, very attractive color and not one you see on other guitars really - the only drawback being that washburn decided that gold hardware was a better match for this finish

 

the fingerboard and body binding and overall woodwork is very well done in this price range - the f-hole binding is not perfect, you can see some slight paint bleed in a couple spots - out of the box, this guitar needed some slight intonation adjustment but absolutely NO action adjustments - and believe me, I like it low - this thing played awesome, no buzz, no dead notes, just a real pleasure right out of the box which really really surprised me

 

+ very comfy neck and fingerboard radius, a natural player in all respects

+ bridge pickup imparts killer rock tones, particularly with overdrive

+ grover tuners hold firm

+ stock setup in terms of playability was f'n incredible, plug n play

+ pup toggle in upper horn position, I prefer this location

+ overall woodwork and body/fingerboard binding is well done and very solid

+ wiring looks heavy duty and well protected inside the body, and they did a great job with hiding the wiring out of sight unless you get right up on the f-holes from an angle

+ included washburn hsc for the usual price of the guitar

 

- the neck pickup needs help, I'm a little surprised that they did such a decent job on the bridge pup while dropping the ball on the neck

- LARGE and solid maple center block puts this guitar a bit on the heavy side

- the pickup switch will probably need replacing down the road, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but then that cheap price has to cut corners somewhere

- very minor paint bleed into the binding in couple spots

- gold hardware on this particular production run, but since that isn't the usual stock configuration, I don't know if this should be counted as a minus

 

I am judging this guitar based on owning several mia gibsons and g&l's plus some fine examples of mij and mik workmanship as well - I'd say this guitar delivers where it should for the price, it's the best $300 guitar with an included hsc that I've played to date - I think if more stores stocked these things next to the epi dots and such, the epis would collect more dust

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So what if we narrow this down to either the Epi Dot or the Oscar Schmidt oe30?

Going strictly by the materials of the body, the Epi is listed as maple lam top and body,
the OS is listed only as maple top and body.

Does the OS win ? Or is it also a lam but just not listed as such?

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I've seen the XV-900's by Xaviere going on E-Bay for decent bucks. I like the Washburn HB-35 also. But I would go with a Xaviere for the dollars. I believe its electronics are what set it apart from the others.
BTW I had a AS-73 with DiMarzio PAF-PRO's in it. I sold it after buying the Xaviere. While they are decent for the dollars[AS-73]. I felt the XV-900 was way more bang for the buck.

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So what if we narrow this down to either the Epi Dot or the Oscar Schmidt oe30?


Going strictly by the materials of the body, the Epi is listed as maple lam top and body,

the OS is listed only as maple top and body.


Does the OS win ? Or is it also a lam but just not listed as such?

 

 

^^^^^This is what I was bumping^^^^

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