D'angelico ?, Gretsch?, Epiphone?, Ibanez? Semis, hollowbodyss, sustain etc........why?

[Dan Furr55]

Folks,              Thanks to youtube videos I have learned how to adjust, intonation, neck relief, and string height. Now my guitars play great! Theyre all semis and hollowbodys,

           and now the only real difference between them I guess, is where the neck joins the body, upper fret access, pickups, pots etc.

            For comfort Im now loving the D'angelico the best, but the others are good too. Something about the upper fret access, the fret size, the sustain...........

            It only says D'angelico Premier,  bought it used for $600 I think,.......... 

              

                         Why do I love this D'angelico so much? 

   Why, why why, the Ibbys are good, the Epis are good, cant afford a Gibson,,,,,,,,,,, got one Fender its good.........

       But why does the D'angelico have such good sustain. and frets........... why do I love it the best? (Don't tell my other guitars, I love them too, but....)

 

 

 

 

[Mikeo]

I love semi and hollowbody guitars.

I own quit a few of them, Gretsch, Rickenbackers, Gibsons and Godin 5th Aves.

 

It's not cost of a guitar that makes it great, for years my bar gigging axe was a MIJ 62 Tele RI.

It just sounded and did everything I wanted it too.

 

I usually, but not always by once choice guitar, and this year I think I'm going for another Gretsch Hollowbody. It's not etched in stone yet.

 

[Dan Furr55]

I love Gretsch hollowbodys too............. check out the Andertons videos on youtube........ mmmmmm yummy guitars............

 

But right now my D'angelico seems to play the best, and it seems to fit my body, I play sitting down now,.........and its the most comfortable of all my

guitars.......but I still love the other

 

other guitasr too......

[kenact]

Back in the late 60s, Gretsch added a Floating Sound Unit to the White Falcon and the Viking. It was designed to add sustain. There is a space saver bridge that sits between the Bigsby and the FSU. The FSU is held suspended in air by the strings. It has a tuning fork screwed into the largest of 3 bars, and extends into the body of the guitar. Idea idea was, the initial vibration of the strings, would cause the tuning fork to vibrate, and the continued vibration of the tuning fork, would keep the strings vibrating.

I've never done a test to see how long a string would vibrate on my 67 Viking, but I can absolutely attest to the fact the the tuning fork does vibrate when you pluck the strings. Once, the wiring came loose, and was resting on the tuning fork when I started playing the guitar, and it was the most horrendous noise I've ever heard coming out of a guitar. 🤮

[Gigmeister-8YMGf]

I picked up a Peavey JF-1 the first of the year and man, what a great guitar! I've owned three or four 335s over the years, ES 175s etc. and this guitar is is good in the playing department as any of them. I've recorded my shows with it and it sounds excellent on tape. Or I guess digital now…

[daddymack]

Honestly, the name on the headstock doesn't matter. Guitars will bond with you if the symbiosis is there. I have essentially the same D'Angelico DC, and I find it difficult to get comfortable playing it sitting down. Standing, fine, but sitting feels awkward. I have my 'custom-made' 'Gretsch' [the headstock is my avatar], which feels fine sitting, but oversized when I'm standing. I eschewed Telecasters for many years, then I bought one [a cheap copy] as a 'beater' for the jam-host gig I was doing. And once I did some things to it, I was surprised at the simplicity yet elegance of capability. I now also own a Fender Thinline Tele...its the only guitar model I have duplicate versions.

 

22 hours ago, Gigmeister-8YMGf said:

I picked up a Peavey JF-1 the first of the year and man, what a great guitar! I've owned three or four 335s over the years, ES 175s etc. and this guitar is is good in the playing department as any of them. I've recorded my shows with it and it sounds excellent on tape. Or I guess digital now…

the JF-1 is a solid daily gigger 335 style. Do you notice the altered neck angle? That was their big 'claim' on their design.

They run, what? $400?

I have heard some guys moan about the pickups not having enough 'fat', but at that price? Replace them if you don't like'em.

[daddymack]

On 5/25/2021 at 6:59 PM, kenact said:

Back in the late 60s, Gretsch added a Floating Sound Unit to the White Falcon and the Viking. It was designed to add sustain. There is a space saver bridge that sits between the Bigsby and the FSU. The FSU is held suspended in air by the strings. It has a tuning fork screwed into the largest of 3 bars, and extends into the body of the guitar. Idea idea was, the initial vibration of the strings, would cause the tuning fork to vibrate, and the continued vibration of the tuning fork, would keep the strings vibrating.

I've never done a test to see how long a string would vibrate on my 67 Viking, but I can absolutely attest to the fact the the tuning fork does vibrate when you pluck the strings. Once, the wiring came loose, and was resting on the tuning fork when I started playing the guitar, and it was the most horrendous noise I've ever heard coming out of a guitar. 🤮

Actually the FSUs were around in the early/mid sixties....I've worked on a couple of old White Falcons [great guitars, wouldn't own one] and I don't think the FSU was all they claimed, but yes, the fork vibrates.

For those who have never seen one: https://reverb.com/item/19511541-gretsch-tuning-fork-bridge-floating-sound-unit-viking-white-falcon-1960-s-vintage-usa-gold-1964-rare

here's a video on the Viking...note: the last image on the 'preroll' is exactly my Magnatone lapsteel....and case...😎

[badpenguin]

Had a Viking with the FSU. Did absolutely nothing other then make string changes more of a PITA.

Some serious contenders for the hollow/semi vibe:

D'Angelico EXL1SH. Fully hollow, killer neck, great unplugged tone, and plays like butter.

Peerless. Either the Retromatic, semi hollow, or the Tonemaster, hollow (think Gretsch) Amazingly playable and gig-able, with perhaps a pickup change.

Eastman. Have a El Rey 3, Fully hollow with no F holes, that plays like a REALLY good Paul, and has it's own unique vibe. (NOT cheap)

Ibanez Artstars/Artcores. I've long heralded the Ibanez flag, and think for those on a budget, the Artcore line produces some wonderful  instruments. If your budget allows, the Artstar line from the 80's, damn equal the Gibson line.

Late 70's -90's Aria Pro II. Think 335, that the Japanese ones, again rival the Gibsons. The Korean ones are quite good.

 

 

[Gigmeister-8YMGf]

Daddymack, I can't tell much about the neck angle. It feels very balanced on gigs just the way any decent 335 wood. It does  sustain nicely and sounds really fat when necessary. I wish it had coil taps but I have less than $300 in it so it really doesn't matter. The cosmetics on it are beautiful! The tuners do slip a bit but all in all, it's way more than I expected from a Chinese guitar. I should have some online videos later in the year to share with everyone so you can hear for yourself. This is what I was using last summer at a private party near KC.  I sold it after playing it for about four years. 

 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Gigmeister-8YMGf