Are there any Thin-body semi-electrics that sound loud enough to play unplugged?

[Hahutzy]

Just wondering.

[jumpwin]

Look at the Crafter SA Series. Not Dreadnought Loud, but loud enough to back singing. And it has either A lipstick or P90 in it and a Piezo in the bridge. Sounds amazing plugged in, even better when you blend the 2 pickups with an outboard mic. It's like a cheaper version of the Taylor T5. I love it

[Wyatt]

By semi-electric, I assume you are asking about electric-acoustic instruments, and not semi-hollowbody electrics?

[Hahutzy]

I mean semi-electrics, the ones which have sound holes and magnetic pick up(s).

[Wyatt]

 

I mean semi-electrics, the ones which have sound holes and magnetic pick up(s).

 

 

Did you just make that term up? I didn't know that's what they were being called these days. Can't find any reference to it from any of the dealers that make guitars like that...or even a Google search.

[Hahutzy]

 

Did you just make that term up? I didn't know that's what they were being called these days. Can't find any reference to it from any of the dealers that make guitars like that...or even a Google search.

 

 

Oh haha, they're called semi-acoustics, I mixed it up :s

[notjonahbutnoah]

Acoustic: big hollow thing that sounds ont its own with no jacks/pickups/knobs of any kind

Acoustic/Electric: big hollow thing that sounds on its own but also had an out put jack and pickup(s) made as an either/or guitar

Electric: Little flat thing that doesn't really sound on its own and must have pickups and an output jack, made to be plugged in

Semi Hollow: Electric guitar, pickups, output jack, sounds on its own but pretty quiet, probably thicker than an electric but thinner than an acoustic

Hollow: Electric that has pickups and an output jack that sounds on its own, louder than a semi, but softer than an acoustic, made to be plugged in about the size of an acoustic

 

Semi acoustic and semii electric aren't really.... like..... real

[BoneNut]

Oh haha, they're called semi-acoustics, I mixed it up :s

 

Welcome to Harmony Central and here you go. Tell us which one of these you're describing and we'll be glad to help you out.

 

 

This is an acoustic guitar. They are available with or without electronics. Sometimes it's hard to tell since the "pickup" is in the bridge, under the saddles. Sometimes they'll also have a small microphone inside.

 

 

This is known as a semihollow. It has a solid wood plank that runs the full length of the body and to which the neck, bridge and tailpiece are attached. The most well known are the 335 types. The sides on both sides of the central plank are hollow.

 

 

This is a hollow body. Many refer to them as Jazz boxes. Like acoustics, they are totally hollow. If you'll notice, the bridge isn't screwed into the body. Only the string pressure keeps it in place.

 

 

 

There are many variations of these three types but these are the basics. Which are you curious about?

[Wyatt]

 

Oh haha, they're called semi-acoustics, I mixed it up :s

 

 

I caught the drift. Most people call them Acoustic/Electrics (AE's), but that's a bit misleading, that can even cover an acoustic with something as simple as a under saddle piezo bridge PU. What you are asking for are more like hybrids, a thin-line AE with a true electric guitar PU in it.

 

But I hadn't put forth a helpful answer, because I don't know. All of these options are compromises. None are designed to be play only acoustic, the small sound chamber makes them sound very boxy unplugged, and many go the extra step of using laminate sides/back and even top to retard vibrations to keep the PU from feeding back, so they sound even stiffer.

 

Feedback is a MASSIVE with a full hollow guitar...don't attempt to use any of these in a high gain or hard rock situation.

 

So...they make a lousy acoustic guitar, they make a lousy rock guitar. Aside from some clean jazz, or some folk-fusion or something, they don't really carve out a niche.

 

I think some of the thin-line AE options and a few others will be LOUD enough for quiet gigs, but may not sound great. And if you are singing through a PA...well, put the guitar through as well.

 

There is a reason (with the exception of the Taylor T5, which should be considered a jazzbox) why the kind of guitar you are asking about is almost always offered as a low-priced guitar from a budget guitar brand, but they are almost more of a novelty than a well-conceived concept.

 

My recommendation is if you plan to use it plugged in 80% of the time, go with one of these, but if you want to swap back and forth between using a PA and not, then just get a full-size acoustic with a good bridge or soundhole PU and save the electric PU for an electric guitar.

[MattKirkcaldie]

 

Feedback is a MASSIVE with a full hollow guitar...don't attempt to use any of these in a high gain or hard rock situation. So...they make a lousy acoustic guitar, they make a lousy rock guitar. Aside from some clean jazz, or some folk-fusion or something, they don't really carve out a niche.

 

 

You may've heard of a British "beat group" called the Beatles, they played a couple of rock songs using a hollow-body called a Casino - not sure if it's rock or folk-fusion but check out their tune "Revolution", it sounds like a high gain situation to me.

[Steadfastly]

This is one of the best you'll find in this category. You can find them on eBay, brand new for under $800.00 with at least a gig bag and sometimes a hard case.

 

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Godin-5th-Avenue-CW-Kingpin-II-Archtop-Electric-Guitar?sku=584109

[ihavenofish]

 

You may've heard of a British "beat group" called the Beatles, they played a couple of rock songs using a hollow-body called a Casino - not sure if it's rock or folk-fusion but check out their tune "Revolution", it sounds like a high gain situation to me.

 

 

its not gain, its nastly clipping. (proof that theres no such thing as bad tone in the right context)

 

"he got the distorted guitar tone he wanted by scraping the paint from his Epiphone Casino and having engineers run it directly through the sound board. When the 45 single was released, many customers returned it, thinking the record was damaged in some way."

 

and the casino has a bridge block, so its not quite a true hollow either. hollows and even many semis are prone to feedback with high gain because the top will vibrate sympathetically with the speaker. removing the f holes helps acording to some. using a laminated top like a gibson semi also helps. playing through a soundboard and headphones (like lenon) would also cure it beause the guitar cant "hear" the amp.

[Wyatt]

 

its not gain, its nastly clipping. (proof that theres no such thing as bad tone in the right context) "he got the distorted guitar tone he wanted by scraping the paint from his Epiphone Casino and having engineers run it directly through the sound board. When the 45 single was released, many customers returned it, thinking the record was damaged in some way." and the casino has a bridge block, so its not quite a true hollow either. hollows and even many semis are prone to feedback with high gain because the top will vibrate sympathetically with the speaker. removing the f holes helps acording to some. using a laminated top like a gibson semi also helps. playing through a soundboard and headphones (like lenon) would also cure it beause the guitar cant "hear" the amp.

 

 

+1.

 

Revolution was recording sans amp. No speakers, no soundwaves, no soundwaves, no distortion.

 

Besides, he's also said he's not asking not asking about a semi-hollowbody or even a hollowbody electric.

 

Best I can tell, he's asking about those thin-line, concert-sized acoustic-electrics, that just happen to have a humbucker or single coil thrown in neck above or below the soundhole.

[orbm1]

Actually, a Hybrid will be this:

 

 

video of this:

 

[YOUTUBE]vtcnEss0VTA[/YOUTUBE]

 

Acoustic Electric, better known as Electro-acoustic, are acoustics with an amplification system incorporated in them...

 

Hybrids are Acoustic that can sound as Electrics.... or viceversa....

 

Thanks

 

Omar