Semi-Hollow & Hollowbody Rumble!

GEAR Fight Club

Semi-Hollow & Hollowbody Rumble! TESTED BY THE GP STAFF

THAT THE ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC WORLDS TRULY CONVERGE IN A SEMI-HOLLOW OR hollowbody guitar is one big “duh.” Traditional jazzers are pretty much required to play one, of course, and, in the hands of archtop magicians such as Brian Setzer, these babies can spew big-band chords, mysterious single-note lines, rootsy Americana riffs, and hyper-distorted turbo-charged rock all in the same sen- tence. They’re diverse little doggies, and they typically make you work a bit to unleash the beast within. But when you first stand in front of a roaring amp, and feel a hollowbody resonating into your guts and chest—reacting almost physically to your every pluck and finger movement—it’s a pretty darn sensual experience. So consider that the seven boxes going head-to- head in this month’s Fight Club can trigger a plethora of pleasure centers. I plugged the four models I reviewed into a Mesa/Boogie Stiletto head and Old Dog X-Cab, a Marshall JVM 210H head and Marshall 4x12, an Egnater Rebel-20 and Rebel-112X cab, a Vox AC15, and a Traynor Custom Special 50. Barry Cleveland tested the Gretsch Electromatic 5122 through a Rivera Venus 6 and a Fender Deluxe Reverb, while Reggie Singh used a Crate 120 2x12 for his assessment of the Reverend Club King RT. Art Thompson’s evaluation of the PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow Soapbar involved a Victoria Golden Melody and a Dr. Z MAZ “Junior NR.” Matt Blackett helped with the Hutchins Memphis evaluation, plugging it into the Victoria Golden Melody at the GP offices. These seven new hollows and semis provide a marvelous opportunity to evaluate a broad offering of models in a specific niche. But as these instruments exhibit different sizes and price points, fairness dictates that we can’t do an apples-to-apples Fight Club and name an overall winner. So we decided to have some fun, and label each model’s attributes with the name of a famous actor. As you’ll see, the labeling makes a certain amount of giddy sense, and it should help point you to the model that best enhances your technique and musical endeavors. —Michael Molenda

136 FEBRUARY 2009 GUITAR PLAYER GUITAR PLAYER FEBRUARY 2009 137 GEAR Fight Club

The Johnny Depp Collings I-35 Deluxe

THERE’S NO MISTAKING YOU’RE LOOKING AT A the pots turn with exceptional smoothness. luxury item when you scan the I-35’s stun- The pickup-selector switch is positioned for ning quilted-maple top finished in a high- easy, on-the-fly manipulation—although wild gloss root beer hue—not to mention the strummers might hit it by accident. beautifully retro ivoroid control knobs, the While I was a bit embarrassed subjecting gold hardware, the ivoroid binding, and the the I-35 to punk rock, it was more than game mother-of-pearl Collings logo. The basic retail to rage. There’s a hint of sophistication in every price for the I-35 is $5,800, but these add- tone—a smooth sheen to the highs, midrange ons launched the review model’s price tag to frequencies akin to polished steel, and tight $6,575: premium quilt top ($200), parallel- lows—but when I cranked the gain, the I-35 ogram inlays ($150), gold hardware ($125), responded with all the snot and grit you’d black/white purfing ($100), hardshell case expect from more obviously rock-oriented axes. ($200). For many working guitarists, the However, you also get the versatility to dial in I-35 will be relegated to the land of dreams. stout and resonant jazz timbres, open-sound- But what a dream it is. ing acoustic-like tones, and clean and funky The U.S.A.-made I-35 is a magnificent exam- pops and snaps. I tagged the I-35 as “Johnny ple of guitar making. To find any construction Depp” because he’s a striking movie star who or finish flaws, I think you’d need an atomic can carry Hollywood blockbusters, and still be microscope, because the naked eye will see believable in dark indie films. The I-35 can do nothing but perfection from heel to headstock. it all, as well, but, like a box-office champ, it’ll I even did former GP editor Andy Ellis’ trick cost you big time for the privilege of its part- of sneaking a small mirror through the f-holes nership. —Michael Molenda to expose any rough innards, but everything appeared to be as neat SPECS | and clean as a surgeon’s instru- Collings, (512) 288-7776; collingsguitars.com ment tray. The quality control is so off-the-map that lugging MODEL I-35 Deluxe the I-35 to a club gig struck me PRICE $6,575 retail, as tested/ as little different than toting a Street price N/A Rembrandt to a kindergarten fin- NUT WIDTH 1 11/16" gerpainting class. And yet, if this NECK Mahogany, set beauty can’t be a beast on stage, 7 then, as far as I’m concerned, it’s FRETBOARD 24 /8"-scale Brazilian or Madagas- car rosewood more of an investment than an instrument. FRETS 22 medium-wide From a playability BODY Honduran mahogany with fully standpoint, the I-35 con- carved, solid flamed-maple top tinues to be achingly PICKUPS Jason Lollar custom humbuckers seductive. Its wide, CONTROLS Two Volume, two Tone, 3-way vintage-style neck and pickup selector superbly dressed frets BRIDGE TonePros are so inviting that your technique im- TUNERS Sperzel proves about 20 per- FACTORY STRINGS D’Addario EXL115 cent simply by placing WEIGHT 6.7 lbs your fingers on the fret- KUDOS Dazzling looks. Fabulous playabil- board. It’s a magical expe- ity. Stunning tones. rience. I thought the ivoroid knobs might be slippery, but the CONCERNS Only that 90 percent of us can’t afford it. material grips your pinky tightly, and

138 FEBRUARY 2009 GUITAR PLAYER Fight Club GEAR

The James Franco Gretsch Electromatic 5122

TESTED BY BARRY CLEVELAND

FEW GUITARS SAY “AMERICA” AS CLEARLYAS A medium-jumbo frets were similarly well cut Gretsch. The company is one of the most ven- and placed, with no sharp edges or other irreg- erable stateside manufacturers, and Gretsch ularities, and the smooth rosewood fretboard, models such as the 6120 and 6136 are so closely the medium-thin neck, and excellent setup associated with country, rockabilly, early rock make the guitar very easy and enjoyable to play. and roll, and other staples of Americana that The 5122’s ornate “vintage style” tuners and it is hard to imagine what those styles would “Bigsby Licensed” vibrato don’t necessarily sound like without them. Nonetheless, the inspire confidence at first glance, but both func- company has had great success with its line of tion surprisingly well, and the guitar stayed in less-expensive, Korean-made instruments, and, tune even after undergoing extensive Duane after playing the 5122, it’s easy to see why. Eddy-grade bar yanking. The 5122’s dark walnut stain and urethane The weakest aspect of the 5122 is the bridge finish allows its pretty maple grain to show pickup. You play a Gretsch largely for its char- through, as does the transparent, raised pick- acteristic twang, and, in this case, the Gretsch guard. The guitar is generally well constructed humbucker failed to wrangle the jangle. The with cleanly executed joints all around— Tone control also left something to be desired, although a couple of knobs came loose, and as it does practically nothing in the first half had to be reattached with an Allen wrench— of its range, and then quickly chokes off the and the binding that graces the top, back, and highs during the remainder. fretboard was precisely cut and installed. The The neck humbucker, on the other hand, sounded com- paratively full and well bal- SPECS | anced, possessing pleasing Gretsch, (480) 596-9690; gretschguitars.com warmth while retaining MODEL Electromatic 5122 midrange and treble clarity. One can’t reasonably PRICE $1,000 retail/$700 street expect an instrument at this NUT WIDTH 1.68" price point to deliver all of the NECK Maple, set stylistic and tonal mojo of FRETBOARD 24.6"-scale rosewood an American-made model three times as much, but FRETS 22 medium the Electromatic 5122 BODY Laminated maple gets you into the ball- PICKUPS Gretsch Dual-Coil humbuckers park. It receives the CONTROLS Bridge Volume, Neck Volume, “James Franco” tag, Master Volume, Tone, 3-way pickup because, like the selector up-and-coming BRIDGE Adjusto-Matic with Bigsby B60 young actor, the vibrato tailpiece 5122 provides TUNERS Gretsch vintage-style much of the élan of an icon—in this FACTORY STRINGS D'Addario, .011-.049 case, James Dean— WEIGHT 6.8 lbs but perhaps without KUDOS High-quality workmanship. Plays the mystery, vibe, and well. Good intonation. depth that made the CONCERNS Bridge pickup lacks characteristic original a legend. —Barry Gretsch jangle. Limited Tone Cleveland control.

GUITAR PLAYER FEBRUARY 2009 139 GEAR Fight Club

The Oliver Reed Hutchins Memphis

THIS APPLY-NAMED BIG BOX SEEMS TO Midrange frequencies are the guitar’s forte, encapsulate all of the smoldering cool, outlaw and they’re much edgier than the classic Duane magnetism, and self-absorbed quirks of the Eddy twang. Clean, single-note lines sound King of Memphis himself, Mr. Elvis Presley. more like Roky Erickson (think “Reverbera- The retro-cool black beauty boasts an aged tion”) than Ennio Morricone, and when you binding that is (for the most part) outstand- crank the amp gain, you’ll be spewing an even ing, rounded and well-dressed frets, and solid raunchier yowl than Billy Duffy’s White-Fal- hardware. Downsides are minor—slight bind- con-driven riffs with the Cult. Nothing short ing scratches hiding under the neck where it of a berserk Mafioso with a missile launcher meets the body, a sharp nut, and a little paint is going to keep the Memphis from brawling slop around the f-holes. to the front of a band mix. Resonant lows are The Memphis can be as rough and sweet as available via the neck pickup, but I only went a purring roadster, but it takes a bit of wran- there for breakdowns and feedback howls, gling before it gives up its rebel charms. The because the bridge tones provided all the wide, yet slim neck profile lets you cruise or sounds I needed. The rockin’ Memphis gets drag race up and down the frets with ease. the “Oliver Reed” rating, because, like the However, before you start your fingers a-flyin’, boozy British actor, it will cause you a spot you should ensure the unsecured bridge is prop- of trouble, but once you get it on stage, it erly positioned for accurate intonation— will deliver a brilliantly macho and intense especially if, like me, you’re a bit of a performance. —Michael Molenda maniac on the Bigsby. Also, unless you’ve been flight checked on SPECS | Gretsch Tennesseans, White Fal- Hutchins Guitars, dist. by C&J Distributing, cons, and Country Gentlemen, the controls on the Memphis may take (901) 383-6575; hutchinsguitarsusa.com a bit of getting used to. You get three MODEL Memphis Volume knobs—a Master on the cut- PRICE $1,399 retail/$999 street away (which reduces overall level with- NUT WIDTH 111/16" out affecting tone), and dedicated controls for the bridge and neck NECK Maple, set pickups (which darken the tone FRETBOARD 243/4"-scale rosewood as the knobs are turned FRETS 22 medium down). Then, there are two BODY Maple 3-position switches. The switch closest to the PICKUPS Two Entwhistle Retro single-coils bridge is a conventional CONTROLS Three Volume, 3-way pickup pickup selector, and the selector, 3-way tone selector one nearest the nut is a BRIDGE Tune-O-matic-style with tone control (the up posi- Bigsby B6 tremolo tion delivers full treble TUNERS Grover Imperial response, down rolls off tre- FACTORY STRINGS D’Addario, .011 set ble, and middle is a subtle bit o’ both choice). WEIGHT 8.4 lbs While the Memphis can be a KUDOS Big, brawling midrange tones. bit of a petulant beast, it makes a CONCERNS Some cosmetic issues. Sound helluva marvelous noise when you plug palette slightly monochromatic. it into an amp and release its pent-up energy.

140 FEBRUARY 2009 GUITAR PLAYER Fight Club GEAR

The Orson Welles Normandy ATG-CH

PERHAPS THE MOST STRIKING GUITAR IN THIS band with sensitive, singer/songwriter types, cage match, the chromed ATG-CH—touted as they may wince when the rock-solid switch the world’s first production aluminum arch- snaps louder than the drummer’s snare. top—definitely broadcasts the intentions of its Overall, the U.S.A.-made ATG-CH is well maker, Jim Normandy, to be “different, but not constructed. The chromed finish is dazzling in too weird or space age.” To that end, the Salem, its “hall of mirrors” majesty (although it spot- Oregon manufacturer obviously relied on vin- lights every fingerprint, skin-oil swipe, and tage designs, adding only some boss-looking sweat splatter), the hardware is locked down “rivets” and a seemingly Russian military grade solid, and a rounded nut is a considerate touch. kill switch as distinctive accoutrements. Despite However, the fret ends are rough, there were its metal body, I didn’t find the ATG-CH to be some dings and scratches on the edges of the a back buster, but, at 9.4 lbs, it’s not exactly rosewood fretboard, and the neck pocket is like hanging balloons around your neck, either. 1/16" larger than the neck on the cutaway side. The wide, slim neck felt good in my hands, and One of the first things you notice when nothing impeded my convulsive chording, strumming the ATG-CH is its loud and clear sledgehammer riffs, or dainty melodic forays. acoustic sound. The jangle has a pleasant metal- However, the Volume knobs are placed too far lic bite that is certainly less aggressive than a out of reach—at least for me—to allow swells resonator’s raspy glory, but it sounds marvelous while picking. And while I had a blast perform- when miked up and used to layer some artic- ing stutters with the kill switch, if you’re in a ulate chime under distorted solidbody tracks. When you plug in, and go to SPECS | the neck pickup, you get a deep, resonant boom along with a Normandy Guitars, sharp attack that almost sounds (503) 689-1998; normandyguitars.com as if you layered a Gibson ES- MODEL ATG-CH 175 and a Fender Telecaster. The combined pickup position tames PRICE $3,199 retail/$2,399 street the boom a bit, and moves the 11 NUT WIDTH 1 /16" snark forward to produce a taut, NECK Maple, bolt-on throaty snarl. Go for a full-on FRETBOARD 25.5"-scale rosewood bridge-pickup tone, and you’ll hear a spiky, high-midrange snap FRETS 22 medium jumbo with the shimmer of a BODY Aircraft-grade aluminum Nashville-tuned acoustic. PICKUPS Normandy Old School humbuckers The only downsize of this CONTROLS Two Volume, one Tone, 3-way metal/wood electronics pickup selector, kill switch gumbo is that it’s very BRIDGE Locking roller with Bigsby-licensed difficult to dial in a B70 tremolo warm, trad-jazz tone, but most other sounds TUNERS Gotoh are animated and dimen- FACTORY STRINGS Ernie Ball Slinky, .011 set sional. This is why the WEIGHT 9.4 lbs ATG-CH is the perfect KUDOS Almost cinematic tonal spectrum. “Orson Welles”—a direc- Unique finish. Plays well. tor who battled convention, CONCERNS Super-reflective surface can beam and thrilled cineastes with his stage lights into your eyes—or the multi- faceted visual smorgasbords. audience’s. Minor construction —Michael Molenda issues.

GUITAR PLAYER FEBRUARY 2009 141 GEAR Fight Club

The Jennifer Connelly Prestige Musician

WHAT GUITARIST DOESN’T GEEK OUT AT warm and robust with just enough pop to bring discovering a relatively mysterious, off-the-map fingerpicked melodic runs to the forefront. It’s instrument that totally rocks? I had no knowl- not quite George Benson- or Wes Montgomery- edge of Prestige when the Musician showed up esque, but it’s still a sensual tone. The dual- at GP Central, and I grabbed the unknown gui- pickup sound was my favorite, as it offers a tar for a rehearsal without any expectations. meaty thud and an airy shimmer. That may But mere seconds after I plugged the Musician seem like a bizarre sonic combo, but the simul- into the Egnater Rebel-20, I knew I had stum- taneous low-midrange resonance and upper- bled onto something magnificent. Even though midrange attack produced a dazzling palette it’s one of the plus-sized models in this Fight of bell-like arpeggios, ringing chords, and edgy Club, the guitar felt great on my shoulder, it solos. The bridge tones deliver enough played beautifully, and it could cover everything midrange punch for crunch chords and aggres- from jazz to rock to rockabilly to punk. It was sive riffs, but they lack a bit of sparkle and also one tough customer. I’m not exactly a del- dimension for convincing faux-acoustic strums. icate player, but the Musician just shrugged at No matter—every other sound rocks hard, so my vicious strumming, bombastic guitar-body why quibble? I called the Musician the “Jen- percussion, and hummingbird-flutter Bigsby nifer Connelly,” because it reminded me of first wanking. To further humble me, the Musician seeing the relatively unknown actress in the refused to be beaten horribly out of tune. A 1990 film, The Hot Spot. She blew me away then, tweak of the Grovers here and there was all it she later proved her mettle with an Academy needed to keep things tuneful. Award, and she has never stopped being a stun- The Canadian maker—which debuted in ning presence—an arc of success that I believe 2003—employs an interesting guitar- the Musician will parallel. —Michael Molenda building methodology. All woods orig- inate in Vancouver, British Columbia, SPECS | where they are cut to the company’s specs. Then, the woods are shipped to Prestige Guitars, [email protected]; Inchon, South Korea for manufactur- prestigeguitars.com ing and finishing. Ultimately, everything MODEL Musician is sent back to Prestige’s Vancouver factory for wiring, final assembly, setup, and PRICE $1,640 retail/$950 street inspection. The ping-pong production NUT WIDTH 111/16" process seems to have no qualitative NECK Mahogany, set downside, as the Musician is an FRETBOARD 25.5"-scale rosewood exceptionally well-made instru- FRETS 20 medium ment. The frets are smooth and rounded, the hardware is BODY Solid maple rugged (even when banging PICKUPS Seymour Duncan SH1-59 (neck), on the pickguard, it stayed SH4-JB (bridge) rigid), and the glossy, maras- CONTROLS Two Volume, Two Tone, 3-way chino cherry finish is pristine. pickup selector As mentioned earlier, the BRIDGE Tune-o-matic-style with Musician is a sonic “all Bigsby-licensed tremolo rounder” that can take on TUNERS Grover many different guises. It doesn’t quite exhibit the FACTORY STRINGS D’Addario EXL115 extreme bass-to-treble shadings WEIGHT 7.4 lbs of the Normandy or the Reverend, KUDOS Good construction. Varied sounds. but the Musician absolutely nails Excellent playability. more traditional jazz and rock timbres. CONCERNS Bridge tones lack a hint of sparkle. The neck-pickup sounds, for example, are

142 FEBRUARY 2009 GUITAR PLAYER GEAR Fight Club

The Samuel Jackson PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow Soapbar

THE PRS DESIGN TEAM WAS OBVIOUSLYOUT TO guitar. It was less able to overdrive the Golden do something different with the SE Custom Melody than a humbucker-equipped Les Paul, Semi-Hollow, but without losing the personal- and I also had to crank the gain on a Way Huge ity of the other nine models in the popular SE Pork Loin pedal to get the same amount of dis- line. Though the Korean-made Semi-Hollow’s tortion a PRS Modern Eagle II elicited. Lower- chambered body is the key differentiator here, output pickups typically have a more extended it shares many aspects of solidbody SE models— frequency response, however, and this guitar the set mahogany neck with its “wide/fat” carve, is well suited for any kind of chordal or finger- the 25"-scale rosewood board with 22 frets, the style playing. What the Semi’s thin, chambered McCarty-style extended heel, a flat maple top (and relatively feedback resistant) body gives with a pretty veneer of figured maple, and a light- up in resonance, it more than makes up for in weight aluminum Stoptail bridge. The P-90-style lacy note detail, and the way the woods trans- pickups appear only on two other SE models— mit their vibrations through your fingers. The the mahogany-bodied SE Soapbar and SE One— Semi-Hollow delivers massive benefits for its and they feed a simple control configuration of $649 street price, which is why it reminds us Volume, Tone, and a 3-way selector. of Samuel Jackson—an immense talent who The Semi-Hollow sounds very in tune, in doesn’t always get the mega-star paychecks, spite of its one-piece bridge, and this is par- but whose performances never fail to leave you tially due to PRS’ use of a compensated nut in awe. —Art Thompson that micro-adjusts the intonation to help make chords and intervals sound tuneful in all posi- SPECS | tions. It’s an important aspect of this PRS, (410) 643-9970; prsguitars.com guitar, as it not only makes the instrument sound more focused, it MODEL SE Custom Semi-Hollow Soapbar also makes you sound better when PRICE $890 retail/$649 street you’re playing it. Playing-wise, the NUT WIDTH 1.7" Semi-Hollow is a gas. The gloss-fin- NECK Mahogany, set ished neck has a great feel, and the lightly polished frets with their smooth FRETBOARD 25"-scale rosewood ends are consistent in height to pro- FRETS 22 medium vide a buzz-free playing experience. BODY Chambered mahogany with maple PRS takes this aspect seriously, top too—which is why the frets are PICKUPS PRS Soapbar superglued in place so they CONTROLS can’t ride up in their slots. Volume, Tone, 3-way pickup selector The Semi-Hollow’s nat- ural resonance helps create BRIDGE PRS-designed stoptail a bright, balanced voice TUNERS PRS die-cast with lots of shimmer and FACTORY STRINGS D’Addario, .010-.046 dimension. Used with a EXTRAS Wide Fat neck carve Victoria Golden Melody 2x12 combo, the Semi-Hol- WEIGHT 5.7 lbs low delivered a crisp and KUDOS Great playing feel. Enhanced reso- open sound with less of the nance. Very in-tune sounding. snarky midrange bite P-90s are CONCERNS Pickups may not be hot enough for famous for. In terms of output, the some applications. Semi-Hollow is not a particularly hot

144 FEBRUARY 2009 GUITAR PLAYER Fight Club GEAR

The Tom Hanks Reverend Club King RT

THE CLUB KING RT IS AS CLOSE TO HOLINESS AS finish lets your hand slide freely up and down a reverend should be. The Korean-made instru- the fretboard. The frets are perfect. They’re ment is very well crafted, and its honey-colored smooth, polished, and have rounded, “hot dog” top, amber-tinted neck, off-white trim, and ends that you can barely feel if you run your chrome pickup covers give it a look that’s simul- fingers along the edges of the fretboard. In fact, taneously retro cool and timeless—especially everything about the RT’s construction is pretty when you factor in the unique and classy much perfect. I couldn’t find any flaws—even “shooting star” f-hole. The 3-position pickup the setup was superb, right out of the box. selector and master Volume and Tone controls The Club King RT’s Reverend RevTron mini- are arranged vertically—in the style of a cer- humbuckers sound fantastic, and, along with tain seminal solidbody out of Fullerton, Cali- the aforementioned Bass Contour knob, you fornia—while the passive Bass Contour knob can dial in seemingly endless variations of blues, (more on this later) sits on the upper bout. rock, jazz, funk, and country sounds. The Bass The Volume knob is relatively easy to reach for Contour adds enough bass that, when using on-the-fly adjustments, but it’s a bit of a stretch the neck pickup with the Tone rolled off, for the Tone control if you like performing wah- the RT can almost sound like a bari- like knob spins while picking. tone guitar—or like any number of The oval-shaped neck might feel a bit thick evil bass motifs that warn you of dan- for players with smaller hands, but its satin ger when playing Call of Duty or Left 4 Dead. You can also crank the knob down to reduce bass, of course, and SPECS | depending upon how you set your Vol- ume and Tone controls (and pickup Reverend Guitars selector), the Contour can deliver any- (586) 775-1025; reverendguitars.com thing from steely midrange punch to MODEL Club King RT thin and chimey highs to an almost PRICE $899 retail/$699 street neutered sound that works great for crafting counterpoint lines NUT WIDTH 1.66" you don’t want interfering with NECK Maple, bolt-on a vocal. Every tone this guitar FRETBOARD 25.5"-scale rosewood produced sent shivers down FRETS 22 medium jumbo my spine, and, in fact, the RT sounds full, balanced, and BODY Korina with spruce top sweetly articulate even before PICKUPS Reverend Revtron mini-humbuckers you plug it in. CONTROLS Volume, Tone, Bass Contour, 3-way The Club King RT is a pickup selector superb guitar that almost feels TUNERS Reverend Pin-Lock like it belongs in your arms. It’s FACTORY STRINGS StringDog.net, .010-.046 nothing short of a pleasure to play—which is why it gets the WEIGHT 7.6 lbs “Tom Hanks” award as a “good vibes” KUDOS Rich, balanced sound. Resonating personality who delivers masterful lows via Bass Contour control. performances. —Reggie Singh CONCERNS None.

GUITAR PLAYER FEBRUARY 2009 145