Semi-acoustic guitars

Semi-acoustic guitars are popular with professional performers and amateur guitarists, which of course is no coincidence. The versatility and equipment of these musical instruments with various technical devices to give a rich and deep sound made them the subject of preference of millions of guitar fans.

The only branch of musical activity where they are not in demand is concerts for a huge crowd of people. There, the power of the instrument may not be enough even with the same acoustic equipment as, for example, a fully electric guitar.

In the specialized literature, the term semi-acoustic guitar is not clearly defined. Some experts call it the golden mean between simple acoustics and an electric guitar. Others argue that these are the first-borns of the instrumental industry, the first samples of current electric guitars, so they should be classified as electric, regardless of the acoustic body. Still others call the semi-acoustic guitar an improved acoustic guitar. The musicians who play such an instrument are absolutely sure that this is a separate type of guitar that arose at one of the stages of constant improvement of the instrument, which has absorbed the strong qualities of the previous stages and the strengths of all subsequent ones that have already emerged.

The history of its origin started in the 30s of the last century, therefore this type of guitar is sometimes called jazz. Improvement and addition of new devices were aimed at giving the sound demanded in the increasingly popular jazz. Officially, the first representative of the series is the Gibson ES-150 model, named after the master.She became a successful model, gaining volume, tenderness, velvety and depth of sound. Its predecessors, in the creation of which they tried to use banal microphones and pickups, were only attempts to refine and enhance the sound of familiar acoustics.

Let's list these features.

• Great sound in a small room.
• The ability to use an amplifier or a full game without it.
• A rich sound palette - softness and purity of the notes produced, depth and saturation, variability without and with amplification.
• Application both for teaching and amateur playing, as well as at professional concerts.
• The hollow body makes the tool lightweight, but also makes it brittle.

The modern musical instrument industry produces many varieties of semi-acoustic guitars with common characteristics - shape, weight, number of strings, special adaptations for playing in a particular musical genre, variations in the sound range and quality of the sounds emitted. The variety of offers is explained not only by the demand from the consumer.

It is unfair to say that semi-acoustic brothers differ from modern electric guitars only in a hollow body, and the "filling" on them is the same. Even within the main row, different categories are distinguished.

The criterion for differentiation can be - pickups, tone controls, body shape, its hollowness or partial fullness. The latter feature is inherent in instruments with a narrow neck and body. The creators introduced this characteristic to produce mono with a sustained and intense sound (sustain).

In the specialized literature, there are 5 main types of semi-acoustic instruments.

• Semi-acoustic, obtained by transforming the usual look. Various variations with cavities are made from the one-piece body. But these are not always successful attempts.
• Hollow body (creations by Gibson and May). This also includes other varieties, where wood plates are placed around a solid core made of the same material.
• With strings fixed to solid wood, with variable shape acoustic holes and minimal vibration of the sound row. This half-empty guitar sounds almost the same as with a solid body.
• Deck and resonator box - a distinctive feature of some instruments, which some experts tend to consider as a typically electric type, while others are sure that this is a kind of semi-acoustic.
• Typically jazz. They have a full-weight resonator, hollow or half-hollow body. However, they require connection to an amplifier.

Having decided to purchase a semi-acoustic guitar, decide on your goals and capabilities. You may need to consult a professional.

When buying the right model, you need to pay special attention to several points:

• do not limit yourself to inspecting and checking only one instrument - make a choice of at least three copies;
• first, the guitar is examined visually to determine its external integrity and the quality of assembly, finish;
• the height of the strings above the fretboard should be no more than 5 mm above the 12th fret, but not less than 3 mm;
• checked: the evenness of the neck and the reliability of fastening the sills on it;
• the quality of the deck and shell wood is visually assessed;
• the guitar is "tried on" for weight and ease of use (for a specific person);
• after that, you need to tune the instrument and listen to what sounds it reproduces - first without an amplifier, and then - with a connection to an amplifier.

The best option is to invite a teacher or a person who can play the semi-acoustic guitar with you and understand its quality. A specialist can not only tune the strings to the desired key, but also demonstrate the sound of the instrument. The high price is not at all the main condition that should be adhered to when buying. Sometimes there is no need to pay the customs cost and the popular brand name. A favorite and great guitar is the one that best meets the buyer's urgent needs.

In some cases, a cover offered to the buyer as an additional bonus becomes an argument in favor of purchasing. However, it is better to independently purchase a protective case of proper rigidity and quality than to buy an unknown tool in order to save on the purchase of an accessory.

It is difficult to compile a TOP list, since each person is guided by their own preferences and needs, using individual criteria. But there are such successful variants of models that can be classified as classics, since they are present in any list of the best. Here they should be named among the first.

• Gibson ES-335 - unanimously recognized as the most successful ever developed. And it is the most famous of all varieties and can be recognized by the unique body design and sound holes on the top. Now, this principle is used to create most of the good instruments from different companies for the manufacture of semi-acoustic guitars. The model is used in jazz, country and rock genre. The Epiphone ES-335 is made as an inexpensive but pretty good variant of the Gibson ES-335.

• Fender Telecaster Thinline - a lightweight version of the "Telecaster". Soft and at the same time sonorous sound, light weight allow using the guitar in pop music and rock with equal success. The decorativeness of this magnificent sample is not inferior to the sound: the design is still in demand and is used in the development of new products by various well-known manufacturers.

• Ibanez Artcore Custom AS103 - a guitar for those who want to get excellent quality for an affordable price. If you do not take into account the similarity with the leader of the TOP-list, then we can assume that the model has its own advantages - convenience, flexibility of sound and the improvements introduced. The stability and versatility of the model will help both beginners and professional performers.

• In addition to the undisputed leaders of the rating, the following also deserve close attention: PRS SE Custom Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar, Ibanez Artcore Custom AS73 and AS93, G&L Tribute ASAT Classic Bluesboy Semi-Hollow.