fully in love with a Semi

[kidsmoke*]

inspired by Roberts Hag....Who else here reaches for an electric that pushes air? Let's see photos.

My one and only.

[marnold***]

Is that an actual wood pick guard?

[kidsmoke*]

Is that an actual wood pick guard?

yep, flamed maple like the top.

[kidsmoke*]

The Flamed maple PG is a Heritage trademark. even when they do a more "typical" presentation.

[marnold***]

yep, flamed maple like the top.

Cool! Except I'd be nervous to actually use it as a scratch plate Especially since I assume that is a nitro finish which can be damaged easily as opposed to a poly finish which can withstand a direct nuclear strike.

[kidsmoke*]

yep, that's a fair concern. It is nitro. But I can tell you, this is played out a couple times a month, in and out of 20 degree cars and 80 degree bars, and it's as you see it. If it wears, I'll consider it well earned.

[duhvoodooman***]

I like to push air! I have one full hollowbody, one semi-hollowbody, and three, well, I guess you'd call them semi-semi-hollowbodies.

The full hollowbody is a Gretsch Electromatic G5420T. It does have a small support block about 3/4" square beneath the bridge, but is otherwise completely hollow:



The semi is another Heritage, this one an H555 model that Kip helped me acquire from one of the regulars over at the Heritage Owner's Club. Definitely one of my most beautiful guitars:



Then I have three different takes on the classic Telecaster Thinline theme--from l. to r. a '72 Thinline Reissue with an aftermarket Bigsby, a G&L Tribute series ASAT Classic Bluesboy SH, and a Thinline Cabronita with Fender's take on Gretsch Filter'Tron pickups, which they call "Fideli'Trons." All three have the cavity just on the right 1/3 or so of the body.

[Jimi75]

Really love my Epi ES-339. Such a beautiful instrument!

[kidsmoke*]

I like all of those guitars Vood. How are the Mid range p'ups on the '72 reissue? I know a guy with the real deal who plays through an old Boogie combo, dimed, and gets amazing tone. That'd be the one of the group that'd get my attention, I think.

Jimi-

339? I don't see a 339. You sure you've got a 339?

[duhvoodooman***]

How are the Mid range p'ups on the '72 reissue? I know a guy with the real deal who plays through an old Boogie combo, dimed, and gets amazing tone. That'd be the one of the group that'd get my attention, I think.

OK, guitar geek-out warning....

They're not the stock RI pickups, which frankly bore only physical resemblance to the Wide-Range pickups that came in the original '72 Thinline. Those used individual threaded rod CuNiFe magnets rather than the typical humbucker construction with a bar magnet under steel pole pieces, and were known for their great clarity & string definition. The RI pickups, on the other hand, are basically just standard humbuckers in the Fender WR casing.

The original owner had the RI pickups upgraded by a pickup builder named Curtis Novak, who basically replaced the "guts" of the pickups with threaded rod magnets wound to the original Fender specs. You can read about his Wide-Range humbucker replacements HERE. I contacted Curtis and provided him with some photos of the pickups, and he confirmed that they are some of his earliest conversions. I also took one to work, where we had a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer for positively identifying metals and alloys (a necessary tool when building high precision industrial machinery). I was able to determine that the pole pieces were a permanent magnetic alloy of iron, chromium and cobalt (FeCrCo)--apparently, this alloy is easier to obtain than CuNiFE, while still being easy to machine.

In any case, they sound great, and definitely have the clarity and brightness that the originals were known for. They sound somewhere between a humbucker and the classic Fender single coil tone. I own nothing else that sounds like them.

[kidsmoke*]

See? I didn't know i knew, but somehow I knew. Man, have I got an eye. Maple board too. That's gotta be one of the keepers.

[duhvoodooman***]

See? I didn't know i knew, but somehow I knew.

...Prolly 'cuz you read AND COMMENTED on my post about the acquisition of the guitar a bit over 2 years ago: http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/22055

[kidsmoke*]

Dohh! I guess I know what I like.

[tjcurtin1]

This made me realize that air-filled guitars are all that I have at this point:

An Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor Pro hollow body

A Sheraton II

THe Epi Wildkat


I guess that the Danelectro could even be considered semi-hollow, though it has no f-holes so it's an enclosed semi

[duhvoodooman***]

Nice trio of Epi's there!

[tjcurtin1]

Yeah, I have incidentally become an Epi fan over the past few years. Partly because I've moved to preferring humbuckers to single coils (with the P-90's being something of a cross between sound-wise), and partly because they've all been well-built, nice-playing a good looking guitars.

[Jimi75]

^ Funny you mention your change of mind - I prefer HBs nowadays, too. Never thought this could happen, but my SG made me a believer.

[kidsmoke*]

Yeah, I have incidentally become an Epi fan over the past few years.

Ted, those are all beautiful! I would love to hear your thoughts if you were able to AB those against Heritages of similar ilk. Those are right in their wheel house. And I'm sure I missed it if you reviewed the Wildkat, those seem like a great value.

Jimi, sounds to me like you have quite the collection. The guitar player in my band has a great selection as well, but is seems more and more all he's bringing out is his SG.

[tjcurtin1]

I've never seen a live Heritage, but it would be fun to try one - they look beautiful and I only hear great stuff about them. I really like the Kat and have had it for quite a while now, and it has always survived herd thinnings. I like the P-90's - they can play clean or crunchy and can sound like single's or almost HB's. I also like the feel of the guitar, and love the Bigsby. I did rewire it with lower impedence cable based on an online suggestion as they are a little dark sounding, which made a nice improvement.