Finding the best semi hollow body guitar with an awesome look and even better sound is challenging. There are lots affordable semi-hollow body guitars under $1,000 with great features, so how are you supposed to decide between them?
The main thing that you need to think about is what style of music and tone are you after. Each hollow body electric guitar has its own sound. For instance a Gibson 335 is synonymous with jazz while a Thinline Tele can be used to get a country sound or a grooving blues/jazz feel. You should also think about what body style fits you best.
That being said, we’ve reviewed all the most popular top-rated semi-hollow body guitars and compared the features, so you can find the right one for your style. Let’s check them out.
Compare the Top Hollow Body Electric Guitars in 2021
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top Hollow Body Electric Guitars in 2021
- 1.1 Guild Starfire V Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar
- 1.2 Epiphone ES-335 Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitar
- 1.3 Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe
- 1.4 Godin 5th Avenue CW Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
- 1.5 Ibanez AM93QM Artcore Expressionist Semi-Hollow Guitar
- 1.6 Gretsch G5420T Electromatic Hollowbody
- 1.7 Hagstrom Tremar Viking Deluxe Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar
- 1.8 Gretsch G100CE Synchromatic Archtop Electric Guitar
- 1.9 Epiphone Wildkat Royale Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar
- 1.10 The Loar LH-302T-CVS Hollow-Body Electric Guitar
- 1.11 Johnson JH-100-WNB Delta Rose Hollow-Body Electric Guitar
- 1.12 D’Angelico Premier SS Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here’s a list of the best hollow body guitars with that signature sound that you need to add to your collection.
- Guild Starfire V
- Epiphone ES-335
- Fender Telecaster Thinline Deluxe
- Godin 5th Avenue CW
- Ibanez AM93QM Artcore Expressionist
- Gretsch G5420T Electromatic
- Hagstrom Tremar Viking Deluxe
- Gretsch G100CE Archtop
- Epiphone Wildkat Royale
- The Loar LH-302T-CVS
- Johnson JH-100-WNB Delta Rose
- D’Angelico Premier SS
Guild Starfire V Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Guild Guitars believes that guitar production should be done with the highest level of craftsmanship to ensure that musicians really enjoy their time playing them.
The Starfire V is one of the guitars in the brand’s Newark Street Collection. This collection includes guitars that were inspired by some classic guitars built by the brand in the 50s and 60s.
The Starfire V is closely modeled after its original version. The double cutaway design, arched top and back and pickguard with the Guild branding immediately reminds one of the original Starfire.
This guitar is made from mahogany laminates – top, back and sides. The neck is a three-piece mahogany and maple construction with a bound Indian rosewood fretboard. The gentle U shape of the neck and its lovely high gloss finish makes playing it a joy.
It’s powered by two passive Alnico 5 ‘Little Buckers, positioned at the neck and bridge. These are controlled with a 3-way pickup selector, individual tone and volume knobs for each pickup and a master volume.
This guitar delivers a soulful tone that’s great for blues, jazz and rock styles. With the tremolo, you can add some additional tonal flavor.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Warm, clean and soulful.
- Playability – Top marks.
- Build – Beautiful and well-made
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Cost – May be too much for some.
Bottom Line
Every aspect of this guitar is really well-made. If you’re looking for a semi-hollow body guitar that can perform excellently anywhere without spending thousands, then check this out.
Epiphone ES-335 Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
The stiff competition that Epiphone represented to Gibson in the archtop guitar section in the 50s was legendary. Even with the change in ownership that has now seen Epiphone operating as a brand owned by Gibson, it still continues to offer quality guitars.
The ES-335 PRO is modeled after Gibson’s legendary ES-335 but thankfully costs far less. It’s an archtop body guitar with a double soft cutaway design.
The top and back are made of maple laminates and the neck is made of mahogany with a rosewood fretboard on which are 22 frets. The neck’s design is the SlimTaper D profile that was popular in the 60s. This neck is comfortable and enhances playability.
The guitar spots a vintage sunburst finish that’s complimented by the standard F-holes, cream binding and pearloid inlays.
This guitar’s tone is driven by two Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers. These are positioned at the neck and bridge.
For controls, each of the pickups has its dedicated volume and tone control. There’s also the pickup selector and the volume controls have a push/pull function with which they double as coil splitters.
This guitar produces a tone that’s warm and rich when played through a clean amp.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Warm and rich.
- Playability – Comfortable and easy to play.
- Build – Well-made.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Case – Sold separately.
Bottom Line
If you’ve always wished you could own a Gibson ES-335 but can’t seem to be able to afford it, this is a very affordable alternative you can consider.
Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe
Specs, features, and benefits
Seeing the word Telecaster mentioned in the same sentence as semi-hollow body guitars is a serious anomaly. If there was one thing Fender’s Telecaster was built to accomplish, it was the eradication of any kind of hollow bodies in guitars.
The Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe really and truly represents a major paradigm shift. Who would have thought that the day will come when we will see a Telecaster with the traditional f-hole of semi-hollow guitars? Well, that day has come.
This guitar makes another major departure from the norm as it’s made from mahogany and not the usual Alder which has been Fender’s tonewood of preference. The C shaped neck is made of maple as is the fretboard.
In the hardware section, you find much of what you will expect in a telecaster until you get to the pickup where you again see a major difference. This guitar comes with two MP-90 single-coil pickups. Each of these is controlled by a dedicated volume and tone knob and a 3-way pickup selector.
In the tone department, this hybrid presents a tone that is not what you will expect from a semi-hollow body guitar. It’s got range and warmth but it’s not really the semi-hollow tone.
Pros and Highlights
- Cost – It’s affordable.
- Tone – Offers interesting tonal options.
- Hardware – Good quality.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Case – Doesn’t come with one.
Bottom Line
This is a kind of hybrid guitar that straddles the telecaster and semi-hollow worlds. If you love experimenting, you may love this.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Godin Guitars has been slowly but steadily been making inroads into the guitar market. With more buyers beginning to acknowledge the quality that this brand offers, the level of acceptance they enjoy has been on the rise.
A Guitar like the 5th Avenue CW (Kingpin II) is one of the reasons for this increased acceptance. This is the brand’s splash into the archtop market.
The guitar’s body features a single cutaway design and is made from Canadian wild cherry. The neck on the other hand is made from silver leaf maple while the fretboard on which are 21 frets is made from rosewood.
The body of the guitar sports a beautiful cognac burst finish while the neck is finished in a lovely smooth semi-gloss. Adding to the guitar’s aesthetic value are the floating tortoiseshell pickguard and the lovely cream binding.
The electronics that come with it are two Godin Kingpin P90 single-coil pickups, mounted at the neck and bridge respectively. To control these, you have a single tone knob, a single volume knob and a 3-way pickup selector.
This guitar will offer you a warm, clear and well balanced tone with room for some versatility.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Good tonal options.
- Build – Beautiful and well-made.
- Cost – Affordable.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Setup – It may require some setup.
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a great archtop guitar on a budget, this guitar offers so much value for its price point. You will be buying performance and not name.
Ibanez AM93QM Artcore Expressionist Semi-Hollow Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
The popularity that Ibanez now enjoys across the world is not simply a result of great marketing but mainly because of the quality of its products and its ability to deliver these products at reasonably competitive prices.
The Ibanez AM93QM Artcore Expressionist is one of such products from the brand. Despite the fact that most semi-hollow guitars that are worth consideration are usually pretty pricey, this is one of the exceptions to the rule. Another unwritten rule that this guitar breaks is its size. Unlike most others, the brand goes for a body size that is smaller than most will expect of a semi-hollow body guitar.
Its top, back and sides are all made of quilted maple while the neck is a three-piece mahogany and maple construction with an ebony fretboard. All these are finished in a yellow antique sunburst.
Again towing a different path from other brands, this guitar features a standard Tune-o-Matic bridge with a stop bar rather than the more common Bigsby setup. The result is increased stability at this price point.
A look at the electronics section reveals two Super 58 Custom humbucking pickups which deliver impressive tonal versatility.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Impressive tonal versatility.
- Build – Beautiful and well-made.
- Playability – Plays really well.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Setup – May require some setup.
Bottom Line
This is a semi-hollow guitar with tonal versatility. It really rocks for Jazz music and also works for other genres. It offers great value without costing an arm and a leg.
Gretsch G5420T Electromatic Hollowbody
Specs, features, and benefits
It’s Gretsch and if you know this brand, then you know that you can always expect a good dose of retro in almost all its guitar designs.
The G5420T is a hollow body guitar that is steeped in retro stew. Before we even begin to look at any other aspect of this guitar, we just have to discuss its coloring. The bright orange satin is not something you can easily get past. It’s one thing anyone will immediately notice about the guitar.
The body design includes a single cutaway and the top, sides and back are all made of maple laminates. The neck is also made of maple with a rosewood fretboard that holds 22 frets. Once fully setup, it plays really well.
In the hardware department, one of the most prominent offerings with this guitar is the Bigsby Adjusto-Matic tremolo bridge. This is really sturdy and efficient.
For electronics, you will find two Blacktop Filter’Tron humbucking pickups situated at the neck and bridge respectively. These are controlled by individual volume controls for each pickup, a master tone control and a 3-way pickup selection switch.
The tone you will get from this guitar is versatile enough to handle jazz with ease and even push up to play classic rock guitar if you so choose.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Versatile.
- Build – Good quality.
- Playability – Plays well.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- It may require some setup.
Bottom Line
This may not be the best hollow-body guitar out there, but it does offer immense value.
Hagstrom Tremar Viking Deluxe Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Hagstrom Guitars is a Swedish brand that has been in the music business for almost a century. From the 1950s when it went into guitar manufacturing, it managed to build an interesting fan base which included the likes of Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie. If you were therefore thinking that this is an unknown brand, you now know differently.
The Tremar Viking Deluxe is a beautiful instrument inspired by the original Viking guitar of the 60s. It features a maple laminate top, back and sides and a neck made of Canadian hard maple. The fretboard is made from resinator and holds 22 easily accessible frets thanks to the double cutaways.
For the electronics section, it features two Hagstrom HJ-50 covered humbucking pickups. These two are controlled by individual volume and tone control knobs as well as a pickup selector switch.
Other hardware that give this guitar its stability include: a set of pyramid design, 18:1 ratio tuning machines, GraphTech Black Tusq XL, chrome tune-o-matic bridge and Hagstrom Tremar Vibrato tailpiece.
The guitar features a lovely black finish with white bindings that give it its elegant look and its tone is warm and smooth, a dream tone for the true jazz musician.
Pros and Highlights
- Build – Elegant and well-built.
- Playability – Top marks.
- Tone – Warm and smooth.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Setup – It may not come setup from the box.
Bottom Line
This guitar combines an elegant look with a lovely tone. What else could you ask for?
Gretsch G100CE Synchromatic Archtop Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
It’s another guitar from Gretsch so we already know what to expect. This time, the brand’s journey to the past has taken it to the 40s when the Synchromatic guitars were popular. The G100CE is a modern adaption of this vintage guitar.
It’s a full-size guitar that features an archtop body design with a single cutaway. It is made entirely of maple laminates and sports a natural urethane finish.
The neck is made of solid maple with a rosewood fretboard on which are 20 frets. Considering the overall feel and look of this guitar, we can conclude that it is quite well made even for a mid-level guitar.
For hardware, it features vintage looking chrome-plated diecast tuning machines, a compensated rosewood bridge that is height adjustable and a custom chromatic tailpiece. For the electronics section, it tows a totally different path from regular semi-hollow bodies. Rather than the usual double pickups, it uses just one single coil pickup positioned at the neck. As you will expect, the controls for this are pretty simple with just the single tone knob and a volume knob.
Considering that it has just the one pickup, its sound scope is pretty narrow but full and rich within that spectrum.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Rich and full.
- Build – Beautiful and well-made.
- Playability – Plays well.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Tonal options – Lacks versatility
Bottom Line
This guitar is perfect for that tightly dialed in tone. It goes straight for the jazz tone without room for much else.
Epiphone Wildkat Royale Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
The Epiphone brand can be said to possess the combined experience of the original Epiphone founded in 1873 and Gibson which is now its parent company. Access to such a huge resource means they can create some of the best guitars. What Epiphone has been positioned to achieve is quality instruments at a more affordable price. This is exactly what it has achieved with the Wildkat Royale.
This is a guitar with the regular body shape you will expect from a semi-hollow including a single cutaway. It has a maple top while the rest of the body is made of mahogany.
The neck which is made of maple has a slim taper D-profile design and a fretboard made of rosewood. This guitar scores top marks in the build and looks department.
For its hardware, which are all gold colored, it uses a Bigsby tailpiece and an Adjusto-Matic bridge among others. Still on gold colored hardware, the pickups used by Epiphone are Dogear classics – P90R and P90T. Controlling these are individual volume knobs, one master tone knob, a master volume knob and a pickup selector switch.
This is a well-built guitar that can deliver awesome performance if you take the time to properly set it up.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Has potential.
- Build – Lovely, well-made.
- Playability – Plays well.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Tremolo system – Not the best.
Bottom Line
This guitar has a lot to offer. It is very well-built but will require some tweaking to really get it to rock.
The Loar LH-302T-CVS Hollow-Body Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Loar is a brand committed to celebrating and bringing back memories of what it terms the “Golden Age” of guitar construction. A lot of its products are inspired by instruments from as far back as the 20s and 30s. Inspiration for the guitar in review was however drawn from a later era.
The LH-302T-CVS draws its inspiration from the 60s. Unlike most archtop guitars, this one offers a thin, fully hollow body design which results in a very lightweight instrument. This of course increases its comfort to the player.
Every aspect of its body is made of maple laminates and finished in a lovely gloss vintage sunburst. The neck which has a slender C shape design is made of mahogany with a padauk fretboard that holds 19 frets.
Its hardware selection include a tune-o-matic bridge, a trapeze tailpiece and six TonePros Kluson tuning machines. Others include two Dogear P-90s pickups which are controlled using two volume and two tone controls assigned to each pickup and a pickup selector switch.
This guitar is made in China but don’t let that put you off because it’s quite well-made and offers a truly versatile tone.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Warm and mellow with loads of versatility.
- Playability – Comfortable to hold and play.
- Build – Well-built.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Frets – You may find some of them a bit rough.
Bottom Line
If you are lover of jazz or blues without the budget for very high-end guitars, this Loar offers great quality and immense tonal versatility.
Johnson JH-100-WNB Delta Rose Hollow-Body Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
As a relatively new comer in the guitar making industry, Johnson Musical Instruments, owners of the Johnson Guitar brand may not be among your top rated brand choices. That said, with their continued commitment to improvement and the provision of good quality instruments at affordable prices, the brand is gradually winning over some fans.
A case in point is this JH-100-WNB Delta Rose hollow-body guitar. Placed side by side more popular brands, its price will make it look like a toy. But is it?
This guitar features a single cutaway body design with a spruce top and mahogany laminates for sides and back. Though it has a 24.75” scale length which is a Gibson standard, its body construction is more compact, making it more comfortable for beginners and smaller guitar players.
The neck is made of mahogany with a rosewood fretboard that plays host to 22 frets.
Moving on to the hardware, you will find six highly reliable chrome diecast tuning machines, a fixed tune-o-matic bridge and a stopbar tailpiece. The electronics section features two Alnico Humbucking pickups which are just sufficient to get the job done. Each of the pickups has its own dedicated volume and tone knobs, while the 3-way selector helps with pickup selection.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – It has a clear and warm tone.
- Build – It is well-built.
- Playability – Comfortable, easy to play.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Pickups – Basic
Bottom Line
This is a good beginner guitar. It offers the beginner a good balance between value and cost.
D’Angelico Premier SS Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
D’Angelico Guitars is a brand that has been in the business since 1932. Founded by John D’Angelico, a master-luthier, the brand’s tradition has been the pursuit of excellence. With a lot modern innovations springing up, the brand is quick to adopt these innovations while still retaining its core traditional values.
The Premier SS guitar is a semi-hollow body guitar with a single cutaway design. The body is made entirely of maple laminates while the neck is made of maple with a fretboard made of ovangkol.
The different chrome hardware combine with the lovely Ocean Turquoise finish and cream binding to deliver an overall look that is appealing in a unique way.
More than just its looks, the two humbucking pickups specially designed by Seymour Duncan for D’Angelico Guitars delivers a tone that is warm and full bodied while still retaining a good level of clarity and crispiness. This allows it to be manipulated to suit a wide variety of music, from the smoothest of jazz to the grittiness of classic rock.
This is a well-made guitar that not only looks great but also sounds really great.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – It offers good tonal versatility.
- Playability – It is comfortable and easy to play.
- Build – It is well-built.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Setup – It may require some setup to really shine.
Bottom Line
This is a great guitar for anyone who needs a single guitar for multiple purposes. With its tonal versatility, it will fit different music genres with ease.
What We Recommend and Why
It’s been a very interesting journey reviewing these 12 semi-hollow and hollow body guitars. We saw some great features and great value but as usual, we have to choose one from the lot as our top pick. After careful review, we chose the Guild Starfire V Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar as our Top Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar. We believe that it offers the best overall quality of the lot. This may also explain its cost being higher than others.