594, 594 semi, 594 hollow HELP

[THAW]

I think a 594 is my next axe. Need help deciding which 594. Solid,semi, hb? I googled it but did not find a good comparison...

History: Over the last few years I have transitioned away from the tele and into dual hum instruments. My current gigging axe is an S2 standard 24. I changed pups to PAF style zhang buckers. It made me a prs convert. I play rock, country, originals and rock fusion type stuff in local bands. The guitar in my collection that sounds the best to me for my style is a Gib 59 335 custom shop. Long tannon/ hide glue and all that. Sounds amazing. It can twang / rock or Jazz. Great air and note attack. The ergonomics suck. It’s big. It’s heavy etc. I have also tried many times to like Les Pauls and SGs. I Like both sonically but again not the ergonomics. SG is probably more versatile sonically and does the big tele thing the best. The S2 fits me really well. Love the pattern neck. It’s pretty versatile. Cuts well. Can’t really twang though. That led me to thinking I would like the 594. A better playing LP? Somewhere between SG / LP?

I want a guitar than can do the full on rock LP thing, blues rock, fusion, big tele ish twang and lush clean. To me this is being able to vary mid content and note attack. 335 is great for this I just can’t gig with it.

Questions:
can a 594 fill this need?
If I find a LP (but not SG) kind of cramped will the 594 be similar due to scale?
Which flavor 594 is best suited to this (I LOVE light guitars)? What are the sonic differences?
Is the full HB too soft on note attack?

lastly is a special 22 a better call for me. Sooo confused. Any thoughts or experiences with these models are appreciated!

 

[django49]

Very hard to generalize, but a few thoughts....

Seems to me the 594, esp the SC version, will give you more or less the same "negatives" as a Les Paul. Some positives in the sense of quality and versatility with the coil splits.

If you get what you like from the 335 sound-wise, but need something more "user friendly" I would suggest you try the Special Semi-Hollow 22....Smaller body, much lighter weight, great ergonomics (IMO) With the three pickups and separate coil splits, you get more versatility in a single guitar. Though perhaps a bit less "fatness" than the thick solid body of the 594. And keep in mind the (small) difference in scale length.

 

[Alan Manning]

Ok so this is my take. I have a 594 SC, 594 HBII and McCarty with the TM pickups.
They can all do what you need tonally although. My particular SC is anything but light.
My 2017 McCarty with the 58/15 Tm's for me is right in the weight comfort zone and I personally Prefer these pickups. ( Just my preference)
My HBII Is tonally different In a good way obviously very light and will do everything you need with ease. So according to your wallet size for me it would be HB . Ideally try out at a store If poss but that ain't gonna happen any time soon unfortunately. hope this helps. !!!

 

[clmazza]

I love them all... the semi-hollow will get you there, IMHO. It brings a sort of airiness and depth to the party... and the light weight is a welcome surprise when Switching from my SC594.

 

[21Hemispheres12]

From what you’re saying I think a semi hollow 594 would work well for you. Mine is extremely lightweight at just under 7lbs and it reminds me a lot of a Collings I35LC I played which also sounded amazing. You can really hear and feel the semi hollowness of the 594 and it just sounds big playing clean or dirty. I don’t have a special semi hollow but my semi hollow reclaimed CE24 doesn’t have near the depth or warmth of the 594 which I think is due to the shallower body and hotter pickups.

 

[ChesterB]

I ended up a 594 only because a nice Wood Library example ended up on the used market. After getting my SSH last year I was really leaning towards a 594 semi hollow. Love the tone of the tone of the semi hollow and cannot argue with the weight.

 

[Jazzedout]

S2 594 Thinline? It won't have a big neck though...

 

[ViperDoc]

THERE IS ONLY ONE ANSWER:

YES.

 

[THAW]

My HBII Is tonally different In a good way obviously very light and will do everything you need with ease.QUOTE]

Thanks so much for the reply. Could you please elaborate on how the HB is different tonally? I can not find a direct comparison

 

[Joesnewmatch]

Great post, OP. I'll throw in my 2 cents. I was also more of a Tele guy a long time ago and kept migrating towards Gibson style guitars, as well as PRS.

I have a great R8 that sounds wonderful, but I rarely play it due to the ergonomics, so I get where you are coming from. My main band guitar often fluctuated, but the SG occupied that space about 50%. It's my favorite Gibson model. I also have a Collings I-35lc, which is "my 335." As much as I love it, I mostly use it when playing non-rock and more Jazzy stuff. Sonically it can do it, but I took it to band practice once and never brought it back. The ergonomics work for certain things, but I play lead in my band and stay north of the 12th fret a lot of the time (playing with 2 other guitarists) and it didn't feel right for me. I will say though, unless yo have huge hands, the Collings design is more ergonomic in the high frets than any Gibson I have ever played -- other than the SG, which is THE most fretboard friendly guitar I have ever played, bar none.

With that background, I don't have any 594s and never owned any, but I would love to have a semi or full-hollow (only because I'm done with heavy guitars).

I do have a Special 22 Semi-Hollowbody and it's been my main band guitar since acquiring it. I love that guitar -- I mean really love it. Weight, feel, looks, versatility, you name it. That said, I would not describe it as having the thick, mid-focused sound of a 335 or really great Gibson. My Collings has that ripped cardboard mid-thing going on and it's really cool for certain applications, but in a band mix, I prefer the brightness and clarity of the SHH. I can roll the tone down, back off the volume and add sustain and drive and deep reverb with my Helix, to balance it out, and that totally satisfies me. I appreciate the semi-hollow part of the SHH more for the weight than anything else. Yes, it impacts sound somewhat, but nothing like a 335, large body semi, or full-hollowbody.

The proper answer is go try some, but that ain't happening now -- and it's very hard to find these guitars all in one place outside of major cities on a good day. I would say you're on the right track asking for opinions from the forum. Also check out YouTube videos. You may just need to try some until you find IT.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

 

[THAW]

Great post, OP. I'll throw in my 2 cents. I was also more of a Tele guy a long time ago and kept migrating towards Gibson style guitars, as well as PRS.

I have a great R8 that sounds wonderful, but I rarely play it due to the ergonomics, so I get where you are coming from. My main band guitar often fluctuated, but the SG occupied that space about 50%. It's my favorite Gibson model. I also have a Collings I-35lc, which is "my 335." As much as I love it, I mostly use it when playing non-rock and more Jazzy stuff. Sonically it can do it, but I took it to band practice once and never brought it back. The ergonomics work for certain things, but I play lead in my band and stay north of the 12th fret a lot of the time (playing with 2 other guitarists) and it didn't feel right for me. I will say though, unless yo have huge hands, the Collings design is more ergonomic in the high frets than any Gibson I have ever played -- other than the SG, which is THE most fretboard friendly guitar I have ever played, bar none.

With that background, I don't have any 594s and never owned any, but I would love to have a semi or full-hollow (only because I'm done with heavy guitars).

I do have a Special 22 Semi-Hollowbody and it's been my main band guitar since acquiring it. I love that guitar -- I mean really love it. Weight, feel, looks, versatility, you name it. That said, I would not describe it as having the thick, mid-focused sound of a 335 or really great Gibson. My Collings has that ripped cardboard mid-thing going on and it's really cool for certain applications, but in a band mix, I prefer the brightness and clarity of the SHH. I can roll the tone down, back off the volume and add sustain and drive and deep reverb with my Helix, to balance it out, and that totally satisfies me. I appreciate the semi-hollow part of the SHH more for the weight than anything else. Yes, it impacts sound somewhat, but nothing like a 335, large body semi, or full-hollowbody.

The proper answer is go try some, but that ain't happening now -- and it's very hard to find these guitars all in one place outside of major cities on a good day. I would say you're on the right track asking for opinions from the forum. Also check out YouTube videos. You may just need to try some until you find IT.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

Great post, OP. I'll throw in my 2 cents. I was also more of a Tele guy a long time ago and kept migrating towards Gibson style guitars, as well as PRS.

I have a great R8 that sounds wonderful, but I rarely play it due to the ergonomics, so I get where you are coming from. My main band guitar often fluctuated, but the SG occupied that space about 50%. It's my favorite Gibson model. I also have a Collings I-35lc, which is "my 335." As much as I love it, I mostly use it when playing non-rock and more Jazzy stuff. Sonically it can do it, but I took it to band practice once and never brought it back. The ergonomics work for certain things, but I play lead in my band and stay north of the 12th fret a lot of the time (playing with 2 other guitarists) and it didn't feel right for me. I will say though, unless yo have huge hands, the Collings design is more ergonomic in the high frets than any Gibson I have ever played -- other than the SG, which is THE most fretboard friendly guitar I have ever played, bar none.

With that background, I don't have any 594s and never owned any, but I would love to have a semi or full-hollow (only because I'm done with heavy guitars).

I do have a Special 22 Semi-Hollowbody and it's been my main band guitar since acquiring it. I love that guitar -- I mean really love it. Weight, feel, looks, versatility, you name it. That said, I would not describe it as having the thick, mid-focused sound of a 335 or really great Gibson. My Collings has that ripped cardboard mid-thing going on and it's really cool for certain applications, but in a band mix, I prefer the brightness and clarity of the SHH. I can roll the tone down, back off the volume and add sustain and drive and deep reverb with my Helix, to balance it out, and that totally satisfies me. I appreciate the semi-hollow part of the SHH more for the weight than anything else. Yes, it impacts sound somewhat, but nothing like a 335, large body semi, or full-hollowbody.

The proper answer is go try some, but that ain't happening now -- and it's very hard to find these guitars all in one place outside of major cities on a good day. I would say you're on the right track asking for opinions from the forum. Also check out YouTube videos. You may just need to try some until you find IT.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

 

[THAW]

Thanks for reply! Interestingly we have similar needs and history. I also play lead and sing in a multi guitar band and just switched to Helix from a Friedman dirty Shirley setup. We hat kind of music do you play? Can the special ROCK?

 

[Joesnewmatch]

Oh man, that Friedman is really sweet! Hope you love the Helix. I bought a LT used on a lark during Thanksgiving week a couple years ago, took it home tried the presets and hated them, created one from scratch and never looked back. I run mine through a 1966 Princeton Reverb. That may be where the comparisons stop. My band is pretty low-key, comprised of two singers (one main), both playing amplified acoustics, and an electric bass player. We play blues, soft classic rock, alternative, and some outlaw country stuff, nothing heavy. I've always gravitated towards cleaner thick tones, with dirt, but never too much. Our biggest rocker tunes are when we play some heavy blues, when I turn up and play double time on songs like Folsom Prison (I call it the hillbilly freakout), or when the main singer ditches the acoustic and jumps on drums for Dylans' Things Have Changed. On those and other rare occasions, I have cranked and rocked and it was pretty damn awesome. But then again, a Squier would probably sound equally good when the air is moving and everyone is grooving!

 

[Alan Manning]

Sure Thing. I have the 58 / 15 LT pickup in the bridge of my H /B and an Archtop in the neck ( so the neck is irrelevant ).
I will say this is used through an overdrive pedal between my S/C & H /B Settings exactly the same One solid body one not.
My guess is the air pushing more on the H/B. ( I even got friends round to make sure it wasn't my ears playing tricks).
The S/C is great the H/B is off the scale. I wondered if they put a TCI in with a LT cover as the guitar arrived in December so I take it it's the Hollow part that's doing the business. This thing is a monster.!!!

 

[Igotsoul4u]

Questions:
can a 594 fill this need?
If I find a LP (but not SG) kind of cramped will the 594 be similar due to scale?
Which flavor 594 is best suited to this (I LOVE light guitars)? What are the sonic differences?
Is the full HB too soft on note attack?

lastly is a special 22 a better call for me. Sooo confused. Any thoughts or experiences with these models are appreciated!

I am coming from the same place. I love the Gibson tone but they are too heavy or neck diving like crazy. I was set on an SG but played a McCarty and never looked back. Lately I wanted to add a hollowbody and the 339 was always my ideal guitar. I just hate the way it hangs on a strap. I was also eyeing the special 22 as well. I probably would have done it if I didn't have to mod the NF pickup. I also decided I wanted a more compact feel then the 25" scale. To be honest I am still not sure I made the right decision but I couldn't get a Special 22 in my hands to try.

Recently (impulsively) bought a 594 Hollowbody II and am putting it through the paces. One thing that is surprising is how bright and sharp the guitar can be if needed. Don't worry about not having enough attack. I was not expecting that at all. The good news is I can roll off the high end musically. I have kept the tone knobs for both pickups at 5/6. The last week I have been running through some early Zeppelin stuff and I feel like the tone is there! I don't go nuts with that stuff, but I definitely got a nice tone with my JHS Super Bolt and some verb. The hollowbody 100% can rock out. I think it sounds glorious. I am also a Phish fan so it gets me into the Trey tonal world! The guitar howls in such an awesome way.

I would be concerned about being cramped if Gibson feels cramped. Do you mean cramped as in chords, top frets, or the back of the neck? I have small hands and its perfecto for me just like most Gibsons. It's definitely not like the fattest of Gibson necks at all which I hate. You have to play one to find out. Hands are simply way to different to give you an exact answer.

The weight is incredible although I wouldn't want it any lighter or the neck would dive more then I would like. Another thing to consider is how the carved back feels against your belly. It makes the guitar sit a little bit differently then a flat backed semi hollow. I have a McCarty Korina that I love so that's what tipped me into the hollowbody world. I also wanted something that would give me some jazzy tones. The biggest draw for me is the wide dynamic range. It has softer softs then any solid body. Can't compare to a semi hollow unfortunately. I want to do some recording next week to show the town differences. I'll post them if I end up doing it.

 

[RJK Tech]

Check out the 509. It's one of the most under rated guitars in the PRS line. It may not get quite as lush as the 594 but the versatility for what you are looking for is there.

 

[Bob Hundemer]

I have a 2020 594 SC. Plays and sounds great but.... It's not going to sound like a HB anything.
I have a Gibson 137 that's a HB. It's difficult to play as well. Only reason I have it is because my best bud gave it to me before he passed. I tried to like it. Tried to play it etc. It's sitting back in its case now and will most likely remain there.
My Opinion is you will have to get either a HB or a Semi HB to get the sound you want.

 

[THAW]

Thanks for all the replies! As far as being “cramped” I mean feeling above the 12 th fret. On a LP or 335 it is cramped feeling when playing in A on the 17th fret. It has to do with the horn and the way it makes your hand rotate. I do not have that problem on the S 2 standard. Much easier playing.

one other question does the HB hang “facing down” when standing making it hard to see fretboard?

 

[THAW]

Ended up getting a great deal on a 594 semi hollow. It’s pretty much an ergonomically superior LP flavored guitar. So far it is good sounding and versatile and does everything I ask of it. It is light, has slightly better upper fret access than an LP. Stays in tune. Great feeling neck! I was immediately comfortable on the neck. Perfect string spacing. Hard to describe but it’s right. I need to set it up for me but so far so good!! I have yet to play it at gig volume due to covid,. which is the real test.....overall it is a neutral palate. Paint whatever you want over the top.