594 Solid Body vs Semi-Hollow

jtshrago

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Feb 3, 2023
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Please only contribute if you have had a chance to play both. Trying to keep the thread clean. Thanks!

I am currently considering getting a 594. I love the feel and overall warmer tone of shorter scale guitars but have struggled with how bassy/muddy the neck pickup can sound. For reference I had an S2 with a SD 59/custom hybrid in the bridge (which I loved) and a 59 in the neck which was exactly what I described above. It sounds like the 58/15LTs are great and don't suffer from this issue.

However, I am torn between a solid body and semi-hollow. From what I have gathered by reading online and watching videos is the semi-hollow sounds more full, dynamic and expressive. Is the semi-hollow as articulate in the neck position or does it get bassy/muddy? How would you describe the tonal differences when it comes to warmth, dynamics, articulation/clarity and other intangibles?

Thanks again for the help!
 
I played the current CE semi hollow great looking guitar
I didnt care for the pick ups compared to 85/15’s playing it thru a Boogie Filmore 25 like i have at home(different cab)and all 3 of the semi hollow CE’s at the store were pattern thin necks which i dont care for
The sustain is great plugged in or acoustic and i think the highs really come on quick without dig’n in on the picking if that makes sense to ya and i could hear a difference with the reverb coming thru shinier then a soild body
 
I've had both, and as expected the solid body 594 is brighter, but I enjoyed the semi-hollow more as notes just resonated off of it. Ultimately discovered that I just didn't bond with the pattern vintage and now have a CE 24 semi- hollow, S2 Thinline, both black and a Fiore.
 
I have solid , semi and hollowbody My Semi's are my favorites as a everyday axe , I prefer the tone. The LT's are very clean, but take gain well. The 57/08's in my Walnut LTD semi are warmer and fuller but not as "single coil"in tapped mode. Solid bodies are great , but I've found over the years ..semi's and hollowbodies will seduce you with their tone.
 
I've had both, and as expected the solid body 594 is brighter, but I enjoyed the semi-hollow more as notes just resonated off of it. Ultimately discovered that I just didn't bond with the pattern vintage and now have a CE 24 semi- hollow, S2 Thinline, both black and a Fiore.
Thanks for the response. Did you find the neck pickup in the semi-hollow muddy or super bassy or was it just warmer but still articulate with good note definition?
 
I've played both, and also have had two 594s and currently a semi hollow Special.

The semi hollow body will always have a different (usually higher-amplitude) resonant peak than a solid body guitar. The resonant peak is the point at which the high frequencies peak a little before they roll off, and all guitars have this to one degree or another, but with semi-hollow guitars you hear it more clearly. Not only that, you hear it at more of a midrange frequency, which gives it a vowel-like formant.

That's what gives the semis a slightly different audio quality. It's very similar to turning up the 'resonance' control on a synthesizer, that raises the amplitude of the resonant peak following a low pass filter.

The greater amplitude of the semi hollow's resonant peak is also what makes a semi hollow a little more dynamic. 'Expressive' is, of course, subjective, since we all express ourselves differently. But I like the semi hollow's resonance. The tradeoff is less thickness in the lower midrange.

There aren't any rules. You have to do what suits you.

I find it very important to set the amps up differently than one might with a solid body guitar. It's truly a different type of beast. I'll generally create a more scooped amp sound to compliment the resonant peak in the midrange, but it's all a matter of taste.
 
I've played both, and also have had two 594s and currently a semi hollow Special.

The semi hollow body will always have a different (usually higher-amplitude) resonant peak than a solid body guitar. The resonant peak is the point at which the high frequencies peak a little before they roll off, and all guitars have this to one degree or another, but with semi-hollow guitars you hear it more clearly. Not only that, you hear it at more of a midrange frequency, which gives it a vowel-like formant.

That's what gives the semis a slightly different audio quality. It's very similar to turning up the 'resonance' control on a synthesizer, that raises the amplitude of the resonant peak following a low pass filter.

The greater amplitude of the semi hollow's resonant peak is also what makes a semi hollow a little more dynamic. 'Expressive' is, of course, subjective, since we all express ourselves differently. But I like the semi hollow's resonance. The tradeoff is less thickness in the lower midrange.

There aren't any rules. You have to do what suits you.

I find it very important to set the amps up differently than one might with a solid body guitar. It's truly a different type of beast. I'll generally create a more scooped amp sound to compliment the resonant peak in the midrange, but it's all a matter of taste.
Thanks for the reply. Having spent a lot of time reading through threads on this forum, I was waiting for you to reply lol. It sounds like the mids are emphasized with semi-hollows but this doesn't compromise clarity/articulation/note separation. Wish I could play both before purchasing but that unfortunately is not the world we live in (even living in a major city). I miss the days when I could go into Guitar Center, grab a Schecter, plug into a Marshall, crank the gain and go "This looks cool I'll take it."
 
Thanks for the reply. Having spent a lot of time reading through threads on this forum, I was waiting for you to reply lol. It sounds like the mids are emphasized with semi-hollows but this doesn't compromise clarity/articulation/note separation. Wish I could play both before purchasing but that unfortunately is not the world we live in (even living in a major city). I miss the days when I could go into Guitar Center, grab a Schecter, plug into a Marshall, crank the gain and go "This looks cool I'll take it."
It's not so much the mids, as the resonant peaks in the upper mids. But it's more subtle than what you hear in, say, a 335 with its center block, or a Hollowbody guitar. The lower mids and bass are warmer that solid bodies, but they aren't indistinct on the PRS semis.

If what you're after is a very articulate, immediate note attack, you might want to look for an Artist Package, Private Stock, or Wood Library run with an ebony, Brazilian rosewood, or zizicote fretboard. I'm told that African Blackwood is also similar (haven't tried one).

My Special has an ebony fretboard, and it definitely does that very articulate thing that ebony does. But I sometimes prefer the slower attack of an Indian or Madagascar rosewood board, and could go either way without complaining.
 
I certainly don't have the vocabulary or 'understanding' of what I am hearing as @LSchefman to explain any differences in tone - but I would say that in my experience, the difference is subtle and depending on what you play, may not even really notice - the biggest difference is likely to be weight saving.

I have 2 594's currently - Solid DC and Hollowbody DC, as well as semi-hollow Special. I don't think PRS 'Semi' hollow guitars are like Gibson's 'Semi' hollow guitars like the 335. Maybe because the 'air' chambers inside are smaller, the 'solid' carved woods don't move as much as thin laminate bodies etc - I don't know, but if you were after more of a '335' like sound from a '594' platform, I'd recommend the Hollowbody over a semi-hollow construction and go for the 'semi-hollow' 594 if your more concerned by weight.

Of course, my ear is likely to be different to yours and you may find the difference more significant than I did to make your own mind up but in general, I would say that the sound difference is subtle enough to be 'lost' in the mix or could be EQ'd away and that maybe the weight relief is a bigger advantage.
 
I certainly don't have the vocabulary or 'understanding' of what I am hearing as @LSchefman to explain any differences in tone - but I would say that in my experience, the difference is subtle and depending on what you play, may not even really notice - the biggest difference is likely to be weight saving.

I have 2 594's currently - Solid DC and Hollowbody DC, as well as semi-hollow Special. I don't think PRS 'Semi' hollow guitars are like Gibson's 'Semi' hollow guitars like the 335. Maybe because the 'air' chambers inside are smaller, the 'solid' carved woods don't move as much as thin laminate bodies etc - I don't know, but if you were after more of a '335' like sound from a '594' platform, I'd recommend the Hollowbody over a semi-hollow construction and go for the 'semi-hollow' 594 if your more concerned by weight.

Of course, my ear is likely to be different to yours and you may find the difference more significant than I did to make your own mind up but in general, I would say that the sound difference is subtle enough to be 'lost' in the mix or could be EQ'd away and that maybe the weight relief is a bigger advantage.


Well id say if you compare them to a 335 style guitar its chamber size
The PRS is a small chamber then a 335 much closer to 339,actually even little small then a 339
But sound has less distance to travel it’ll surely effect tone
Thats why there were and are so many different jazz box size guitars,just another way to control tone which was more prevalent in the days of less amp/pa/microphone/etc
If you needed to project sound a bigger chamber was the way,,which is what you were saying i just have to say(type)things out loud to fully grasp the conversation
Personally i think the PRS semi and fully hollowed guitars are perfect size for current technology of amp or PA interfaces with effects as far as sound projection and tone control an quality
Ive been lucky enough to own a few nice Gretsch guitars chambered and hollow body and if your just playing a clean tone with no or almost no break up or your not tryn to push the amp volume to much there glorious in there chimey cleans or even colored tastefully with some ambient effects there a joy
But to me there stuck in that cleanish rut when it comes to a multi purpose roll
Dont get me wrong theres players that can get everything they want out of big hollow bodys,Setzer,Jim Heath etc but the long drawn out point to my rant is the modern PRS hollow bodys really can pull it all off in spades comparing it in a multi style musical roll and still give top notch quality tones all the way around
And thanks now im freak’n looking for another hollow body
 
Well id say if you compare them to a 335 style guitar its chamber size
The PRS is a small chamber then a 335 much closer to 339,actually even little small then a 339
But sound has less distance to travel it’ll surely effect tone
Thats why there were and are so many different jazz box size guitars,just another way to control tone which was more prevalent in the days of less amp/pa/microphone/etc
If you needed to project sound a bigger chamber was the way,,which is what you were saying i just have to say(type)things out loud to fully grasp the conversation
Personally i think the PRS semi and fully hollowed guitars are perfect size for current technology of amp or PA interfaces with effects as far as sound projection and tone control an quality
Ive been lucky enough to own a few nice Gretsch guitars chambered and hollow body and if your just playing a clean tone with no or almost no break up or your not tryn to push the amp volume to much there glorious in there chimey cleans or even colored tastefully with some ambient effects there a joy
But to me there stuck in that cleanish rut when it comes to a multi purpose roll
Dont get me wrong theres players that can get everything they want out of big hollow bodys,Setzer,Jim Heath etc but the long drawn out point to my rant is the modern PRS hollow bodys really can pull it all off in spades comparing it in a multi style musical roll and still give top notch quality tones all the way around
And thanks now im freak’n looking for another hollow body

All I was trying to say is that I don't think a PRS Semi-Hollow will sound like a Gibson Semi-Hollow and you are better off going for a PRS Hollowbody to get that 'sound'. I totally agree that the way they are made does make a PRS Hollowbody more 'usable' on Stage with any type of gain. I don't know what the OP was hoping for or expecting, but I doubt I could hear a difference in a mix or with slight tweaks to EQ.

I don't know if you actually want to project sound acoustically with a HB so I don't really know the impact on Chamber size and/or whether the thicker sides, back and probably 'top' from using 'Solid' woods as opposed to thin Laminates and a more 'traditional' Acoustic like construction affect the magnetic Pickup sound as much. Whatever the reason they sound different, just because they are 'both' semi-hollows doesn't mean that a Semi-Hollow 594 is going to be similar/equivalent to a 335 in the same way a 594 is similar/equivalent to a Les Paul. In my opinion, a 594 is the equivalent to a Les Paul, the 594 SH is more like a Weight relieved Les Paul and the 594 HB is the equivalent to a 335. If PRS still made the Archtop, I'd probably say that was more the equivalent to a 'traditional' HB guitar if that's what you are after.

I know HB's tend to have a 'bad' rep for stage/gain use and uncontrollable feedback but whether its the 'solid' wood type construction, the 'block' anchoring the back to the top or some other reason, the PRS Hollowbodies are a LOT more usable.

You don't need to convince me the HB's are Superb and I do find them a LOT more versatile and usable than others.
 
I always think the best way to find out for sure is to buy one and find out
Isn't that the truth of truths?

Live with one, see what happens. Or at least play one. It's the best way.

There are dealers who will give you a 24 hour approval period. Ask.
 
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