PRS Hollowbody with some gain? Feedback control? hmm...

[Leif Robertson]

Ive been giving some serious thought lately (which can be a dangerous thing for me) on getting a nice hollow body. I recall going to University of the arts for jazz guitar for a year until I changed to commercial art because my parents (both with their doctorates) would say well your a artist as well as a musician why don't you change your major to where you can make money (which ultimately I did)... but I was the guy playing fusion in school with a vintage strat while everyone else was using the hollow bodies but it kinda made me cool because I played fusion to tick off the teachers. Which has nothing to do with my question.

I find it odd that I never actually bought a full hollow body electric. (I couldn't afford a PRS when I was 18). So now that Im well off with too many axes (ill admit it.....well probably not) I don't even play so often as my custom 24... Im more than considering getting a hollow body and well hell maybe a PRS hollow body but I also want to use it with some gain when I desire it people. I see some local guys with ES 355s and 125s rocking out with drive and well even BB king who used little gain by comparison ... I know he stuffed his with newspapers for feedback control. I was really lately looking at a Maton B1200 then discovered Josh Homme (I like them crooked Vultures!) uses them and he uses more drive than me...and more recently Duesenburg models, but now Im thinking why not just get a PRS artisan hollow body now that Im here at the forum? Talk me into one!!!

Is using somewhat high gain feedback a problem or a blessing? Is it generally speaking unwanted noise or controlled harmonic sustain.... in which case yummy. Don't get me wrong, I get a hollow body Ill be playing some fusion "at the very least" and probably some hard rock too but also basic clean jazz because you have one and I still know all the old chops. Blah. Days of Wine and Roses lmao is a far cry from what I am doing now. I think if you asked me two weeks ago I think Id kill myself before I played that one again but if I got a hollow body...well probably be the first thing I played lol. So Im pretty stoked! Suicide by jazz. Still..Id like to use it for alt purposes and my progressive art rock band too.... If it works for me with that. Concerned about feedback and gain.. So talk me into it. A good match or am I asking for trouble?

Why yes, I am scatterbrained.

 

[garrett]

The PRS Hollowbody gets the most glorious controlled feedback. Think live Santana or Gary Moore, but without stadium filling volume.

Just turn the volume down between tunes. Done. They're not as susceptible to the nasty feedback of large body hollow or semi-hollow guitars.

 

[Huggy Love]

Like Garrett said, feedback in a huge way. It will even take a bit to get used to because once hooked up to an amp with a bit of gain it'll feedback a little too easily and can be hard to control at first. After you get the right balance of volume, tone & gain in the channel (you'll be surprised little you need) you can get a serious violin like thing going with notes that sustain into the next set.

I come from a fusion background also, and you can get all the Larry Carlton tones with it too.

 

[vchizzle]

I don’t recall having feedback issues with my SCHB II at all. I play pretty loud with modern rock levels of gain in a band. It just wasn’t a problem for me.

 

[walrus]

I don't find it a problem at all with my HB Spruce, but I'm not playing out and really cranking it, either. With the gain all the way up it sounds great!

 

[alantig]

See Wrestler, Emil. Dude plays metal on a hollowbody (among other things).

 

[Leif Robertson]

The PRS Hollowbody gets the most glorious controlled feedback. Think live Santana or Gary Moore, but without stadium filling volume.

Just turn the volume down between tunes. Done. They're not as susceptible to the nasty feedback of large body hollow or semi-hollow guitars.

Good to know thanks!!!

 

[TRJC24PRS]

The only thing is that Josh Homme always plays in drop c or so half the time, take a listen to Queens Of The Stone Age some time

 

[Leif Robertson]

Like Garrett said, feedback in a huge way. It will even take a bit to get used to because once hooked up to an amp with a bit of gain it'll feedback a little too easily and can be hard to control at first. After you get the right balance of volume, tone & gain in the channel (you'll be surprised little you need) you can get a serious violin like thing going with notes that sustain into the next set.

I come from a fusion background also, and you can get all the Larry Carlton tones with it too.

Yeah, I figured Id have to get used to it, no doubt. Definitely different. Yeah I love that wild harmonic rich violin sustain I think your talking about..I can kinda get that with my fuchs...Im sure it will be amplified to some degree. Larry Carlton is sweet. I also like Scott Henderson and Robin Ford for Fusion guys. Of course Fords got a dumble.

Wow that Emile guy is playing pretty heavy in a decent size crowd..Yeah Id like to go to the next Experience. Im surprised he's using a hollow body..Are we sure he's not using a semi hollow? I did notice he shifted closer to the amp once. Not sure if that was intentional or not. You think he's using like a noise cancelation or something or he just has no issues?

Thanks everyone! That makes me feel a lot more comfortable.

I play small clubs to large outdoor venues and one really large indoor at this annual show for vets so Im sure Ill have to work with it but it could open new doors for me. Sounds like I don't have to worry with hollow bodies unless they were thin or something.

Is the PRS hollow body have a pretty thick wood? Like the Duesenburg has one thats too thin and the other thats very thick thats better. Ill have to be careful with it too Im sure. Thats one thing I like about 'certain solid body guitars'...I just don't have to worry about them getting banged up a little if that happens. Im sure Im gonna have to be very cautious! Pretty sure a Hollowbody will crack easily too. Looks like PRS has the hollow body model and other models like a McCarty Hollowbody apparently. And looks like their is a Hollowbody 2. Ill have to figure out whats best.

Yeah sounds great! All of it. Thanks everyone for your input. Im gonna I guess go with the PRS!!! I know I can't go wrong that way! Thanks!

 

[Leif Robertson]

The only thing is that Josh Homme always plays in drop c or so half the time, take a listen to Queens Of The Stone Age some time

True and yeah not always. Yeah they use Drop C on some albums and others different tunings and even standard 4 40 on newer stuff. Yeah Im familiar with him and his scale (atonal diminished skipping some strings) and Queens I like and Them Crooked Vultures (John Paul Jones with David Growl) I really dig. I play a half step down as my standard. I learned to play that way and sure I just play a half step up from everyone else but I have a guitar thats at dropped C now..Just don't play it as much but who knows what tomorrow brings. I like playing higher up on lower strings quite often because the thicker the string the more tone I feel. I use at least 11 but often 12 gauge strings. Id try 13s but that might be something Ill have to work my way into. Someone suggested I get a 7 string because I want to be able to play lower on occasion instead of down tune. Just every once in awhile and the highest note on the 24th fret is a tad higher than I play so it makes sense for me to tune down a bit. Plus in all honesty... I think I like my open strings flat. lol. Maybe thats a blues thing I dunno. Im just used to it.

 

[Leif Robertson]

How many PRS models are hollowbodies besides the Holowbody models? I just found a McCarty thats a hollow body. Looks nice!

 

[garrett]

The older ones had the McCarty designation, but they dropped that somewhere along the line. Essentially the same guitar, though.

They've done them in double cut and single cut and with a few variations of wood.

 

[Leif Robertson]

The older ones had the McCarty designation, but they dropped that somewhere along the line. Essentially the same guitar, though.

They've done them in double cut and single cut and with a few variations of wood.

Sounds like Ive got some research to do on the PRS hollow body line up. I just saw a McCarty hollow body I guess its used.

Looks like the Hollowbody 2 has Piezo as a second input and there is a McCarty Hollowbody 2. Not sure if I would use that Piezo or not. I can play keys if i have too. I suppose its cool feature to have but none of my amps support that.

 

[TRJC24PRS]

True and yeah not always. Yeah they use Drop C on some albums and others different tunings and even standard 4 40 on newer stuff. Yeah Im familiar with him and his scale (atonal diminished skipping some strings) and Queens I like and Them Crooked Vultures (John Paul Jones with David Growl) I really dig. I play a half step down as my standard. I learned to play that way and sure I just play a half step up from everyone else but I have a guitar thats at dropped C now..Just don't play it as much but who knows what tomorrow brings. I like playing higher up on lower strings quite often because the thicker the string the more tone I feel. I use at least 11 but often 12 gauge strings. Id try 13s but that might be something Ill have to work my way into. Someone suggested I get a 7 string because I want to be able to play lower on occasion instead of down tune. Just every once in awhile and the highest note on the 24th fret is a tad higher than I play so it makes sense for me to tune down a bit. Plus in all honesty... I think I like my open strings flat. lol. Maybe thats a blues thing I dunno. Im just used to it.

Yup keeping them flat is a very bluesy thing, and yeah if you are trying to acquire the Homme style, he plays 6, 9, & 12 string guitars

 

[DickBanks]

The PRS Hollowbody gets the most glorious controlled feedback. Think live Santana or Gary Moore, but without stadium filling volume.

Just turn the volume down between tunes. Done. They're not as susceptible to the nasty feedback of large body hollow or semi-hollow guitars.

Played one of these yesterday at GC--very impressed!

 

[Leif Robertson]

Thats nice to know. I do play Atonal quite often as he does but not from direct influence. I do my own thing. I strive to be unique. Where I find it good to study other methods of other guitarists (I think I actually was heavily into hendrix when I realized I like my open strings flat) still I try to just be me. We don't play originals (well a couple but we made them our own) however always striving to be different. That being said I am a fan of his two guitarists method and how he uses a second guitarist to build envelopes around what he doing. I do study other musicians I like though. Its good to pick things up and expand in your own way. Great way to strive always be a better musician.

Were all standing on the shoulders of giants.