Thoughts on PRS Hollowbody II?

There has been a bunch of variation on the Hollowbody theme, starting from 1998. The Hollowbody II with piezo and 10 top is easily the most common configuration in my estimation.

The non-piezo version was out of the lineup for a long time, but has come back for 2017. I think this will be the best version yet and I'm excited to hear the 58/15 LT pickups in it. You could order one without the 10 top to get a new one while keeping the price reasonable. Good thing about these is they're all 6 pounds or under so you won't have to worry about the weight.

For the used market, a couple of key spec changes to consider:
  • Starting with 2010, there was a structural change to the top, making it thicker in the center.
  • They've used a bunch of different pickups over the years, which of course affect the tone: McCarty Archtop, 57/08, 58/15, and now 58/15 LT.
They're all great regardless. Big, fat tone with good feedback resistance. Very light. I do find mine leans more towards the headstock, but it doesn't dive. Mine is the original non-piezo design, so newer ones especially with the piezo may balance differently.
 
The reason I just joined this Forum is because I recently heard some Demos of the JA 15 -( no longer made) and was really knocked out by the Neck Tone .

So I also heard a Demo of the PRS Hollowbody ( and am well aware of Demos being misleading/ inaccurate sometimes ) BUT - I am guessing the PRS Hollowbody has a deeper resonance and warmer Tone than Hollowbody 2.

Correct ?

The Hollowbody sounds closer to the JA 15 except the JA 15 has that Benson- ish thing that turns into Benson/ Hendrix Morph with a little Gain...not much either..
Not sure about the Hollowbody 1 cause I haven't heard a really good Demo.

Possible that I am incorrect - has actually happened before ( ha ) regarding the Hollowbody vs Hollowbody 2 .

Thoughts ?

And the JA 15 sounding better than Benson's Ibanez Guitars and overdriving fantastically...( though I don"t use much gain anymore ..but play/ overplay aggressively sometimes ) - was a real surprise ...
 
I have one, and I'm probably keeping it, even though I'm getting a Singlecut Hollowbody.
Yes, they are lighter than solidbody guitars, I think you'll be happy with it.
As has been mentioned, you will find non-10 tops, etc., and the occasional artist package, and so on, but Sweetwater (as do most other online heavy stores) only advertise what they have in stock. If you want something cheaper than a 10-top, call your rep and let them know you want one when it comes in, I'm sure it can be arranged. Non-10-top PRSi are still better than many other companies' prettiest guitars, I have several non-10-tops, and my enjoyment of them is more a function of the guitar than whether or not it is a 10-top or not.
Question- in these Hollow and Semi Hollows - will a wood besides Maple such as Mahogany etc.slightly Mellow the Tones and are they ever made that way ?

And-I like pretty wood but like the Tones more so yeah IF it saves me $1000. I'd rather have plain whatever since there is no correlation between pretty wood and resonant wood .

Are they PRS clearly priced so I would know the price on a Hollow or Hollow 2 plain top ?
 
Question- in these Hollow and Semi Hollows - will a wood besides Maple such as Mahogany etc.slightly Mellow the Tones and are they ever made that way ?

And-I like pretty wood but like the Tones more so yeah IF it saves me $1000. I'd rather have plain whatever since there is no correlation between pretty wood and resonant wood .

Are they PRS clearly priced so I would know the price on a Hollow or Hollow 2 plain top ?
I don't know nuthin' about tone woods, so hopefully someone else can answer that. Are you talking a mahogany top? They usually go more exotic for non-maple tops. I don't think I've ever seen anything other than maple for a hollowbody, though.

A mahogany neck is the default.

And yes it does mellow the tone slightly, that's one way to look at it, but that can be accomplished elsehow -- with pickups, with turning down the tone, with pedals, with amp settings, even with playing, so I would think about that before pushing for a mahogany top.
 
Question- in these Hollow and Semi Hollows - will a wood besides Maple such as Mahogany etc.slightly Mellow the Tones and are they ever made that way ?

And-I like pretty wood but like the Tones more so yeah IF it saves me $1000. I'd rather have plain whatever since there is no correlation between pretty wood and resonant wood .

Are they PRS clearly priced so I would know the price on a Hollow or Hollow 2 plain top ?
A PRS semi hollow won't sound much like a JA15. If that is the space you want you are looking for a hollow body, or a used JA or archtop.

Core hollow bodies have been made with spruce tops or maple. I can't comment on the tonal differences from experience. If you are happy with plain, don't pay the extra for a 10 top.

I think the JA and the HB sound a lot different, but that is based on minimal time with a JA and never owning one. Once you plug in a hollowbody with piezo, you might be able to find the sound you are after.
 
I still have a hard time putting my HBii down after 6 months of ownership.

Its a 2016 with 58/15s and a piezo. Non-10 top. Here's a screener:
Screenshot_2017-01-15-09-11-10.png


I would be very surprised to learn it's 6lbs... But I haven't weighed it yet.

I'm 33 and don't have issues playing my 9.5lb l.p. all night... But I do notice some aches and pains the next day. Not so with the HB. It's ergonomic and light. I wear the guitar pretty high, and don't notice any neck dive with a PRS leather strap (which isn't as grippy as suede backed one's I have).

Since I started using acoustic IRs live with the piezo, I've moved 2 expensive acoustics along. The HB is more fun to play, and the combination of piezo and IR fools even discerning ears. Most people at gigs will love the sound of your piezo straight.

The flexibility of moving between electric and acoustic sounds has been a huge tool for when I'm doing solo gigs. Just a whole other pallette of tones for looping etc.
 
I`m an old archtop guy who spent years comping out chords with a big band on a 17" full depth archtop. I`ve tried the I and the II, and my ears prefer the spruce top I. Keep in mind what what my starting point is. To my jaded ears, the I is capable of a slightly more hollow sound, but can still be dimed to get some Larry Carlton Type sounds. The II sounds a little bit more PRS, with a slightly brighter edge than the I. I understand why so many high gain players like the II. If money allowed, I`d buy a 1 in a New York minute. Of course, your mileage may vary.
 
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A PRS semi hollow won't sound much like a JA15. If that is the space you want you are looking for a hollow body, or a used JA or archtop.

Core hollow bodies have been made with spruce tops or maple. I can't comment on the tonal differences from experience. If you are happy with plain, don't pay the extra for a 10 top.

I think the JA and the HB sound a lot different, but that is based on minimal time with a JA and never owning one. Once you plug in a hollowbody with piezo, you might be able to find the sound you are after.

Well the Piezo does not interest me but the JA 15 has a unique twist on the George Benson Tone..which will fit in perfectly with the R&B Jazz Fusion I am working on...I am not cloning Benson or his lines( a lot of his Time Feel though and a few other twists ) but whether Clean or Overdriven that JA 15 on every Demo ..even in non expert hands sounds great..
And unique..

If the Hollowbody is Darker than the Hollowbody 2 - I will prefer it- I like Darker Phatter Guitars ...then brighten with single coil switches...bright Guitars too loud in the Mix annoy me ...lol.
 
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The PRS hollowbody is very light.
They are not all 10 tops.
They don't all have piezo either, but they are very versatile with it.
There are also some hollow bodies out there with a spruce top.
Are the Hollowbody 1s closer to the Tones of the JA 15 or more Jazz type Tones (not exactly what I Play but useful as Reference ) ?

Differences in Tones from Hollowbody 2 vs.Hollowbody ?

I feel like I am watching Matrix 2 without having seen the First Movie...ha
 
Also - if purchasing Used or from even NOS ...how can I tell a Hollowbody from a Hollowbody 2 ?
 
Also - if purchasing Used or from even NOS ...how can I tell a Hollowbody from a Hollowbody 2 ?
I'm pretty sure the back material is the giveaway here. HBii's have maple backs, and HBi's have mahogany backs.

But I've been wrong twice before.
 
Well the Piezo does not interest me but the JA 15 has a unique twist on the George Benson Tone..which will fit in perfectly with the R&B Jazz Fusion I am working on...I am not cloning Benson or his lines( a lot of his Time Feel though and a few other twists ) but whether Clean or Overdriven that JA 15 on every Demo ..even in non expert hands sounds great..
And unique..

If the Hollowbody is Darker than the Hollowbody 2 - I will prefer it- I like Darker Phatter Guitars ...then brighten with single coil switches...bright Guitars too loud in the Mix annoy me ...lol.

Are the Hollowbody 1s closer to the Tones of the JA 15 or more Jazz type Tones (not exactly what I Play but useful as Reference ) ?

Differences in Tones from Hollowbody 2 vs.Hollowbody ?

I feel like I am watching Matrix 2 without having seen the First Movie...ha
Sorry. I haven't spent enough time with a JA15 to offer any more specifics.
 
Also - if purchasing Used or from even NOS ...how can I tell a Hollowbody from a Hollowbody 2 ?
If you can get the serial numbers of the guitars you are looking at, you can email them to PRS Customer service and they should be able to tell you quite a bit about the guitar
 
I have a 2008 HBII with piezo - very light and comfortable. Also, very versatile - you don't have to worry about squealing or feedback and it can do rock leads with sustain and power. With the neck pickup and the tone dialed back, you can cop some great jazz tones. And with the piezo, on its own or blended, makes for a nice small/comfortable acoustic guitar.

One thing I wish they would add is the ability to split the pickups - but there's apparently not enough room for a push/pull pot. Mine has the older Archtop pickups which are low output around 7.3k. Newer ones (after 2011) have the improved PAF-like 57/08s.

I don't know if they still make a HBI or HB with Spruce - but generally the HBII is brighter because of the maple topped back.

Yeah I asked about coil taps - no room indeed... I even thought of using the tone pot to ground the pickup wire as coil tap...
 
The info from the model history is out of date, but it's a good starting point for your options. Jazzers might prefer the Archtop with its 1" deeper body.

http://prsguitars.com/csc/models.html
McCARTY HOLLOWBODY: 1998 - Current. Hollowbody - carved spruce top with carved mahogany back and sides. Hollowbody I - carved maple top with carved mahogany back and sides. Hollowbody II - carved maple top and back with mahogany sides. All models are 1 3/4" depth at rim, 3" depth at bridge, 22-fret wide-fat mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, PRS adjustable stoptail bridge, and McCarty Archtop pickups with 3-way toggle. Piezo bridge pickup option added in 1999.

McCARTY ARCHTOP: 1998 - 2001. Archtop - carved spruce top, carved mahogany back and sides. Archtop I - carved maple top with carved mahogany back and sides, Archtop II - carved maple top and back with mahogany sides and rosewood headstock veneer. All models are 2 3/4" depth at rim, 4" depth at bridge, 22-fret wide-fat mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, PRS adjustable stoptail bridge, and McCarty Archtop pickups with 3-way toggle. Piezo bridge pickup option added in 1999.


A few notes on coil splits:
  • Unless it has the McCarty Archtop pickups, you should be able to coil split.
  • PTC has added mini toggles near the pickup selector switch for a member here.
  • If you don't have piezo, you can add switches pretty much anywhere. There's a member here who removed the piezo and used the piezo selector and piezo volume holes to mount mini toggles for split.
  • If you're willing to sacrifice the tone control, you could install a mini toggle or a spin-a-split.
  • As I recall, it's not recommended to use push/pull controls due to potential stress caused to the top.
 
I went hollow body for spine issues also, plus I play mostly jazz, hope it works for you. Tone wise the 2 factors that are mostly going to dictate the tonal character (dark/bright) are going to be the pickups and the wood. All mahogany & spruce is going to generally be darker than maple top models, and I don't truly understand the electronic factors of the pickup thing but I can get a rounder jazz tone out of the archtop pups than the 57/08 or 58/15's.
 
Everybody, thank you for the responses and information. This has turned out to be a very educational and helpful thread. My shopping is temporarily on hold but in a few(?) weeks, hopefully, I'll be back looking. When I do I will definitely refer back to this.

Thanks again.
 
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