If you have too many Strats and Les Pauls in your collection, then maybe it’s time to go for something different like a semi or hollowbody. Contrary to popular belief, these guitars aren’t only for jazz, old-school blues or stereotypically more sedate music – Josh Homme favours the midrange bite of semi-hollow guitars, while Jack White is known for making a lot of noise with the combination of a hollowbody guitar and healthy servings of fuzz and feedback.
With that, let’s take a quick look at PRS’s SE Hollowbody II and Gibson’s ES-335.
| Features: | PRS SE Hollowbody II | Gibson ES-335 |
|---|---|---|
| Price: | £949 | £2,285 |
| Inlay Design: | Birds | Pearloid Dot |
| Pickup: | 58/15 “S” | Calibrated T-Type |
| Frets: | 22 | 22 |
PRS SE Hollowbody II
PRS’s SE line arrived in the early 00s, offering a taste of that high-rolling PRS look and feel at a more accessible price. Since then, they have produced a wide range of electric guitars that have defied the laws of fiscal gravity.
Build
The PRS SE line arrives with the weight of expectation on its carefully contoured body. In the PRS canon, the Hollowbody II has a reputation for being one of Paul Reed Smith’s classiest-looking designs, with the piezo-equipped models extending the voicings of a guitar that was already suitable for a lot of styles – jazz, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, hard rock…
the SE Hollowbody II is a chip off the old block, as its body is constructed from 5-ply laminated maple with figured maple veneer on the top and back, with mahogany in the middle.
With a 25″ scale, along with a mahogany Wide Fat neck, gives the guitar a nice look. The upper-fret access is generous due to the scooped cutaway and recessed neck heel, that’s typical of PRS builds. It has a 22-fret ebony fretboard and a 10″ radius, dressed with the traditional avian inlay. The Maple binding on the body, along with the f-holes, neck and headstock, puts the who package together perfectly.
The control setup of the SE Hollowbody II is straightforward, as there’s a 3-way pickup selector for your two humbuckers, along with two volume controls – one for the magnetic pickups, the other for the piezo – and a single tone control.
Performance
While the PRS SE line may be deemed as a “Student Edition”, there’s no question that the Hollowbody II Piezo is a pro-quality guitar. The guitar has visual flair, along with the attention to detail.
The guitar is fitted with 58/15S humbuckers that strike the right balance between classic PAF tones and packing a little more contemporary heat – they never overpower the mix. There aren’t many feedback issues – this is an electric hollowbody that holds up well to loud volume.
Gibson ES-335
Gibson’s ES-335 has been known by more than one name over the last three decades, but it has to be one of Gibson’s most well-known reissues. First named as the ES-335 Dot, it was renamed the ES-335 Reissue in the ‘90s. This guitar is based on the technical specs of its 1960s predecessor. While guitars from the early ‘80s may command a higher asking price, this ES-335 Reissue is built from a semi-hollow maple body with a rosewood fingerboard, two humbuckers, and comes with the identifying dot inlays. Its popularity over the years has landed the ES-335 Reissue in the hands of many famous guitarists, such as Dave Grohl and Eric Clapton.
Build
Gibson’s ES-335 body has ‘Micky Mouse’ ears to go with the early-style acrylic dot inlays and keystone tuner buttons. It has rosewood binding on its fretboard, which is a bit thicker than the vintage spec, and that thickness is more noticeable because there’s no rollover.
The ES-335’s impressive Vintage Burst finish comes from Gibson’s classic teardrop shape. Its outer layer of maple on the top is plain in appearance, while on the back there’s a subtle flame.
Performance
When plugged in, you can notice a more solidbody response, as you’d expect, and it really pushes out the sound. It takes that oh-so-Gibson voice of their ES-275, cleaning up the lower end, although it still does effortless jazz or hugely vocal blues and fusion lead.
Conclusion
Overall, Gibson is a lot more iconic and classic. Yes, it may be more expensive, however, you’re getting what you pay for. Gibson’s hollowbodies are/were built mainly in the Memphis shop and tend to have a higher standard than the majority of other American hollowbodies in the past number of years. Another important note is that Gibson’s hold their value well.
PRS’s Hollowbody is ultimately a more modern design that follows from the traditional design.
Both guitars are quality, so if you like the PRS more and it fits your budget better, then PRS’s Hollowbody II would be a good choice.