The hollow body has seen it all, from the early days of the electric guitar to rock’n’roll, rockabilly, punk, and classic rock. Sure, the convenience and sheer availability of solid and semi-acoustic electrics have put a strain on the hollow body’s huge guts, but it also houses a tonal secret that its construction rivals just cannot replicate.
Take a look at the alternatives, and it’s evident that the hollow body sound – of which there are definitely more than a handful – is still going strong today, but with so many variants on the theme, finding the finest hollow body guitar for you is a difficult task.
If you are interested in these models, keep reading our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review for more information below.
Our Top Pick: Ibanez AS53TKF 6 String Semi-Hollow-Body Electric Guitar
Description: The Ibanez AS53 has a terrific tone and a lovely appearance at a very reasonable price. We are truly shocked at how affordable this guitar is.
Features: The guitar’s tone is also quite adaptable, making it suitable for a broad range of genres. Without a question, it’s one of the greatest cheap semi-hollow guitars on the market right now.
The guitar is undeniably beautiful. Ibanez performed an excellent job, and this tobacco brown color variation is stunning! There are a couple of various colors available, but we’ve seen them all in person and this choice looked the nicest to me.
If you are looking for the 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 you can find.
Sapele wood is used to make the guitar. It includes two knobs and two open-coil humbuckers with ceramic magnets (volume and tone). The guitar has a traditional semi-hollow body form. Furthermore, the pickups utilized in this model considerably lessen the frequent feedback issue.
It’s also worth noting that this is one of the most reasonably priced semi-hollow guitars on the market right now. Many respected guitar companies (such as Epiphone and Gretsch) manufacture these sorts of guitars, although their versions are often far more costly.
The Artcore AS53 model offers exceptional quality at a reasonable price. We don’t think you’ll find a finer semi-hollow body guitar at this price point.
We believe that the Ibanez Artcore AS53 will be ideal for both beginning and expert players. If you’re just beginning out, you’ll appreciate the guitar’s comfy neck. And if you’re an intermediate player, you’ll probably love the guitar’s velvety tone.
The AS53 may be utilized in a variety of settings. Semi-hollow body guitars are quite adaptable in general. This model is an excellent choice for anybody who enjoys playing blues, jazz, indie, or hard rock. Furthermore, the instrument performs nicely with guitar pedals.
Pros
- It looks great
- Sounds awesome
- It’s not too expensive
Cons
- None
Runner Up: Godin 5th Avenue CW Electric Guitar
Description: This fully powered, cutaway 5th Avenue CW Kingpin, like the rest of the 5th Avenue trio, comes with a nice, light Tric case worth £89
Features: It is made of Neopolen P expanded Polyproylene and provides the protection of a hard case while being somewhat heavier than a deluxe gig bag. However, its high-tech architecture is at odds with the 5th Avenue that lurks within.
It’s essentially a 406mm (16-inch) broad archtop with a 76mm (3-inch) rim depth, and it’s very little smaller than the Gibson ES-125 after which it’s plainly based. The rounded cutaway is less Gibson-like and more acoustic-like, and the body is made of laminated wild cherry with cream binding on the back and front.
If you are looking for the 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 you can find.
The neck is rather high above the body, especially for an archtop of this design, which means the strings are 25-28mm off the front. The twin dog-ear P-90s are set on large spacers, and the two-piece archtop-style bridge (manufactured by Graph Tech from black Tusq) is set 6mm off the ground.
The large but well-shaped neck, on the other hand, is rather good, with a faint flame to the brown-stained wood and a small in-turn to the fingerboard edge.
Overall, it has a lot of old-school charm, especially in this satin cognac burst, a ‘custom polished finish’ that Godin describes as “creating a magnificent satin shine evocative of the French polish of the 19th century.
When connected, it reveals itself to be a highly distinctive and flexible guitar. Reduced volume and tone balance out the sound for a smoother-nosed assault – the P-90s aren’t particularly strong, so cleaner jazz and blues tones are readily obtained.
It also works with crunchier gain, but loudness is limited by its hollow body and easily coaxed feedback.
Pros
- Old-style
- Versatile
- Build quality
Cons
- Set-up is difficult
Best for Budget: Ibanez Artcore AF55
Description: We present you one of the greatest Ibanez guitars for jazz – the Ibanez Artcore AF55 – for aficionados of smokey jazzy tones and smoky guitars.
Features: This six-string combines brightness with a more meaty tone, making it a viable option for a modern jazz performer searching for a fantastic combination of adaptability and classic qualities.
The guitar has a solid mahogany body, a mahogany neck, a traditional rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, white dot fret inlays, and two gorgeous F-holes.
The choice of mahogany creates a booming sound base with plenty of resonance, but we’ll get into that further in the Sound section.
If you are looking for the 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 you can find.
A floating bridge, normal tuning pegs, and no pickguard are on the menu. These components are not the instrument’s stronger points, but they do a good job of maintaining the AF55 in good working order.
While some users have complained about small tuning concerns, perfect intonation is nearly always achieved. Furthermore, fret buzz may occur from time to time, and we recommend taking the guitar to a specialist for a beautiful little set-up to achieve the best results.
The pickups provide a lot of character to the instrument. We’re dealing with a typical pair of humbuckers, but they’re a little on the hot side, providing lots of diversity and tonal freedom while still maintaining a continual presence of the “hotness” aspect.
Tone and Volume changes are made using a single set of control knobs attached to the pickups. A typical three-way pickup selector is also included in the mix.
Yes, Ibanez is a brand more commonly associated with rough and powerful music, but this guy has a musical basis that is strongly entrenched in jazz. The crucial words are bright, crisp, eloquent, and resonant.
Pros
- Jazz/blues tones that are versatile
- dependable hollow body brand
- Pickups with humbuckers
Cons
- Connoisseurs of wood may want something more conventional
Gretsch Guitars G5420T
Description: Though huge hollow bodies like the Gretsch G6120 are stunning and a crucial component in innumerable vintage albums, they may be difficult to play for the inexperienced.
Features: The amount of navigable fretboard space is constrained by solid-body specifications. Large bodies might appear hefty. They are very susceptible to input in high-volume scenarios.
As a result, we’ve seen several solid body-obsessed friends who rarely play hollow bodies handle a huge Gretsch with the puzzled expression of a spacefarer interpreting a strange speech.
The G5420T also has a dreamy feel to it beneath the fingers. String bends are made much easier with the 12″ radius. Hammer-ons, pull-offs, and, yes, Chet Atkins picking all feel effortless.
If you are looking for the 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 you can find.
And, in general, the playability is so good that you forget that notes over the 17th or 18th fret are a bit of a stretch. The control arrangement is a well-known Gretsch tradition. The treble-side horn’s master volume control is always fun to utilize for loudness swells.
While the bridge volume is located somewhat far aft on the body, it’s simple to reach for precise tuning changes and neck/bridge mix modifications. Meanwhile, the Bigsby is fluid, smooth, and somewhat tuning-stable provided you’re not too forceful.
The construction quality of Gretsch’s more cheap Streamliner and Electromatic series is normally extremely high, and the G5420T does its share to uphold the family tradition.
You don’t get playability and intonation like that on our review model unless you sweat the minutiae, and the 5420’s neck, nut, fretboard, and frets all feel like one piece. The binding around the f-holes, for example, is wonderfully accomplished.
The polyester-azure-blue surface, while dazzling, appears a little ripply and thick in areas, which is one of the only obvious evidence of the G5420mid-priced T’s status.
Pros
- Smooth playability
- The airy, open pickup sounds with lots of cleanness
- Build
- Price
Cons
- Color
Gretsch G100CE Synchromatic Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Description: If you grew up in the 1940s or have a thing for vintage, you’ll recognize the G100CE’s design, which is evocative of early Synchromatic guitars.
Features: A full-sized arched top hollow body built completely of laminated wood and coated in an exquisite natural urethane finish distinguishes this modern interpretation.
Despite its modest form, the G100CE retains the traditional appearance that marks these timeless guitars. Of course, it has all of the signature elements, like the precisely curved f-holes and the antique floating tortoiseshell pickguard, which provide a charming nostalgic touch to this gorgeous archtop.
If you are looking for the 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 you can find.
This also applies to the neck, which has classic Pearloid block inlays and white binding. This guitar features a solid maple neck with a sleek matte finish for a nice hand feel, as well as a rosewood fretboard with 20 medium jumbo frets that are easily accessible owing to the spacious cutaway in the body.
For the moderate price, the quality and finish of this Korean-made device are excellent, and it seems ready to use right out of the box.
Traditional hollow-bodied guitars often include two pickups, the design of which varies depending on the instrument. Gretsch did things a bit differently with the G100CE, installing only one Gretsch-designed single-coil pickup extremely near to the neck – an unusual move, but one that pays off in the end.
Gretsch, on the other hand, has built a specialty instrument that performs a limited number of things well. It has a rich and deep sound, with that traditional ‘jazz box’ tone, whether you’re camping or taking the lead.
Single notes are nicely rounded and rarely thin, while chords are pleasant and mellow. Depending on the strings you use, you may get some serious twang, so blues and rockabilly aren’t out of the question!
Pros
- “F” Sound-holes
- Good sound
- Excellent price
- Multiple Body Bindings
- Adjustable Truss Rod
Cons
- None
Buyer’s Guide for 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000
We’ve tried to make this collection as diverse as possible – buying a hollow body shouldn’t limit you to one or two instances of the format. A hollow body Gretsch has its unique sound, and because of a wide price range, it’s feasible to achieve it at a variety of pricing ranges.
What's the difference between semi-hollow and totally hollow electric guitars?
A semi-hollow features a solid or chambered block of wood running up the center of the body, to which the pickups are attached or braced according to our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review.
A hollow body guitar lacks this center block; instead, pickups are attached to the top of the body. In structure, hollow-body guitars are similar to acoustic guitars, and semi-hollow guitars are similar to solid-body electric guitars.
The major aim of the center block is to reduce feedback: when using a hollow body design at high volume and/or gain levels, the body will vibrate sympathetically with your amplified sound, making it difficult to regulate feedback.
Because the center-block of a semi-hollow design dampens these sympathetic vibrations, a semi is more suited to the guitarist who wishes to play with severe overdrive, distortion, or fuzz without having to mute their instrument every time they take a hand off the fretboard.
History of Hollow Body Guitars
A profile isn’t complete without some historical context, and the hollow body dates back to the golden period of jazz. Big bands were playing. Ensembles desired guitars that would not be drowned out by the commotion.
Although pickups were available, enhancing the acoustics of the day remained a difficult challenge. George Beauchamp of Rickenbacker took the field with the Electro-Spanish Ken Roberts. The company’s first hallmark model was this laminate mahogany concert-style acoustic. It was a genuine pioneer in the world of electric guitars.
Gibson quickly followed up with their own ES-150. Guy Hart had previously designed a bar-style pickup for the company’s lap steel models, so they knew how to electrify the instrument. And the people adored the ES-150 according to our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review.
Its strong, clean tone could compete with the most brassy of trumpets. Moreover, the hugely successful musician Charlie Christian possessed one and went out of his way to promote it. Gibson went on to build pickups that were named after him.
Build
Some people mistakenly assume that a hollow body guitar is simply acoustic with pickups. While hollow bodies are more akin to acoustic guitar structure than semi-hollow bodies, there is more to it.
A hollow body lacks that solid or chambered block of wood going through its center. As a result, pickups are frequently attached to the top of the body. And, certainly, a hollowbody weighs less than a solid body.
Aside from this distinguishing trait, hollow bodies are as different as any other guitar. You could see a few patterns. Vibrato tailpieces, movable bridges, and necks join the body at a higher fret than acoustic guitars according to our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review.
Many hollow bodies have arching tops, as opposed to the flat top of an acoustic. This is usually accompanied by the lack of the traditional spherical soundhole in the center of the guitar. F-holes or other similarly narrow-cut soundholes take their place. However, some guitars are designed without a soundhole.
Some hollow bodies can be as thin as solid body electrics in terms of design. Early versions were archtop acoustics with Charlie Christian pickups, similar to the Gibson L-50. Guitars with thick, V-shaped necks according to our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review.
Naturally, sleeker variants emerged shortly after. Single and double-cut designs, such as the Epiphone Casino, have smaller necks. The decision of playing feel is now entirely up to the players. You can choose a rebuilt classic or a modernized model with fast-playing necks, sophisticated hardware, and slender bodies.
Sound
To be honest, the tone of a guitar has rarely been attributed to a single component. Construction, hardware, and tonewoods will all have a significant effect on the final sound. However, several characteristics are shared by all hollow bodies.
For starters, the midrange of a hollow body is more concentrated and resonant than that of an acoustic. It’s also far better at penetrating through an ensemble’s blend of sound, as befits its origins.
Of course, this assumes it’s fully charged. Surprisingly, the hollow body is frequently regarded as a practice guitar due to its “quietness” when played unplugged. It doesn’t ring out as much as an acoustic, but it’s more noticeable than a solid body according to our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review.
The sound of a hollow body is warmer and rounder than that of a solid body, especially in the lower range. Highs can be quite clear, but seldom approach the glassy heights of the solid body.
Low-tension string jangle may occur on occasion if you do not compensate for it with your playing technique. Another thing to keep an eye out for is feedback, especially at higher volumes and gain levels.
Who Are You Purchasing For?
When purchasing a guitar for a beginner, it is critical to select one that is suitably proportioned, sounds fantastic, and corresponds to the emerging player’s musical inclinations and objectives.
If you don’t already know, find out what sort of instrument they want and who their guitar idols are according to our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review.
Choosing an electric guitar that caters to these interests increases the likelihood that new players will remain motivated as they learn to play. Musician’s Friend has a large assortment of 34-scale, tiny, and travel guitars for smaller, younger musicians.
The size and weight of full-sized electric guitar bodies vary greatly, and these aspects should be addressed.
It is critical for beginners to have a guitar that is easy to play and remains in tune. Cosmetics, body style, electronics, and tone are also important. A novice may have a favorite guitarist who motivates them to learn to play.
Examine the guitars that their heroes use and strive to emulate them. Your aspiring country star may not be thrilled with the pointed guitar with skulls, but they will most likely fall in love with a classic according to our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review.
You may select something else, but this is an excellent beginning point for choosing which instrument is most likely to inspire your aspiring guitarist.
Conclusi̇on: 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 2022 [Review]
Some have said it’s because they look great, and we agree. Others because they have a strong resonance. The hollow bodies, at least, do; the semi-hollow bodies, not so much.
Some because they have a classic feel about them, which they do. However, none of the few persons we spoke with mentioned the guitar’s suitability for the type of play that it lends itself to. We hope you liked our 5 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under 1000 review and it was helpful.