Solid, Semi-Hollow and Hollow-Body — What’s the Difference?!

When buying a guitar, there are tons of things to consider. One of first things to consider is if the guitar is hollow-body, solid-body or semi-hollow body. Depending on the genre of music you are considering, this is a very important factor. So truly, what is the difference between the three? Besides the look?

Solid

Solid body guitars have great sustain and have the ability to be amplified at high volumes, with little to no feedback issues. Solid bodies come in tons of different shapes and designs. Solid bodies are transferable to almost all genres of music, but are best suited for hard rock, metal, and punk.

Semi-Hollow

The Semi-Hollow electric guitar is a marriage of the qualities of both hollow and solid, that also has the volume handling capabilities similar to what a solid guitar has. With proper amp adjustments, semi-hollow body guitars can sound like solid body guitars. Semi-hollow guitars are seen in a lot of early rock and roll, vintage country and jazz.

Hollow

Most acoustic players will transfer over to a hollow body electric guitar design because they have a very similar feeling and tone. They have a warm tone, and have been known to be used especially in jazz music. One of the drawbacks of hollow body guitars is that at medium volumes, they can produce high levels of feedback. Despite the high levels of feedback, the sound produced is very warm and offers plenty of bass.

What type of body design do you prefer? Are you thinking about getting a semi-hollow or hollow-body guitar soon? Let us know in the comments!