

A classic 'jazz' tone would simply be a guitar strung with heavier gauge (think 12s or 13s) or even flatwound strings, the neck humbucker (wound to traditional PAF or T-top specs) or P90 selected running into a totally clean solid state amp, with no risk of breakup. Jazz guitarists, and some blues musicians, typically use heavier gauges of string. Semi-hollow guitars tend to be larger and less easy to 'throw around'. What may change is the playing style of the player. The bridge, pickups and neck all attach to this central section, and for this reason I believe the hollow sections contribute very little to the overall tone of an ES-355 that is measurable, demonstrable and repeatable.

If you cut an ES-355 either side of the central block you would be left with a solid instrument with two humbucker, or P90, pickups. Semi-acoustic guitars can, and will, sound like solid-bodied guitars, because there is very little difference, beyond some construction methods, between the two. My interpretation of the question is that they simply wish their guitar to sound like a semi-acoustic instrument, such as Gibson ES-355 or other electric guitar with a solid central block and hollow wings. Good luck and enjoy your new electric guitar.Īll responses here seem to assume that Cherubim Anand wants their electric guitar to sound like an acoustic guitar. These attempt to mold and shape the signal from your guitar's pickups into a more acoustic sound envelope. In my experience, the tone control set closer to the bass or low end tend to sound more like an acoustic than if turned towards the treble end.Īnother idea you might consider is using a simulator effect pedal that has an " acoustic guitar" setting on it. Once you isolate the pickup that comes closest to the sound you are aiming for, start playing with the tone controls, starting with the guitar tone control, then maybe try tweaking the tone control on the amp. Listen to each pickup starting with the tone control set in the middle - on both guitar and amp. To find the best settings for your particular equipment will require a little trial and error. If your amp has a "clean" setting, use that.įor pickups, it depends on your guitar, but generally using one pickup (versus blending two together) will give you a cleaner, more acoustic like sound. You are shooting for a "clean" sound to get closer to the acoustic sound. So I am going to assume that you want to use the guitar you have. There are many electric guitars that add an acoustic sounding piezo pickup under the bridge that are intended to provide a more realistic acoustic guitar sound, but the better ones made by Taylor and Parker tend to be on the pricey side. Also the strings you use might affect the tone to some extent. The way your electric guitar sounds will have a great deal to do with the type of guitar and the type pickups and possible combinations it has.
