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Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll … and Jazz! … etc, etc. The archtop/semi-hollow guitar category arguably encompasses the widest variety of musical styles. From the early violin/mandolin-inspired acoustic guitars of Orville Gibson through the semi-acoustic jazz age to the electric blues and rock and its many offshoots.
One only needs to look at Gibson models from the first half of the 20th century to see how the guitar evolved. From the landmark Gibson L-5 with its large body and f-holes to the ES Series featuring that icon of blues and rock, the ES-335.
Fans of Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow and Martin Taylor will appreciate the rounded warmth of the traditional “jazzbox”; models like the Gibson ES-175 and L-5, D’Angelico EXL-1, Höfner Committee and President, as well as the guitars from relative newcomers, Fibonacci.
Gretsch guitars have a special place in this category. They are inextricably linked to American Country Music and the Nashville Sound yet “That Great Gretsch Sound” can be found across the musical spectrum. The 6120, with its rounded low-end and twangy treble, became the sound of Rockabilly while others found the bold open tone perfect for underpinning rock, pop and punk acts as diverse as The Beatles, AC/DC, Rancid and The Cult.
The thinline Semi-Hollow sound is for those with a blues rock soul. B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Larry Carlton and Dave Grohl have all found their voice within the soulful depths of a Gibson thinline semi-hollow guitar. If it’s chime and brightness you’re after, Rickenbacker stand out from the rest; favoured by Tom Petty, The Smiths, The Beatles, The Jam, and R.E.M.
Whether you are a fan of Chet Atkins, Herb Ellis, Brian Setzer, James Bay or Foo Fighters there’s something here for you. Guitar Village stocks a wide range of new and pre-owned archtop and semi-hollow guitars from the likes of Gibson, Gretsch, Rickenbacker, Epiphone, Hofner, Guild, Eastman, D’Angelico, Fibonacci and Höfner.
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