Wanting a hollow/semi hollow. Big dude i want a bigger guitar

[drewblue]

Opinions needed So i have a couple of amazing teles. And a killer les paul. Ive been saving for a custom shop strat. And i was playing some in a shop and videoing myself to compare later. Then i saw myself holding one and im like nope.

Im 6'3 250. Great shape im just a big dude. And they just look like a damn toy in my hands i cant unsee it. I dont even want one now and it aint gonna change. Yeah i know teles and les paul aint much bigger. but it just looked strange. The way it hung on me

Now Im wanting something that gets close to the soud of a strat but thats bigger. A es-335 luther dickenson or a 335 with p90's or a gretsch eddie cochran with the p-90 neck dyna coil bridge would be cool as well. That would Get close to tele sounds. As well

I know shorter scale wont have the bite and the cochran is full hollow no post. so that would have feedback issues.

 

[Ebidis]

I hear ya. I'm 6'3 and 230. Also not fat, just a large dude.

I used to have the same issue, but eventually came to the conclusion that I was only worrying about appearance.

Now I don't care. I still play Strat's, Teles, and LP's because that is what I want to play, because that is what's comfortable. I have no interest in hollow or semi holow guitars.

It really is just a self image thing. I look at it like, if someone thinks I look funny playing a Strat, Tele, LP, or whatever, then that is their problem.

 

[Tele-friend]

335 are great, versatile guitars, so definitely at least try them out and see if you like them. I have heard lots of people claim that they prefer the 335 sound over Les Paul, but hey, it is just personal preference.
As for the looks, dont worry. Just play the guitars that you like and the ones that feel good in your hands.

 

[drewblue]

335 are great, versatile guitars, so definitely at least try them out and see if you like them. I have heard lots of people claim that they prefer the 335 sound over Les Paul, but hey, it is just personal preference.
As for the looks, dont worry. Just play the guitars that you like and the ones that feel good in your hands.

Yeah i want one with p90's. To distinguish it. Get closer to the strat sound. Because as hum bucking guitars go. (I was thinkin about this just yesterday and i ruled out a hb 335) cause it would be running up against My les paul. And i just dont see me picking anything over it where buckers are needed. it is a oxblood custom shop that the previous owner basically built a jeff beck clone. Its down right nasty.

 

[Will_Darden]

I have a 335 and a Gretsch electromatic full hollow — the tone is amazing but the chambers make it sound very different from a strat or a Les Paul. The tone is more mellow and full-bodied because of how it resonates in the guitar.

Look for something with filtertrons in it and you might get closer to the tone you want — bright with some power — but it’s always going to lack the springiness of a strat, even with single coils.

 

[dreamingtele]

I’m not a big dude. I’m 5’11 and 190lbs.

And I love hollow body guitars. The bigger the better!! And i love P90’s too.

24.75 still has the bite. 25.5 full scale Gretsch are great, but I never had any problems with 24.75 having no bite at all. The P90’s are enough to give you that and more. But if you want snap and twang, Gretsch white Falcon 6136 might be your thing.

Also, I play out live and loud, i havent had any problems with feedback, YET, so i think I’m lucky in that regard.

Here’s my number 1, ES-330 and my number 2, Epiphone Peerless ES-295

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

And my very good J-45 copy as well!

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr


I also have an upcoming build, a starcaster with some telecaster appointments. Also a big guitar with P90’s!!

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

big guitars all day, every day!!

 

[The Angle]

Charlie Daniels syndrome

 

[dreamingtele]

Charlie Daniels syndrome

It doesnt look too bad, but man, thats a big dude

 

[Ebidis]

Yeah i want one with p90's. To distinguish it. Get closer to the strat sound. Because as hum bucking guitars go. (I was thinkin about this just yesterday and i ruled out a hb 335) cause it would be running up against My les paul. And i just dont see me picking anything over it where buckers are needed. it is a oxblood custom shop that the previous owner basically built a jeff beck clone. Its down right nasty.

A 335 with P-90s will not sound like anything close to a Strat. It will sound good, just not Strat like in any way.

 

[JohnnyThul]

That is one of the issues I had as well but with Les Pauls. Even though, I am not as tall as you, I think of them to be a bit to small. That is one thing that led me to building my own guitars, as I can vary the sizes to my liking (and fitment of cases and bags).

So, is it maybe an option to contact a builder to have something custom made for you? I would use a shape, that would fit in size and aesthetics and then choose the electronics to make it strat like. So, you could for example have a bigger body Les Paul with 3 Singlecoils but in Humbucker look and a Freeway Toggle or the like which may get you in the ballpark soundwise but still preserves the classic look of a Les Paul aka Stealth Strat.

 

[tubedude]

Us big dudes have several issues in life with everything made for medium sized people. If your hands will fit a guitar without extra wide fingerboards, and you can play a short (Gibson) scale instrument, be happy your problem is only the visual aspect. It could be worse.

 

[Skyhook]

And they just look like a damn toy in my hands i cant unsee it. [...] it just looked strange. The way it hung on me

So I guess the Lindsey Buckingham guitar is off the table then?

 

[hemingway]

Every time I strap on my avatar guitar (Hohner Steinberger copy) I am reminded that I am no longer the 130 lb stick insect I was when I bought it 33 years ago. I look stoopid.

 

[RomanS]

What about a Jazzmaster? Bigger than a Strat, but in the same tonal ballpark (at least more so than an ES-335).

As for a big hollowbody with single coils: ES295, or early-style ES175 (with P90s)?

 

[tubedude]

I've come to realize to get a 12 string, I'll have to build a large one to have any chance of being able to play it. A 1 7/8" wide nut and 25.5" scale will do if I only play below the 12th fret. I'm still undecided on the scale length. I'd like to keep it 25.5", to avoid transposition issues, but full fretboard access would require at least a 27" scale.

 

[drewblue]

I have a 335 and a Gretsch electromatic full hollow — the tone is amazing but the chambers make it sound very different from a strat or a Les Paul. The tone is more mellow and full-bodied because of how it resonates in the guitar.

Look for something with filtertrons in it and you might get closer to the tone you want — bright with some power — but it’s always going to lack the springiness of a strat, even with single coils.

Yep i know just trying to get close. P90 and bigsby will be about as close as i can do probably

 

[drewblue]

It doesnt look too bad, but man, thats a big dude

Hes playing country on a 59 through a real early boogie. Thats awesome

 

[drewblue]

What about a Jazzmaster? Bigger than a Strat, but in the same tonal ballpark (at least more so than an ES-335).

As for a big hollowbody with single coils: ES295, or early-style ES175 (with P90s)?

Ive owned jazzmasters. But the noise drove me up a wall. I know all about noiseless fralins. They $400.00 at the time i couldnt swing it.

 

[SixStringSlinger]

Aren't the Reverend Greg Koch Tele-alikes larger than your average Tele? He's a big dude. It's not a Strat but it's something.

 

[Vegetable Man]

Check out a newer 335 with T-Type pickups. With the toggle/tone knobs it can do pretty much anything.

You won't get the strat 2/4 position "quack", but it'll be brighter/clearer than you would expect from humbuckers or p90's.

Expensive, but if I could only keep one guitar, that would be the one.