I have hollowbody GAS, feed it.

[DirtyMoonsRJT]

I'm a big fan of the HB I, especially with a spruce top, and most especially the deep dish version marketed as the Archtop Jazz. I like the somewhat rounder tone from the mahogany back, and the fact that it's made by routing out a single fat piece of wood, rather than gluing it to the sides. I'd love to see one of the enormously thick unfinished pieces of mahogany they used to make the HB Jazz.

As for pickups, those with 57/08's I've played sounded great, and I've gotta believe that the 53/10's would be ideal as well. I loved the McCarty Archtop pickups in the HB Jazz, but not as much for some reason in the other HB's.

I have the McCarty Spruce top in Black with Birds and I just eat it up every time I play it...for some reason the Archtop pickups just work in this model...I play in a hard rock/heavy blues band and have put it through Mesa's, Rivera's, Bogners, Marshall's, Zinky, PRS, etc...and it just screams warm thick and fat.

that being said any of the vintage PRS pups IMHO would be a good match.

[rocguitar]

2005 Hollow Body II 20th Anniversary w/ Artist Package

[11top]

http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthre...-I-SWEAR-I-DID!

[vchizzle]

http://prsguitars.com/forum/showthre...-I-SWEAR-I-DID!

Good Lord.

[vchizzle]

Well on an impromptu trip to a store, since I was in semi close proximity, I played a HB II(doublecut) with 5708's. A brief encounter, because I didn't have a ton of time. Played thru an SE50 head/2x12 cab. I dialed the amp in with a Mira since I've at least played one before, then quick tried a Mira 25th soapie(also really cool sounding). I used the mixmag jack.

Initial impressions were this:
The HB has a "woodiness"(don't like the term, but not sure how to describe) to it's tone that's very warm but clear. I tried both clean and with high gain, a little more with gain because I play more gain than straight clean and I wanted to get an idea of what it would sound like under my normal playing conditions. It's got a certain punchiness and low end response that most solid bodies don't have. Or maybe it's just a different type of bottom end. At any rate, it's a very "real" and upfront tone that's different to me - probably because I don't have any hollow body guitars. I think Emil Werstler described them being "honest", which seems accurate. I'm excited to hear the HB II, Singlecut hollow side by side along with a 5708 McCarty and a P22. Those are the main guitars I've got in the running for my next purchase. Either HB guitar would give the most diversity in what I already have for guitars.

[Egads]

Well on an impromptu trip to a store, since I was in semi close proximity, I played a HB II(doublecut) with 5708's. A brief encounter, because I didn't have a ton of time. Played thru an SE50 head/2x12 cab. I dialed the amp in with a Mira since I've at least played one before, then quick tried a Mira 25th soapie(also really cool sounding). I used the mixmag jack.

Initial impressions were this:
The HB has a "woodiness"(don't like the term, but not sure how to describe) to it's tone that's very warm but clear. I tried both clean and with high gain, a little more with gain because I play more gain than straight clean and I wanted to get an idea of what it would sound like under my normal playing conditions. It's got a certain punchiness and low end response that most solid bodies don't have. Or maybe it's just a different type of bottom end. At any rate, it's a very "real" and upfront tone that's different to me - probably because I don't have any hollow body guitars. I think Emil Werstler described them being "honest", which seems accurate. I'm excited to hear the HB II, Singlecut hollow side by side along with a 5708 McCarty and a P22. Those are the main guitars I've got in the running for my next purchase. Either HB guitar would give the most diversity in what I already have for guitars.

I've got a P22 (with 53/10s) and a SC Hollowbody Standard with 57/08s. Both are great, but the P22 is such a different beast than the HB. To me, there's a big difference between the single and double cuts, with the singles being fully hollow. I love the interaction with the amp more than any other guitar I have.

Good luck with the decision. I can't wait to see what you end up with.

[vchizzle]

2005 Hollow Body II 20th Anniversary w/ Artist Package

Tell me more about your 20th. anything and everything.

[vchizzle]

One thing I'm really curious about is... I love 5708's but, I usually like a slightly hotter pickup so the Archtop pickups are a big question mark for me.

[AaeCee]

One thing I'm really curious about is... I love 5708's but, I usually like a slightly hotter pickup so the Archtop pickups are a big question mark for me.

All I can tell you is that in my Archtop Jazz, the archtop pickups really surprised me. I bought it thinking that I would most likely change them, but it sounded so damn good with the archtops, that keeping them was a no brainer. Very versatile; they sound great for jazzier tones, get extremely close to 335 tones (but clearer) for blues and the like, and they can sound surprisingly fat on the bridge for killer lead tones. Like I said, their tones and versatility really took me by surprise, in that guitar at least.

[Sage]

One thing I'm really curious about is... I love 5708's but, I usually like a slightly hotter pickup so the Archtop pickups are a big question mark for me.

The McCarty Archtops were designed for the original PRS Archtop guitar, which had a body twice as deep as the Hollowbody II. With all that room inside, the pickups were designed to be low output to help limit feedback. The 57/08s are definitely hotter.

[vchizzle]

Can anyone who's played both, describe the tone difference between the single & double cut on the mag pickups?

[LJD]

Single cut has better/easier access to the higher frets.

[DISTORT6]

Nuthin' Fancy.....HB Spruce. It's a metal machine.

[garrett]

Single cut has better/easier access to the higher frets.

I think you mean double cut...

[vchizzle]

Well I played a single and a double cut HB II and think I prefer the overall electric tone of the SC HB II. I hadn't much considered the hollowbody I because I didn't know how many were on the market, but I don't want to rule them out either. Or the Singlecut standard HB...but I don't see any of those out there anymore really. I doubt I'll be able to try a SC HB I or a standard before buying though.