Semi Acoustic Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I bought this item for my daughter for her birthday and she loved it, it came to our door on time, it was playable and very attractive, unfortunately a relative with a drug problem stole it within a day and we haven't been able to afford a replacement. It would be wonderful if BCP would be willing to ship another to us, but either way, very good product. I'll buy another one in time when we are able to afford it.Steve H.

I would give it 20 stars if I could. I’m not going to say that I can even play guitar. I am still trying to learn. I have a Stratocaster that I have been learning chords and following the lessons in a book that is instruction for learning scale. But the semi-hollow body has such a wounderful tone that I have to get better. It is so Inspirational that I have been practicing more than I ever did with my strat. LOVE IT! Thank you.Ronald P.

I've wanted a semi-hollow for some time and I took the plunge to get this one. It's a very nice guitar that looks good and plays well. I was initially suspicious because of the price, as other guitars in the range did not play so well to me. Anyway, I had the store do a setup to ensure everything was fine and had the strings on I like to use. I change my own strings, of course, but I don't have tools for doing a proper setup. Good thing I did. Their Technician/Luthier CONNER, was very, very conscientious about his work, even fixing a slightly raised 14th fret. He was very meticulous in his inspection and work. If you don't have a semi-hollow body ax, this would be a good choice for the money. I have not had it long enough to say much about the two split-coil switches for the humbuckers. Maybe they'll turn out to add some good sounds as I play more. My only significant gripe is that the back of the neck has a standard gloss finish. If you play guitar, you probably hate that, as well. But some light sanding and oil should improve the playability.George

This was for my son, a late beginner, to add to his Ibanez s521. This was ordered online, not bought off the wall. It comes very well packaged for shipment and arrived with zero scratches or damage. The strings that it has are actually OK and I may keep them for a bit. I am not a huge fan of the gold metallic but it is the kid's preference, and the finish seems nice. I did not see much of the paint covering part of the binding in places as some have remarked, and the binding seems to be pretty decently done. The only really startling indicator of low build quality on ours is the very rough finish on the insides of the f holes. There are places that the paint has small runs in it and you can tell there was cost savings. There are guitars in the price category that are much better finished in there and I would have gladly paid a couple of extra bucks for this. At least they could have painted it black on the sides of the holes, like they did on some of the other colors, to hide it somewhat. On the gold, it is just jarring. I may do just that, after it is out of warranty of course. It is sad because there aren't any other significant issues on mine. The fret ends seem pretty nice and there really isn't any lifting, sprout, or sharpness on any of them. I am intermediate, so I can't really say authoritatively how the tone compares to others objectively, but to my ears it sounds pretty good especially compared to some others in the price range, like the stock Ibanez pickups. Seem to have clarity and not muddy. Like the neck profile. Neck required a slight loosening of the truss rod to straighten and the action was easily lowered to 1.5mm at the 12th fret low e without significant buzzing. The treble bleed does its job and single coil option is nice too. It won't sound like my strat but it does give some versatility. The guitar is very fun to play with its neck profile and radius once I did my mild setup on it, and hard to explain, but I don't want to put it down once I start using it. Despite the one flaw, I still think it is a good buy and recommended.JM

A great es-335 from Epiphone, especially with the alnicoV humbuckers, coil splitting, and quality control all around. I did very little set-up to get nice low action; I must also put on some new strings, loop-tie them, with some stop bar adjustment. I like this glossy ebony finish, but used steel wool on the back of the neck to take down the stickiness. Clear mellow sound with a bit of woodiness on the neck pickup; good for rhythm, CCR, country, jazz, and classic rock. The bridge pickup gives me more attack; good for clear chicken picking, and with pedals heavy distortion chunks and leads. With the coil split, I can almost get a Tele sound on the bridge pickup. The neck shape is sort-of D shaped; I prefer the rounded C-shape of the 1950s Gibsons. Great guitar at a super price on deal of the day sale. This is one of those rare very low priced yet quality guitars worth buying and playing.Professorchill

I have always wanted a 335, but did not like the larger size. I saw this 339 and stepped up and bought it home. Had to wait 6 weeks, but was it ever worth it. This is the best guitar I have ever played or been around. Cannot make my mind up if it plays better than it looks, or if it looks better then it sounds. It came set up really well, intonation and all. All I had to do was tune it and go. Cannot find one flaw in the paint, assembly or anything wrong at all. It rings so true, holds a note and there is a major difference when selecting either pickup or both, and the tone and volume controls lets you have an infinite setting control on tone and volume. Set the bridge to really ring out and the neck one a little muddy and together it is killer, but can flip the switch and brighten a solo up good. An absolute joy to play. Just strike your favorite chord and let it ring…beautiful fun. I was worried about the neck thickness, but it is a non issue. Easy to chord, simple to fret in any way you please. I cannot express just how happy I am with this guitar. Michael at musicians friend was a great help in every way getting it here.Keith

Very comfortable to hold and play, with a slightly chunky neck which is my preference. Combines the best aspects of 335s and Les Pauls. It's also heavier than I thought it would be (again for me a good thing, I don't like feather-light guitars) I was expecting SG weights and annoying neck dive. As suggested already it seems to sound somewhere between a full-sized 335 type and a solid body, which again isn't much of a surprise. Seems to have more twang than my LP which is good for my taste, which is more soul and funk. The finish is also perfect, though slightly different to the one advertised at the time of purchase. The neck fades into a natural varnish rather than the all-black paint. Also the sides are solid natural varnish rather than the fading between black and natural effect.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is a beautiful guitar and if it were 1000$ it would be well worth it. For 2300$ though I would like to have some inlays that don't look like cheap plastic and not have fret buzz. The buzz could be fixed with a set up but for 2300$ I feel like it should come set up. On the back the slots for the cover plates are not routed so they just sit on top. Not a deal breaker but this does make it look a little incomplete. Overall it sounds great minus the fret buzz. I'd say no better than a se model and not worth the extra money unless you just want a bolt on neck. I prefer bolt on or through necks which is why I bought the ce but I plan to return it and either get an ernie ball music man or an American strat.Not satisfied with AMS quality c

I bought this because I was in the market for a US guitar and I already had a US Strat. I was thinking about a Gibson Les Paul Classic and then PRS showed up on my radar. I did some research and decided to play both. I have an Epiphone Les Paul so I thought I would prefer the Gibson. I played this guitar first and the Les Paul just didn't feel right after that. I bought this one a couple weeks later. After having it for an extended period (12 hours) I started thinking about selling my Strat and buying a Silver Sky. This guitar just felt so good I didn't want anything else. The neck feel is fantastic. The tone options are amazing The color is sooooooo much more vibrant in person than in pictures It is sitting in the rack in the other room while I type this and I wish I was playing it right now. It was totally worth every penny and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a true quality instrument.Jay P

At the base price, I was wondering how well made this would be but I wanted the white/ivory color so I bought it and I am glad I did. I had a guitar that cost a lot more and since I generally only keep one guitar (I am not a hoarder) I wanted to see which I liked better. Of the two, this one was easier for me to play. I like the big hollow-body feel and sound as well. The pickups would be the cheapest part but they are more than passable (though sound is personal and pickups can be changed). The guitar has a lot of heft (weight) to it in, what I consider, a good way. The neck is thicker than what I expected from Ibanez, although it is a hollow-body and not one of their metal guitars. Personally, I will change out the strings for Elixirs, the tuners for locking tuners, and put a Duesenberg tremolo (vibrato) on it (and maybe a roller bridge)(All personal preferences). But even now it is a great guitar to play. I did buy the Ibanez AS100C case for it here on MF (see comment there on the case). This is a great guitar and if anything happened to it I would buy another. It may sound expected in a commentary like this but I would say this is the best guitar I ever owned and I have owned all the brand names. That said, to each their own.BrazilBill

At this price I have no complaints. What I will say is replace the pickups with a name brand PAF style and you'll have a killer tone and a good wood.If I wanted a fancier fingerboard I'd go up a model or two but it's really not necessary. I'm also going to put locking tuners. If you get a AS93 with the Super 58 pickups you won't wanna change those after paying extra. I prefer to get Duncans or something equivalent. I don't feel bad tossing the original pickups on this model. I bought a blemish and still trying to find it!!JD

I play rhythm guitar in a small combo. Fit and finish on this guitar is excellent. The pick-ups sound very nice for my application. No neck dive. I recommend this guitar to anyone seeking a nice semi-hollow body guitar.Wayne

Up to this point, my guitar collection has been all solid bodies. (four Strats, a Tele, Les Paul, SG and Firebird. I've been craving a good semi-hollow. But the ES-335 is just too expensive for my tastes. The Epis, and Ibenez clones were too low-end. I was looking for something in between. This turned out to be the perfect choice. First, the fit and finish was flawless. A beautiful cherry red with lovely grain showing. (Not quite as 'stripey' as the photo–much prettier, I think.) The binding was perfect. I couldn't find anything wrong with the finish or construction–not a single blemish anywhere. Acoustically, it sounded lovely. Rich and clean. Plugging it into my Vox AC15, I fell in love. I found I could dial in everything from super clean chords to wonderful, nasty, dirty blues. (I remembered seeing Son Seals play one of these on the cover of Midnight Son, and I could recognize the tone.) Dialing it back, I could get warm BB-esque tones, and playing with the tone knob got me a pretty convincing Woman Tone. As for the neck–I felt instantly at home with it.The 9.5 radius felt perfect, and the neck wasn't too thin or too thick. This guitar is really an extraordinary value. Even the case is solid and well-made. At about 1/3 the price of the ES-335, it is incredibly impressive. I would recommend having a look at one of these to anyone looking for that semi-hollow sound.Dante1963

Guild has always made fine guitars, and my new Guild Starfire IV keeps that tradition of excellence going. Great tonal versatility, easy playability and beautiful craftsmanship in one magnificent semi-hollowbody. I must also say dealing with AMS is a dream. They are the most professional, courteous and helpful purveyors of musical instruments on the planet!Chris R.

I have to admit that I did try one in a Music store and I was very impressed. The sound,look,and feel are so good. The neck is rounder and a bit heftier than the original but is still very comfortable to play. It will kick butt in most styles and is a keeper. I own a 1970 Starfire and it is still a monster guitar,but as I mentioned above,the originals have a smaller U neck and full size humbuckers. The lacquer finish is now age cracked a bit but the guitar is in very good condition. I am a big Fan of the higher end Guild electrics and acoustics. Play one and you will be a Fan too.Wayne

This is the third Artcore I've spent time with. Plays and sounds great, but wish there were more color choices! Like the other Artcores I've played, this one needs some playing-in and dialing-in setupwise, but once that is done, these guitars sound and feel like something you'd pay 5x as much for.JW

Overall: First off I'd like to respond to the previous reviewer. He stated that there was zero sustain with the 594. The specs state that the pickups are LT which means Low Turn. The guitar was built for the vintage gang out there and these particular pickups are not high output but that's nothing that a boost pedal won't remedy. Had the previous reviewer researched this instrument, he would have found that the pickups excel in clarity and definately have the vintage vibe. What Paul was trying to do was make an instrument that would have followed the progression of a Les Paul. Also if the reviewer wanted a guitar for anything including hard rock and metal, he should have picked up the Custom 22 or 24. With that being said, I love this model and have had one for several years. I will also be buying another one but a single cut this time in March. If you want quality buy a PRS or Music Man. You just can't go wrong with PRS..Matt

Overall: I've had several PRS guitars, from core Custom 24s to SE's to S2's. This example is an S2 McCarty 594. It feels nice, looks nice and plays nice. That's about the extent of it. It doesn't do anything to excite the senses. I have a Prestige Heritage Standard that just begs to be played and is inspiring. These guitars, while solid, are just kind of "meh". There is one thread that I find runs through most, if not all PRS guitars I've tried; I absolutely do not like PRS pickups. The ones in this McCarty are very dull, like a blanket has been thrown over them. No clarity, they're just "there". In summary, these are good guitars, but you'd really need to spend some additional money to make them great. Whether or not you want to go down that road is, of course, up to you. But no matter what, zZounds is awesome, and they are my go-to retailer. Very easy to deal with.Keith

I’m a 54 yr old,pro player & guitar instructor, I’m always interested in budget guitars to suggest to students. I’ve found some feel cheap,or play horribly. This brand is quite the opposite, it has a solid feel, low action, rich bass and sparkling tone. I know those terms are tossed around a lot,listen to the demos on YT, this guitar sparkles like a nice acoustic should. The finish feels wonderful,it came with everything,a tuner, strap, extra strings,and a gig bag. The kit even came with a battery and a wrench to adjust the height of the action. The wrench works well, Ashthorpe has videos showing how to use it, The ELECTRONICS are what makes this instrument much better than the other budget acoustics on Amazon, It has a strong, rich equalizer onboard,u can do or subtract treble, or bass..or midrange..or the super high frequency string noises can be lowered or raised w the presence control. It has a volume control and a battery tester with LED right onboard. This electronics and preamp package is what you’d expect on guitars $300 or higher..It’s not Fishman or a famous brand, but it may as well be, it feels the same. I’ve owned over a hundred guitars, probably closer to 200 and I’ve never seen an acoustic electric with this kind of tone, feel and quality electronics in this price range..ever, if this guitar had no electronics,and was not electric-acoustic at all..it would still sell like crazy at this price. It’s almost hard to believe you get SO much for your hundred bucks. I have had acoustics where the case alone cost more than this guitar. Buy this model if you are considering a few different ones.. the thinline Ashthorpe makes is a smaller body, good for small hands, petite ladies or teens.. but the full size dreadnaught has the rich,thick bass u can feel in your body. The tone is better than the thinline,but a dread body can be big for some smaller people. The thinline was small and comfy,little more sparkly and less bass, but this model has the tone. And the way they laser etched the logo on the navy blue headstock is classy,it gives the whole guitar the expensive,modern vibe I go through guitars fast, I buy, sell, trade.and give some away to students…and I only wind up w the ones I LOVE. And I still have my Ashthorpe Dreadnaught Blue burst,it was a gift from my parents,.and has special meaning to me, Just buy this one,thank me later! forget the budget brands u see on Amazon..Ashthorpe users all leave great reviews, and for good reason.. the customer service is top notch too, a nice lady named Jennifer took great care of me when I had inquiries,and replied to my emails the same day, super quickly.Kevin G.(.I.

I purchased the guitar to play bottle neck slide on . Right out of the box it was easy to set up . Tuned up no issues. Nice action height , and really good sound . I would highly recommend the guitar . A real bargain for the money .Kevin

I’ve been a guitar instructor over 30 years, I’m a pro player with album credits on Warner, Gergen and more.. I’m 54 and playing since I’m 12 I own two Ashthorpe acoustics, this one in a dark butterscotch finish,and a full size dread in blue burst, The thinline has that tone like one of the smaller bodied guitars..bright,sparkly and up front. The body is not as thick as a big acoustic like my dreadnaught, but it is a full scale length adults acoustic.. they just made the body thinner for smaller folks to feel more comfy, The electronic package is superb,get it for that alone,you can plug in delays and effects, phase shifter and compressors, reverbs.. use the PA system or a small amp and play coffee house gigs, without the trouble of putting another Micah the guitar. The EQD section and the onboard controls are well made, useful and the eq points are musical and just right. It’s amazing how intuitive these designers were, they got just about everything right… the feel, the neck, the tone, the electronics..the finish.. it came with a strong gig bag ,not padded but rainproof and strong, like the nylon Tents and backpacks are made from..also a good electric tuner that works nicely,a cable,picks, a strap,extra strings..everything good quality and usable for a pro..maybe investing in a set of more expensive strings will help, the sets they provided sounded ok.but I’m guessing some high end strings would improve sound too,(Martin,Diaddario,Ernie Ball..etc) If u want something light and comfy, yet adult scale length with a pro feel and gorgeous woodwork, they’re out there.. but in this price range? There’s nothing available with the electronics package like this.. It’s so much fun playing with effects through an amp, this company is really awesome,they have instructional videos on YouTube and the customer service was polite,efficient and very pleasant.Kevin G.(.I.

Very good stainless steel fret nice body not heavy very nice orginal pickups it's cheap but not bad i owned headless i don't have any problems with bridge or setup until now. Thank yououdai jawad