Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist (opens in new tab)
  • Guitar Techniques (opens in new tab)
  • Total Guitar (opens in new tab)
  • Bass Player (opens in new tab)
More
  • Lennon on Eleanor Rigby
  • Jimmy Page demos classic Led Zep gear
  • Classic rock riffs for beginners
  • Omnichord @ 70
  • SampleRadar: 163 tape loops samples

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Guitarist

10 essential semi-acoustic guitar tips

By Guitarist
published 18 March 2013

Get the most out of your semi

  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
Feedback is good!
Noel knows all about using feedback effectively
(Image credit: EPA/BRITTA PEDERSEN)

Feedback is good!

The hollow or semi-solid nature of your guitar can work in your favour if you want to create sustaining musical feedback, especially in a small studio where you don’t want to rely on an over-gained or over-loud amp sound. The threshold level where feedback will occur is lower than with a solidbody, therefore making it much easier to create this type of sustaining sound.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Tame the howl
Learn to become a master of control
(Image credit: Martin Diebel/fstop/Corbi)

Tame the howl

Having just said that feedback is good, it can also be a pain in the butt sometimes. If you play in a loud band, palm muting at at bridge can be extremely effective to stop the strings ringing. More extreme is stuffing the body with cotton wool, or even sealing the f-holes with masking tape. Not pretty, but it works.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Get Eric's Crossroads tone
We sent this intrepid young chap back in time to discover Eric's Cream secrets
(Image credit: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS)

Get Eric's Crossroads tone

Clapton’s use of the Gibson ES-335 in Cream is legendary. To get the Crossroads tone (Wheels Of Fire, 1968), first select the middle position on your two-pickup thinline semi. Now, turn both pickups’ volumes up to 10, then back the neck pickup off to seven or eight – you might want to tame the tones, too: instant Clapton circa 1968.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Tracking is good
Multi-track to get the most of your semi in a studio setting
(Image credit: Lucidio Studio Inc./Corbis)

Tracking is good

A semi or hollowbody can really come into its own when tracking parts in your recordings. Try this: double a guitar part, one overdriven with your solidbody, then play exactly the same thing on a semi, using a cleaner, more ringing sound. Mix them together and marvel at the sheer hugeness of what’s hitting your ears!

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Complement each other
AC/DC used a semi and solid combintion to devastating effect
(Image credit: Pierre Vauthey/Sygma/Corbis)

Complement each other

In the same way that different, yet complementary, guitar tones work so well when layering tracks, so they can in a live environment, in order to create sonic space and interest between two guitarists. So, if you do find that two guitars aren’t sitting together quite as well as you might like, try introducing a semi into the mix.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Use heavy strings
Prepare your fingers for some tough times ahead
(Image credit: Martin Diebel/fstop/Corbis)

Use heavy strings

Old archtops were designed for much heavier gauge strings than many of us use today, and the extra energy created is important to drive the sound. Try some 0.013s! It’s a tough jump from your 0.009s, but it’s worth it. Also, for older- style sounds, try flatwounds instead of roundwounds.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Let It Feed
Neil Young is a master at feedback manipulation
(Image credit: CORBIS)

Let It Feed

When overdriven, the lively, resonant nature of archtop semis makes them the perfect tool for Neil Young soundscapes. Add reverb and old-school echo, let notes bloom into feedback, then shake the guitar's body, whack it, slide up and down the strings and (carefully!) bend the next for faux-Bigsby pitch bends.

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Mic your hollowbody
If you want it then you better put a mic on it
(Image credit: Image Source/Corbis)

Mic your hollowbody

If you're playing a rootsy style, try mic'ing your semi like you would your acoustic. Run the electric output into an amp, and record that and the mic’d ‘acoustic’ sound at the same time. Then combine the two – it’s a great way to add texture to a cleaner electric part, and perfect for older jazz.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Play it higher
If it's good enough for John and George...
(Image credit: Bettmann/CORBIS)

Play it higher

A bigger-bodied semi- acoustic can be a bit of an armful, so try raising it up a notch or two on your strap. Not only is it easier to reach around the body to play the strings, but, because the guitar is bigger in the first place, it doesn’t look so silly when worn high, like small guitars do (yes, they do).

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Get a good hardcase
A decent case can make you as happy as this guy
(Image credit: Cedric Lim/AsiaPix/Corbis)

Get a good hardcase

This might seem obvious, but anything fully or partially hollow-bodied is a less stable beast than a solidbody, so you’re taking more of a risk during transportation if you opt for a gigbag. Get a good case and use it!

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
Guitarist
Guitarist
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones
Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS
If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

More about guitars
Harley Benton 25th Anniversary Firemist

Harley Benton strikes gold for its 25th Anniversary, debuting a Firemist finish and high-quality specs on eight Special Edition models priced under £500

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in 1965

Was Paul McCartney the "best drummer in The Beatles"?* Listen to the fab 4 tracks he played on, and the isolated drum parts, and decide for yourself

Latest
Spitfire Audio Albion Colossus

Spitfire Audio Albion Colossus

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Best hardware vocal compressors 2023: analogue studio hardware to suit all budgets and styles

By Simon Truss30 March 2023

Gear Expo 2023 is coming - tune in on 28 April

By Gear Expo 202130 March 2023

Hear the oldest guitar effects pedal demo ever from 1962

By Rob Laing30 March 2023

A drummer has recorded 75 new versions of the Amen break for you to use in your music

By Ben Rogerson30 March 2023

DW announces Alex Gonzalez ICON snare drum

By Stuart Williams29 March 2023

Take a deep dive into drum recording at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 courtesy of Lauten Audio's in-depth video

By Stuart Williams29 March 2023

GEWA's new G3 Club 5 SE electronic drum set features five-inch-deep shells, and a Black Sparkle wrap finish

By Stuart Williams29 March 2023

Waves Audio reverses its decision to adopt subscription-only model: "We are genuinely sorry for the distress it has caused"

By Matt Mullen29 March 2023

Waves Audio customers are in uproar at company's new subscription-only model: "What a disgusting way to treat your existing users"

By Matt Mullen29 March 2023

Walrus Audio confirms Fundamental pedal series… and they've got sliders

By Rob Laing29 March 2023

An audio engineer shows you "how the pros mix vocals" and get that ‘glued-in’ sound

By Ben Rogerson29 March 2023

  1. Paul McCartney and John Lennon in 1966
    1
    John Lennon on completing Eleanor Rigby's lyrics for Paul McCartney: "It's his first verse, and the rest of the verses are basically mine"
  2. 2
    Producer uses AI to make his vocals sound like Kanye West: "The results will blow your mind. Utterly incredible"
  3. 3
    An audio engineer shows you "how the pros mix vocals" and get that ‘glued-in’ sound
  4. 4
    The DrumSynth from the MPC Standalone is now available as a plugin for your DAW
  5. 5
    "How do you tune a B string? You can't." What Blur’s Graham Coxon learned – and didn't learn – from folk legend Bert Jansch
  1. Choosing and adding reverbs can seem daunting, but this simple technique should get you up and running in no time at all
    1
    How to use the '3 reverb approach' to nail reverb in almost any mixing scenario
  2. 2
    An audio engineer shows you "how the pros mix vocals" and get that ‘glued-in’ sound
  3. 3
    Tom Morello compares Rage Against The Machine to Lord Of The Rings and says his 11-year-old son can now out-shred him
  4. 4
    Thom Yorke on his 'executive producer' role for Clark's new album Sus Dog: "I ended up being a kind of backseat driver"
  5. 5
    “I do not hate the EDM community,” confirms M83, but says he wishes DJs would ask permission before using his music

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab).

  • About Us (opens in new tab)
  • Contact Future's experts (opens in new tab)
  • Terms and conditions (opens in new tab)
  • Privacy policy (opens in new tab)
  • Cookies policy (opens in new tab)
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers (opens in new tab)

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.