My New s500 is the Best Guitar I've EVER Played

[bluvthompson]

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Not sure if that pic showed up but it's 2-Tone Sunburst s500 Semi-hollow and it's a pandoras box of sound. I've never in my life come across a guitar where the volume and ptb controlls actually shape the tone so thoroughly. You literally can dial in ANY guitar tone from a Les Paul to a strat and with the semi hollow body on this baby you can almost even get an accoustic clean. But boy are these pickups laser sharp. Meaning you really have to pay attention to the bass and treble controls and the volume to make sure you don't punch a hole through your amplifier. When everything is dimed out the s500 pickups sound like Muhamed Ali is trapped in your amp and trying to punch his way out of the front of it. SUuuuuuuper hot. But also amazingly quiet.

Can you tell I like this guitar yet??

I've played other older s500's from the 90s and even a late 80s model and I know some people like them for their "collectability" but this 2010 semi-hollow version is miles above any of those in tonal spectrum and control.

Anyone else have a newer s500 and feel similarly? I found a sweet spot with bass around 6/7 and treble around 5/6 with the middle pickup engaged . On a clean channel it sounds like an ultra smooth SRV tone with some dirty gain it sounds like a growlier Santana.

Anyways - I'd be interested to hear some other players takes on this model...

[bluvthompson]

No one else has played an s500 semi-hollow?? C'mon guys! Let's hear it.

I'd like some other opinions on settings you guys have found useful. There's about 50 different tones you can get out of this guitar and I've only scratched the surface...

[Craig]

No one else has played an s500 semi-hollow?? C'mon guys! Let's hear it.

I'd like some other opinions on settings you guys have found useful. There's about 50 different tones you can get out of this guitar and I've only scratched the surface...

Well, we have just four S-500 Semi-Hollows registered in the G&L Registry, including yours.
DCoy's (co-webmaster Dean) does not count because he swapped out the pickups and pickguard and loaded it with
2 soapbar MFD pickups. The other two are listed as seen at two different dealer's websites. So, you are currently
the only owner with a stock S-500 SH registered.

I have a Legacy Semi-Hollow and really like it, but it's not the same as yours.

You might check out this post in the G&L Knowledgebase: Comanches For Dummies Redux by BoogieBill

Anybody recently get one or try one out and would like to comment?

[bluvthompson]

Wow - I knew the s500 semis were pretty hard to find as it took me almost 3 months to nail one down and buy it. But I figured here of all places there would be a good collection of owners. Well hopefully I can help get the word out cuz these axes are plain nasty.

Also the comanche semi hollow was a killer sounding guitar but I ultimately liked the range of the s500 a bit more.

Let's change the thread to ANY S-Body G&L semi-hollow - maybe that will get some more love??


Anyone else care to comment on theirs?

[meowmix]

You need to tell us the difference in tone between the semi and a solid body S-500.

Have you tried the solid body?

[bluvthompson]

I have tried the solid body but only in the shop. And I didn't play it nearly as much as the semi hollow cuz once I got my hands on that it was hard to put down.
There aren't many S body semi hollows out there so right away it's got that unique vibe. But to compare the solid and semi I would say it's very cut and dry. The solid body had a much more focused sharp edge and the hollow body opened that up exactly as you would expect. There is more acoustic resonance which by nature rounds and spreads out the tone. Certainly nowhere near a 335 or larger body arch top but exactly as you would expect. Like a small body semi hollow.
Now this is my interpretation of the sound. Maybe someone with a more refined ear could hear something more profound. But the s500 solid body has a very edgy sharp sound to my ear. Regardless of clean or dirty. The most pleasing I could get it (to me) was to turn the treble to about 2 and the bass to 4/5. I'm partial to more of a Trey Anastasio roundness though so that's where I'm coming from. With the Semi hollow the roundness is more available with the treble at higher levels so there I think is the main distinction. Whats amazing is the bite and growl that still pours out of the SHollows MFDs even with treble and bass at 5 or so. So in essence if you want/like the harder edged bluesy sharpness of like a SRV the solid body gets it done. But if you want the option of smoothing it out then in IMO the s500 semi is the way to go. You can almost...alllllllmost...get a humbucker type tone from the 2 position and the treble rolled back. Which is what I liked and why I fell in love with the Semi over the solid.

2 cents deposited!!!

-Bluv

[Aetrox]

Semi Hollow S500 you say?

Ok here goes, I have a comanche, a return edition f100, an alder bodied f100, and a mahogany f100 w/ seymour duncans. I was at a music store getting rid of some stuff laying around the house when they gave me a couple hundred dollars credit. ( just under 400) so I asked what can I do with this? They said well you can use it here. OK then the sales guy added If you buy something today I will throw in a 20% discount. HMMMMM even though I had no intention of buying another guitar they had a really sweet semi hollow s500 for sale, after a little math I figured the out of pocket would be right at 600. Who can pass that up? So a semi hollow s500has moved in to my house and now all the other guitars are mad at me. They never gat any lovin' any more. I want to say that the Comanche or The Reissue are my favorites but I don't pick them up any more. I keep going back to the s500.

That's my story and I am sticking to it, for now.

[JagInTheBag]

Welcome Aetrox! I have an SSH S-500 as well, it was supposed to be semi-hallow (no F hole) but we went with Okume wood instead. It is a chameleon of sound. You are right! I also have a semi-hollow Comanche coming, can't wait to hear it. Post up a sound sample when you can!

~JagInTheBag