SEMI-SOLID

Our classy selection of f-hole-toting models provides warmth, sustain – and a touch of nostalgia

GRETSCH G5655T ELECTROMATIC CENTER BLOCK JR £809

Small in size but mighty in tone, these giant-killing Jr models retain all the charm of Gretsch’s unique heritage. Available in Casino Gold, Dark Cherry Metallic and Jade Grey Metallic, the Bigsby-equipped singlecutaway G5655T has a laminated maple body and is constructed with a feedback-busting spruce centre block. It also features dual Black Top Broad’Tron humbuckers.

SKINTED: Gretsch G2655 Streamliner Center Block Jr, £470 MINTED: Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic Center Block Jr, £899

D’ANGELICO PREMIER KURT ROSENWINKEL SS £959

Designed in collaboration with jazz-guitar luminary Kurt Rosenwinkel, this spruce-topped single-cutaway maple-bodied semi comes in a mellow Honey Burst finish and features a 635mm (25-inch) scale length three-piece maple neck with a single-bound rosewood fretboard and large pearloid block inlays. Chrome appointments include dual D’Angelico humbucker covers and Rotomatic stairstep tuners.

SKINTED: D’Angelico Premier DC, £699 MINTED: D’Angelico Excel DC, £1,399

PRS SE HOLLOWBODY STANDARD £899

This is an incredible amount of guitar for the money. The dual PRS 58/15 ‘S’ humbucker-loaded SE Hollowbody Standard is a laminate mahogany-bodied double-cutaway that melds the traditional archtop style with a classic stoptail solidbody aesthetic. Its 635mm (25-inch) scale length Wide Fat profile mahogany neck features a 22-fret ebony fingerboard with PRS’s hallmark bird inlays.

SKINTED: PRS SE Zach Myers, £799 MINTED: PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo, £1,349

EPIPHONE UPTOWN KAT ES £549

With its ‘bikini’ logo headstock plate and dual mini-humbuckers, the Uptown Kat ES is all about that timeless vintage Kalamazoo style. An upmarket ebony fretboard with large pearloid block inlays, a mahogany neck and high-quality hardware including Grover Rotomatic tuners and a LockTone ABR adjustable bridge belie its modest price tag.

SKINTED: Epiphone Dot ES-335, £399 MINTED: Epiphone Sheraton-II Pro, from £649

GUILD STARFIRE I DC GVT £569

Appearing in Pelham Blue sporting an aluminium Guild vibrato tailpiece with a tune-o-matic bridge and 18:1 ratio Vintage 18 tuners, this maple-bodied double-cutaway features a mahogany centre block housing dual Guild HB-2 Alnico II humbuckers augmented by a threeway selector switch, separate volume and tone controls and a push/ pull coil-split function.

SKINTED: Starfire I SC, £479 MINTED: Starfire II ST Dynasonic, £1,125

FRET-KING COUNTRY SQUIRE SEMITONE SPECIAL £599

Designed in collaboration with Trev Wilkinson, this souped-up T-type semi-acoustic single-cutaway features a slightly offset two-piece American alder body and bolt-on Canadian rock maple neck with a dot-inlaid 22-fret ebony ’board. An extremely versatile instrument, the Country Squire Semitone Special’s unique pickup configuration provides an expansive array of tonal options.

SKINTED: Fret-King Country Squire Semitone, £569 MINTED: Fret-King ‘JJ’ John Jorgenson, £899