4 Best Hollow Body Guitars Under $500- 2023 Review

When prominent band guitarists needed a guitar that could be played by an amplifier and at the same time be resonant enough to ooze a loud unplugged volume, hollow-body guitars answered the call.

That explains why they have garnered massive approval from famous guitarists since their advent in the 1930s, especially from jazz players.

Hollow body guitars are said to be the original electrics. They make use of internal chambers that reverberates soundwaves and initiates acoustic depth and warmth.

If you are a novice or a seasoned player with a compelling desire to grind your skill, these best hollow body guitars under 500 will keep your music dreams afloat.

If you are in a hurry, here are the best-rated hollow body guitars we recommend:

• Gretsch G2420 Streamliner Hollow Body Guitar (Editor’s Choice)
• Ibanez AF55 Artcore Hollow Body Electric Guitar (Best budget)

What are hollow body guitars best for?

Hollow body guitars are best known for their warm, rich and resonant sound, making them a popular choice for jazz, blues, and rockabilly musicians.

The hollow body construction allows for a greater volume and depth of sound, as the vibrations of the strings resonate throughout the entire body of the guitar. Additionally, the large size of the body allows for greater acoustic projection and sustain, resulting in a fuller and more complex sound.

Hollow body guitars are also known for their distinctive tone and timbre, which is often described as airy and organic. This tone is especially well-suited for clean, jazzy chord progressions, as well as for intricate fingerstyle playing and melodic solos.

However, because of their tendency to produce feedback at high volume levels, hollow body guitars are not as commonly used in high-gain rock and metal music.

Best Hollow Body Guitars Under $500- Top Picks

Gretsch G2420 Streamliner Hollow Body Guitar

Gretsch G2420T Streamliner is a good choice if you crave chorus-modified jazz chords and clean music sounds on a moderate budget. It’s an exceptional guitar that accords you with a magnificent blend of classic and new school tones.

Gretsch G2420 features wider F-holes for greater sonic projection and two custom-wound Broad’Tron humbucking pickups that produce a powerful tone with well-balanced lows, mids, and highs. Additionally, it has a master tone and master volume and can deal with a touch of twisted overdrive.

Gretsch G2420 Streamliner encapsulates 22 Medium Jumbo Frets and a 12” Radius Laurel Fingerboard with Pearloid Hump Block Inlays. It has a single-cutaway laminated maple body with a touch of vintage-looking ornamentation, which gives you comfort and access to higher frets.

The hollow guitar has a thin “U” neck profile for comfortable chording, an attractive aged white binding with updated purfling, slick-looking nickel hardware, a branded tailpiece, and three ply-tortoise pickguards.

Gretsch G2420 is a gem for blues, jazz, and rockabilly musicians owing to its dynamic pickups. However, vintage enthusiasts may consider lower-output humbuckers.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Punchy tone
• It produces a powerful, balanced tone
• Comfortable maple body

Cons

• Unsuitable for high-gain playing

Ibanez AF55 Artcore Hollow Body Electric Guitar

It is a perfect buy for a player fascinated by hollow-body guitars with vintage looks and high-end modern features.

It constitutes a bound rosewood fretboard and mahogany set neck which is a joy to the fingers and has acoustic capabilities due to its big deep body and large projection. A set-in neck and bound walnut fretboard enhance AF55’s excellent playability.

The Gibraltar Performer bridge’s rosewood base relays string vibrations to the carved linden for flawless sound and tuning stability. The lower saddles, on the other hand, render comfort during playing sessions.

Ibanez AF55 also features a 20-fret bound rosewood fingerboard with white dot inlays and chrome tuners fitted to the neck, while the VT06 trapeze tailpiece and ART-ST Tune-O-Matic bridge hold the strings in place. However, it contains a lot of plastic.

Furthermore, the magnificent singing tones emanating from this guitar are facilitated by the passive pickups on the AF55, which employ ceramic magnets. It also embodies Infinity R humbuckers which eliminate 60Hz hum and other noise, offer it a distinct melodic character as well as preserve your guitar’s bite.

Pros

• Loud enough
• Excellent playability
• Versatile
• Vintage look

Cons

• Plastic hardware

Ibanez AF75 Hollow Body Electric Guitar

The Ibanez AF75 is the ideal budget buy if you are hunting for a hollow body electric guitar that exhibits a blend of vintage and modern looks. It’s suitable for different musical styles and playing techniques, and it’s loud enough without connecting the guitar to an amp.

It features a full hollow body construction coupled with a maple top, back, and sides which provide typical hollow-body sound and visual attractiveness. It has a set-in mahogany neck with a 24.7″ Scale Length, making it comfortable to play with.

The guitar employs a trapeze and floating bridge that gives it an open, airy, and light tone. It also uses ceramic humbuckers, which help curb 60Hz hums.

AF75 pickups use ceramic magnets, and the ART-1 Bridge’s base to the linden top conveys the string vibrations for excellent sound. It also features premium tonewoods, a three-way toggle, an individual volume knob, and a control knob.

This guitar is ideal for jazz, rock, fusion, and country players. However, players used to curved or rounded fretboards may find it challenging to play.

Pros

• High-quality performance
• Adjustable intonation
• Smooth sounding
• Great sound

Cons

• Feedback at high volumes
• Difficulty in adjusting bridge’s placement

Oscar Schmidt OE30

If you are an enthusiast of raw, soulful music genres like delta blues, Oscar Schmidt OE30 would be the ideal instrument. Its body style gives this model a resonance similar to acoustic guitars while retaining all the punch and power of an electric guitar.

Oscar Schmidt OE30 constitutes a classic Tune-o-Matic bridge system to anchor the string stability. A mahogany body’s twin cutaway provides access to the top frets and gives it a vintage appearance.

A dual Washburn humbucker setup on the neck and the bridge is responsible for balancing high tones of the maple with basses.

This six-string electric has a basic control scheme that incorporates two individual tone knobs and two separate volume knobs. The three-way pickup selector allows you to use a humbucker on the neck, bridge, or both for fat tones.

The guitar also comes with a 3-way pickup selector and works well when connected to a recording program via an audio interface.

While OE30 yields a strong sound output, its plastic material makes it challenging to play clean sound.

Pros

• Versatile
• Ideal for beginners and pros
• Great sound output
• Great for home sessions and stage rocking

Cons

• Plastic material affects tuning stability

Also, Read: Best Bass Guitars Under 500

FAQs

Are hollow body guitars harder to play?

Hollow body guitars are not necessarily harder to play than solid-body guitars, but they may require some adjustment due to their larger size and weight.

Are hollow body guitars loud?

Hollow body guitars can produce a loud sound due to their larger resonant body. However, they may not be as loud as solid body guitars when played without amplification. The volume of a hollow body guitar can also be affected by factors such as the type of strings, the playing style, and the player’s technique.

Can you play a hollow body guitar without an amp?

Yes, you can play a hollow body guitar without an amp, but the sound produced may not be as loud or full as with an amp.