Comparing Hollowbody & Semi-hollowbody Guitars from Gibson, Guild, Gretsch and Epiphone. 

that guild is the best to my ears.

Blimey! The Gretsch stands out a mile!!

Casino is my favourite but that Gretsch is definitely the best quality. Sound is so pure and clear

Holy crap he's not kidding: the Country Gentleman sounds it was just carried straight out the Beatles recording space.

the gretsch sounded unlike anything I expected with overdrive. Amazing. Brilliant video..

I love how you told stories of the guitars before playing I was rooting for Guild but that Gretsch stole my heart ❤️

THE GRETCH HAS SUCH A WARM AND EXPENSIVE TONE

Gretsch is the best. Second Epiphone Casino for me.

These all sound great. Regarding the Guild: Mini humbuckers are the most underrated humbucker pickups for clarity and chime, along with good filtertrons, in my opinion.

That Star fire sounds unique and amazing

Great job with the editing! It was nice not having to remember what the previous guitar sounded like. Thanks for the great effort!

Probably the best comparison vid I've ever seen. They all sound great.

One of the best comparison videos I have seen. Just excellent all around. Thank you! 👏🏼 🏆 🥇

Yes, The Gretsch ! Hands down. It's easy to see why Gretsch Guitars were so so popular in the 50's and especially in the 60's. Pete Townshend was given a 1958 Gretsch 6120 by Joe Walsh. Joe was hanging out with Keith Moon at the time taking hotel room destruction lessons from Keith. Pete used it to finish "Tommy" and subsequently used that guitar on every studio album since. All those great sounds like Pinball Wizard, Reign O'er Me, and the fantastic Quadrophenia, Who's Next, all came from his Gretsch 6120. He said his Gretsch is the most versatile guitar ever made. It will do everything from light jazz to rockabilly all the way to face melting heavy metal shredding, and everything in between ! Here is a video with Pete and that guitar in the background. He said he does not use it live because it's too difficult to do his silly dance on stage with a guitar that big. And besides, it was knocked off the back of a stage, fell almost ten feet and was smashed. He had an old violin maker repair the guitar. He said it came back in better condition than when he got it from Joe. It now never leaves his studio. Myself, I started playing in 1958 at age 9. I learned on a POS. Got my first Gretsch in 1963. Also a 58 model. I have owned Gretsch Guitars ever since. Here is that video of Pete. The interview is not about the guitar, it just happens to be present. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iFt_LsFRFEQ.html

Great job on comparing sounds, they all have magic. Loved the video, THANKS

They all were cool in their own unique way. That's the beauty of having access to so many different brands! Great video.

Very nice to hear these classics all together. Excellent licks to demonstrate the sound and differences between these guitars...but I have to say: This video has me looking for a StarFire now! I absolutely loved the tone from that guitar.

This was a really great video, and for me it's not about which sounds best but about the distinct tone and voicing of each that makes them unique. Great stuff!

The Casino has a very distinct sound, one that I like except for the overdriven sound. For that the Gretsch blows all of them away. A really good video.

Well produced, great chops, personal, entertaining. A keeper. Thanks Phil.

Best comparison between these brands of guitar ive ever seen. Keep up the good work

Nice review/ demo of four gorgeous guitars. Thanks for sharing. 👏🏻

Love the Gretsch and bought one

The Intro on the Guild is pure gold to my ears and soul! Thanks for that I could listen to this whole day.... so smooth.

What a fantastic demo!!! Thanks, Phil. Really helpful.

In love with that Gild !!!! This video is the greatest guitar comparison I ever seen , great performance too , you make those guitars sound like ringing a bell 🔔 Thanks for your time of doing this video 🙏🎸🥰

Excellent review Phil 👍 I have similar guitars except for the Guild, you’ve got their sounds well nailed for this demo.

great presentation and great sounds!

Man, thank you so much for this video. I'm live just north of Austin, looking to get my first guitar and I'm just falling in love with the semi hollow body sound.

Great video! Camerawork was awesome, sounded great, and it was pretty informative!

Impressive points being made here, and I enjoy how each one is like a tool for a very specific job. Upon first impression, they evoke the same foundation of tones, yet throw the right pickups or drive in them and you'll easily notice how very different they are in total. How on earth could anyone choose a best? They're all so great.

Gibson and Guild were my favs, hands down

Great collection you have there. Love me those hollow bodies, even semis.

All these guitars are great sounding! Thanks for sharing.

Very nicely laid out comparison. Bravo!

Finally, a proper review! Thanks for posting. 👍

the epiphone casino....damn, no words to describe.

That Gretsch, to me, sounds like it has the most balance and sweetness. Casino is sparkly and bright. The Guild was very shrill on the bridge, but mellow/warm on the other positions. The ES335 sounded good too, but kind of boring compared to the others. Really love the sound of the Gretsch the most in these clips. Thanks for making this video!

Phil's demo here deserves thumbs up just for the descending chord picking run on 'Help'. Also love the way he shows Malcolm's pic with no name, knowing guitarist will all know who it is.For me there is no clear winner for tone here. All of these guitars sound tremendous. Especially having the demos run quickly, with same parts back to back.You can easily hear the subtle tone differences & how some would suit 'live' & some 'studio' . I was very surprised by the GuildStarfire-3 though. The only two guitars out of my 15 that would compare would be my 79' Gibson ES-335 ( WCR hand-wound PAF's ) & my new Gretsch G6228 FM 'players edition' Jet BT (Broadtron pups) while I dont have the 65' Vibrolux, an old 64' Blonde Bandmaster keeps me company when I'm looking for these classic tones. well done Phil.

I’m a drummer, I only know three chords on guitar, but as good as that Guild sounds (they all do), that Gretsch just slays it for me. Damn.

Greetings from Potsdam. Miss seeing you at David Brown's jams. Thanks for the tour of these fine guitars.

Gretsch is a must have guitar, I have one and I would never trade it for anything, it just sounds beautiful

Great demo, and I enjoyed the stories. They all sound good, but that Gibson sounds magical!

Yes that Gretsch has a awesome sound to it....great find....thanks for sharing....

Gretsch every time, smooth full sound, so different so warm and beautiful

I like all of them. What a great video. Really enjoyed it. Thanks.

Thank you so much Phil. It's a goldmine over here!

Great work 👍 they all sound spectacular 😃🤘

Nice back to back comparison and interesting stories with each. Overall I liked the Gretsch for everything you did. They all sound great though.

Played in perfect tone order each one slightly more tone than the last. For me it’s the Gretsch that comes alive in the comparison with the Guild second for the sound that I like.

I went to Gibson, Never looked back....BEST guitar I ever purchased in 20 years.....I also have a Guild that I liked, so I bought that too.

Great video and some nice playing aswell!

Gretsch rules!!!

Outstanding thank you I learned a lot just by hearing one after the other

nice job! thanks for the video

Great video, probably the best comparison video I've seen. Reading the comments, you can see everyone has a different sound they are looking for. Me I can't resist giving my two cents. The Epiphone hands down winner in my book. All around best all around tone performer, and without even adjusting the tone knob. I also like the slim neck. Yep....The Epiphone comes out on top for the most versatile, and best sound.

I have a 1966 Guild Starfire V, Bigsby delete, clear finish, Haggstrum bridge. Only 2 of these optioned this way were made, the other one went to Tom Fogarty ( Credence ) ... 1966 Fender Vibrolux Reverb with one original Oxford and one original Jensen . Have owned the guitar since new, the amp since 68. Never had need for anything different...but if I had to replace it, I would look seriously at Gretch...

Nice comparison. I love that country gentleman. I could really hear “Help” in that guitar.

All beautiful instruments but that Gretsch at 6:59 😍 Wow. Such a beautiful and distinct sound.

Greatsch is my favourit one! Thank you.

I would say GRETSCH first..smooth tones clean...bright..2nd Guild...had full sound ..3rd Gibson...4th Epiphone.

Those filter’trons on the Country Gent are killer!

Had a '67 Gretsch just like that. It was AMAZING sounding but hard to play. Someone had flattened the fretboard down to 20" radius. Since I had other Gretsch guitars, I sold it. Have a '68 Guild Starfire V now and love it as well. Have a no name Casino copy and it is very nice (once I upraded the pickups to Lollars). Still looking for a decently priced 335 though... One of these days. Nice video, Phil.

Great video! It’s so easy to hear the pickup differences the way you formatted this. Gotta say, the 335 sounds pretty muddy when compared to all these others. I’m really intrigued by the Casino and the Guild. Both have great midrange punch and clarity.

That Gretsch sounds so dang good

I have exactly the same starfire and country gent both amazing guitars!

How lovely the Gretsch is!

I love that 335’s bridge pickup.... Killer sound

I'm looking to pickup a G5622T in the future. Nevertheless, my unbiased opinion is the Gretsch really had the best overall sound all around. Great vid!

gretsch, as expected was the most polite and ruled the neck pup shootout (at least what you played there), i thought the guild middle position was especially fantastic too....

Not a bad tone in the bunch! They’re all different and shouldn’t be compared to one another. Thx for a great demo!

Agree with most of the comments here. The Gretsch trounced them all!

That gretsch is just heavenly.

WONDERFUL video..ps miss the 'Aunts. Delight says HI!

Guild had an attack on the strings, very distinct… Gretsch had a space and warmth… love tone of the Epi… 335 was lovely too…I’ll have them all!

very well done and played.

Nice presentation. For me: The Gretsch and the Gibson - in that order

Nice lil selection! I'm all about that Guild, it's just beautiful.

your playing is just groovy as all get out man! so cool. The Gretsch Filtertron are crazy good sounding with distortion especially for gain on a hollowbody. Some killer guitars in general

I have a DeArmond Starfire Special (budget Guild 1998) which is very similar to your Guild Starfire iii but notably with 2K single coil pickups; it's great. I also have the DeArmond Starfire which is a double cut semi-hollow with Goldtone Humbuckers; great also.

Love the sound of the Gretsch

They all sounded very good but the Guild blew me away with it's chime and spanky tone. The Gretsch was definitely the overdrive champ here. Most of these guitars are bright and chimey, even the Gretsch when played clean, but the Gretsch had the dark, sullen overdrive tone that makes me want one. There is not a bad guitar here, and I would be proud to own any one of them, but the Guild and Gretsch really caught my attention with their unique tones. If I could only have one of these, I'd be torn between the Gretsch and the Guild. The Gretsch was probably best for doing both clean and dirty, but the Guild's clean tone was good enough that I wouldn't care if it was a one-trick-pony. I'm not saying it is because we only heard them do a little, but I would be happy with it even if it was. Thanks for sharing that with us!

Gretsch is the king of hollow bodies but all sounded good.

This video is AWESOME

nice Vid. Love that Casino

Coolio! All good to me - thanks for the gritty vid!

They all sound great.

Great comparison! Gretsch all the way, for me!

Gretsch + overdrive sounds amazing.

That Gretsch sounds so good I have to say you have been lucky with so many good purchases

I love all of them!

I don't like Gibsons, but this one sounded great! It has a lot of character.

I have a 72, 335 which I love, but that Guild Starfire really stands out!

You've sold me, I need a Gretsch with Filtertron pickups ASAP. It has a more complex sound than the others, there's just more depth and another layer there.

the epi with p90 just love it

Gibson 1., Epiphone 2., Gretsch 3., Guild., 4. All great gits.

I'm not surprised that the 335 was Phil's go to guitar. I preferred it to the other three every time. Gibson is back to building to quality guitars. I just bought a 2021 ES-339. The fit, finish, tone and playability are at a level that would only have been available from the Custom Shop five years ago at twice the price. I'm amazed that this guitar actually came off the production line. Gibson must think it's pretty nice, too. They just jacked the price up $500 for this model. Glad I bought when I did.

Reading the comments on this is almost as fascinating as the film. So many different firm favourites!

That Guild Starfire is the same guitar that Jerry Garcia used on the Dead's first Album in 1967.

Phil...great review, thanks. I thought the Gretsch stood out from the others.