The Great F-Hole Competition

Clicky for a biggy and a closer look.

If you loved the F1 E'sports Competition then you're going to love The Great F-Hole Competition. No sign-up and no prizes, wha'd yah expect?

Before you are seven variations on the letter F. F holes are what can be commonly found on hollow body jazz-box style guitars. All these guitars are current off-the-shelf instruments. As I already know what F hole belongs to what manufacture, unfortunately I can't enter so if you guess them correctly then you win.

1: This is one hole of a matching pair as can be clearly seen on the Epiphone Emperor Swingster. Epi don't ship this with a pickguard attached but I believe they include a clear one for you to DIY.

2: Here we have a beautifully shaped F-hole the sits proudly on the 10 grand plus Gibson L5. It certainly shows class compared with it's off-shore made Epiphone brother.

3: This is an oldie Ibanez original design they have brought back for their recent up-market jazz boxes. Ibanez also have a more traditional F-hole style which is rather bulbous. It's all very well to be original but it also needs appeal. While the Ibanez range of instruments are quite beautiful, sound and play nicely, other than their metal orientated guitars their archies just don't cut it for design IMO.

4: Getting closer to the style of the Gibson this is the Guild Savoy. These Korean made instruments are magnificently finished and the sunbursts you could enjoy a champagne breakfast with, or a champagne supper, sunset, get it?

5: You can pick up one of these babies for under a grand and come in a great variety of colours to suit your personality. It's the Gretsch Streamliner series. Off-shore made again but great design. These F-holes remind me of the old Country Gentleman painted on F-holes (when you're not having F-holes). Very narrow so possibly won't let much noise out but I think you will be plugging it in somehow.

6: You're never going to guess this one unless you own a Paul Reid Smith guitar. Awesome guitars if you don't mind a wide/flat/thin through neck. I don't understand how PRS have cut themselves out of much of the market by not offering a more traditional shaped neck. As for the F-holes (2) in their routed out semis they look about as bad as Epiphone's attempt.

7: and coming home in first place is the super stylish Gretsch job. This F-hole has been around forever and no doubt styled on Stradivarius's out-of-patent design. Nothing to do with the Stratocaster BTW. Together with a beautiful curvy body, half moon inlays, chrome and jewelled knobs, the military standard Bigsby and those fluttering F-hole eye lashes, Gretsch guitars win hands down for style and come in a close second in the class stakes behind Gibson.

So there you go. Just a few of the many styles of F-holes that can make or break a guitar purchase. Do I really want to look at instrument relicing? Don't think so.