Best hollow/semi hollow to tour with? (Preferably under 1000)

Jack Casady ftw imho ymmv.

 

I'd use my Hofner Ignition Club bass.

 

Casady

 

I have never played one, but I have always had a soft spot for Ibanez Artcore. Around $300 used, so beat it up on the road without fear.

 

Reverend Dub King...$999.
Some of the best stock pickups made...right up there with the G&L MFDs...and the people at Reverend give you a lot for the money.
Everything else is off the radar.
I know there are others from different companies, but I can't quite think of any.

 

Here ya go. Danelectro DC 59. I'd recommend a Pro model, like mine. It has real bass-sized tuners instead of the traditional Dano's little guitar-sized ones, and an actual easily intonatable bridge. The traditional Dano bridge will intonate - I have one or two of those, as well - but, the Pro bridge is just... better, in that respect. And, the newer Korean-made Danos are tough, well made basses; so are the first generation Korean ones (like this one). Just take reasonable care of it, and it will last you roughly forever...

 

Jack Casady

 

I second Charlie Monroe's vote for the Ibanez Artcore. The Casady bass is great but is kind of a one trick pony and to me doesn't have the "hollowness" that the OP may be looking for. The Ibanez on the other hand is almost Hofner like. I've used one for years and found it to be very versatile.

 

I toured the entire festival season of 2014 with my Epi Jack Casady signature... in a gig bag! Granted it was well-padded, but the bass was solid. Only tweaked the truss-rod once, despite going from NY down to the Florida Keys, then all the way up to Northern Michigan, and back to NY. I'm pretty finicky when it comes to having neck relief and setup just right, so that speaks volumes. Hipshot bridge is a highly recommended upgrade and then you're good to go!

 

Love my Casady because it sounds great (Pyramid Gold Flats) and is 34” scale. Many hollow/semi-hollow basses are short or medium scale.

 

You can tour with any bass if you take care of it.

 

One more vote for the Casady. Sounds and looks great and will be a bit sturdier than a full hollow.

 

If you want 34" scale, the Casady is great, but so is the DiPinto Belvedere. It's out of production and thus difficult to find, but the tone is outstanding. It has two hot single coil pickups that provide some cut and growl along with the semi-hollow "thud." I played it on several gigs and it was solid. The neck was very stable, and it had nice low action. Ernie Ball flats sounded great on it.

Otherwise, I love the Guild Starfire and Reverend Dub King.

 

Replace tuners and bridge and you have winner.

 

Chowny CHB1 or CHB2?
Warwick Star Bass?

 

This is my vote

 

IME, semi-hollow basses (most likely hollow basses too) are best when equipped with piezo pickups to get that woody warm tone they're best at.

The Ibanez SR Aerium series get my vote. These are semi-hollow basses with piezo pickup only which available in 4 and 5 strings, as well as fretted and fretless configurations.



Another best feature is that they are lightweight. I have the 5 string fretted version which weighs only at 3.05 kg (6 lb 11.6 oz). No hassle at all wearing it in long hour gigs. Very much tour friendly.

And they are definitely under $1,000.