In thinking about the physics of guitars/ukes, laminate back & sides will not detrimentally impact you, I think. The Buying Decision. I do hope to play these two side by side soon, to see for myself. Solid wood sides and back will definitely resonate better- and a way to demonstrate is checking out a maple back/sides vs. a mahogany body for changes in tone. Having read everything on laminate vs. solid wood guitars I thought if I only had a solid wood top this would of never happened. Laminate tops will have seams between each layer of wood that are parallel to the top. I'll most likely get a Simon & Patrick, they all have solid cedar or spruce tops, with the cheaper guitars having laminate back and sides. The sound of your acoustic guitar is a team effort. Hi. January 11, 2018 at 8:00 am. Read on for the full lowdown! You might lose some harmonics that solid back & sides provide, but I doubt many would truly notice; this minutiae is far more important for professionals than most of us enthusiasts. Laminate vs. Hi, Quick question: Two solid spruce top guitars are identical in every way except one - one of the two has solid rosewood back and sides, while the other has laminate rosewood back and sides. Laminate also holds up well to temperature change, humidity change, and physical abuse much more than it’s solid top counterpart. If laminate back/sides didn't matter, none of the high-end guitars would use solid woods. But arguably the most important component is the top wood; in this article, we'll delve deeper into the debate of solid tops vs. laminate tops. for most non-professional players to not dwell too much on the sides and back of the instrument . This doesn’t mean that all laminate guitars are bad. Is this all due to the solid back and sides vs. the laminated back and sides? High priced guitars are all solid wood. The guitar is mahogany back & sides, which is a bit amorphous, so not easy to tell. So when you take your guitar around a lot and maybe want to play it at a camp-fire late at night, it’s the right choice to choose such a laminate wood guitar. Of course, build quality is always #1. In my experience from other guitars with laminate back/sides, the type of laminate does make a difference – but in this case apparently not. Obviously the price range between the two is dramatic. Until I picked up a Taylor 320, solid hog top with Sapele laminate sides and back. A guitar over $500 should be have a top, back and sides made of solid wood. On an acoustic guitar, the sides and back are designed to act like the outside of a drum - the top of the guitar is designed to vibrate like the skin of a drum. I'd say generally I prefer laminate back and sides for Selmer guitars, but sometimes I'm surprised, like with the Latcho Droms. Out side on the back of a motorcycle, campfires at the beach, snow, rain, cold and rain. Being that this wood will make up roughly 65% of the guitar it is going to have a very significant impact on the tone of the guitar and thus is often referred to as the tone wood. The back and sides of an acoustic guitar is arguably the most important part when trying to decide on a wood type. Through eliminating or amplifying different frequencies produced by the strings, these tonewoods can have a considerable effect on the overall tone generated by any given guitar. I don't own a Gibson acoustic (though I'm dying for a AJ), but have owned a classic Guild with solid rosewood back and sides, and a Larrivee with solid mahogany back and sides. Higher-end solid top guitars usually cost $500 or more. Mid priced guitars and most entry level high end guitars (Martins, Matons etc.) The cheapest guitars are usually laminated all over. Meaning my Maton would have been described as "laminated Queensland Maple" back and sides. They don't lie. I agree solid is generally preferable,and is essential on the soundboard,but on back and sides I find the Indian rosewood laminate is also very desirable in a well made guitar. Going to provide a few videos comparing two guitars that are virtually identical except one has solid back and sides an one has laminate back and sides. Just FYI, the Taylor 300 series is all solid woods, and does not have laminate back and sides. While layered woods won’t produce quite as complex a sound as solid woods, they allow us to blend exotic looks with climate-resilient construction. The top isn’t laminated, and it ages. Though I can’t confirm that. In fact, I have played many laminate top guitars that have a very nice tone to them. I'm looking to upgade my beginner acoustic guitar to something more respectable. Construction, hardware, neck shape - the list goes on. At first strum I was hooked. But now that I have a job, and the money to buy the gears I've always wanted- I don't have a band, and rarely do I have the time and motivation to play. to my ears I thought the Taylor sounded better. Top will be solid no doubt. The more rigid and stable the sides and back are, the better the guitar will project, and like others have stated, the more durable it … As any musician knows, wood is a fickle thing, and depending on where you live, taking care of your guitar can take some time investment. That's exactly what I was thinking, buying used to sell later. The solid wood models are consistently better then the laminates. I honestly feel that guitars with laminated back and sides - when done right - can sound as good as solid wood. Avi says. Very helpful Anyway, the difference in sound between a solid and a laminate is big, if you confront the guitar with any other in the price range 200-300$ (in that price range usually all guitars are solid-top) I think you can hear by yourself the difference. An all-solid guitar will age better because of the backs and sides aging, but your guitar will improve. I started with jazz on an Ibanez AG, a bubinga laminate. The "solid vs. laminate" question is very, very very common on guitar forums and the answer about sound quality is "it depends." But with Dupont and US Made Dell Artes I haven't noticed as big a difference between solid vs laminate. How important is to have an all-solid guitar in terms of sound quality. Can you hear that big of difference? So I thought all laminated back and sides guitar will say laminate whatever before describing the wood used. While laminate guitars are not made with solid pieces of tonewood, they are able to be made to look like solid pieces of wood. It is not helped by the inter-webz wisdom suggesting that there were both laminate and solid woods used in the early models, and apparently Gibson identifying one guitar as laminate, which turned out to be solid ! Sound Characteristics of Mahogany Whether you get Honduran Mahogany (probably more commonly referred to as Tropical Mahogany these days because it is sourced from a number of Central and South American countries now), or African Mahogany, the sound … If this is not enough, you can always check the producer's website, or contact them. Back then (until now), I only had a cheap guitar and have always wanted to upgrade when I have the money. Many models are made with one piece body tops and laminate sides and backs. ... To determine what the back and sides are constructed with you need to first look at the back of the guitar. Some guitar companies try to get away with using laminate on as high a priced guitar as they can. Several considerations will influence a buyer when deciding whether to buy a spruce top or a solid top guitar. My particular opinion (and the idea that Martin has used) is that the soundboard of a guitar, the top, should be a solid piece of tone wood, but you can use laminate/HPL to construct the back, sides, and even neck of the guitar to make the best of both. A lot has transpired through the years in the debate over acoustic guitars in the area of laminate versus solid wood construction. Do solid back n sides really make a difference? I can hear a difference, but this case where the Taylor and Blueridge models construction is so similar that difference all solid wood buys you tonally is very small. If you can find a vintage solid Brazilian rosewood backed guitar, you are a lucky man. A guitar over $300 should have a solid top with the back and sides made of laminate and a guitar under $300 is likely to be all laminate. While a Spinal Tap None-More-Black colour is popular, HPLs for guitar use will often have a wood-grain pattern printed onto that ‘decorative’ layer we mentioned earlier. The solid top and back really vibrate together for a satisfying sound, probably assisted by the body’s Mazner wedge, which is deeper than a dreadnought on the treble side and narrower on the bass side. I went to classical study as I got more serious about music, and I acquired a Cordoba with a solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, and, as you pointed out, the acoustic sound was harmonically rich, compared to the jazzbox. Laminate wood Top. It's really not a bad idea. The Carolina had much more sustain, more complex individual notes, more depth to its tone, and just an overall 3-dimensonal sound whereas the 000X1 has a more 2-dimensional sound. The main reason is cost- A luthier-made guitar may start at $3000 or more. Now I know that is not the case after seeing some ads for my guitar describing the back and sides as "laminated". have solid wood tops but laminate or composite back and sides. That said, just be wary of a guitar over $300 that has a laminate top. I've seen some with solid tops, but laminate sides and back, and then solid sides and back. It won’t lose sound — you can scratch that off your list of worries and start worrying about your sugar intake or something. Luthier-made guitars are all solid wood (all around) I only know of two luthiers in California that suggest . ... although I am feeling a little guilty about this decision since I Just Killed a Beater Guitar. Hey, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. There are $30,000 laminate guitars and $500 solid wood guitars, and both can sound great. But laminated wood is less prone to humidity and temperature changes. 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