Jump to content

Laminate top vs. Solid Top Acoustic Guitars


lhvent

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Greetings,

 

I have been reading quite a bit these days regarding laminate top vs solid top acoustic guitars and I really can't tell that much difference on with the sound of my Washburn D9C, which has a laminate spruce top, and my Kona KG1CEN and KS12NE which are solid top tone wise.

 

Maybe my Washburn is just a bit better than the laminate models out there today. I am thinking of upgrading next year to a higher end acoustic and just wanted some thoughts.

 

Cheers,

 

Larry Harris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 92
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

This is probably going to run counter to everything everybody else will say, but having owned several examples of both (laminate and solid top) I believe that the difference is more in terms of volume and less in terms of tone. My experience with these has been that my solid top acoustics tend to be louder and boomier, but not necessarily better in terms of tone. Flame away...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Noone sez all lam tops sound like {censored}e. There are some nice ones out there

But in generql, lam tops lack the definition, the subtleness of a solid top. Also, while a solid top evolves over time, they stay as they are. Mightn't be too bad for a strummer, but will probably be less desireable for a picker.

If you are a cowboy-chord strummer, you might even frefer a lam top over a solid top. No harm doing so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

We've got several lam-top and several solid-top ones around here. Some are old (10+ years) and some are fairly new. I play them all. I honestly can't say any of them sound better than their brethren, only different.

 

I've played el-cheapo lam gits at GC and other stores and yeah, some sound purely awful, but I think this is more due to the woods they're made of, the thickness of the top, the bracing and overall construction. It's pretty obvious to all but the completely deaf that a all-lam Yammie sounds infinitely better than a all-lam First Act.

 

Bottom line is to play a lot of gits and take home the one that sings to your heart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Greetings,

I have been reading quite a bit these days regarding laminate top vs solid top acoustic guitars and I really can't tell that much difference on with the sound of my Washburn D9C, which has a laminate spruce top, and my Kona KG1CEN and KS12NE which are solid top tone wise.

Maybe my Washburn is just a bit better than the laminate models out there today. I am thinking of upgrading next year to a higher end acoustic and just wanted some thoughts.

Cheers,

Larry Harris

 

 

IMHO, a solid top has far more potential to sound better than a laminate top does, but a guitar having a solid top is no guarantee that it will sound better. It depends on how well designed and built the guitar is. Bracing, finish, wood quality, wood thickness, etc., have a lot to do with it.

 

Have you spent any time with any other better known solid topped guitars, like a Yamaha 700 series?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

katopp -- did you spill an irish coffee on your keyboard?
:lol:

 

No, I'm typing on the stupid onscreen keyboard of my iPad. Not too bad, when you take it nice and slow, but once you speed up, it's not the real thing. You have to conentrate very hard to hit just the right spot. So either I type v e r y slow and accurately or in my usual speed of 3-4 cps and less accurate...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Gee,

 

Thanks for all the comments. I guess I just need to concentrate on finding what sounds the best. I still like the sound of my Washburn D9C that from what I understand has a laminate top but boy does it sound good.

 

Cheers, Larry Harris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I have 4 guitars, a 1977 Yamaha FG340, an old (1982) Ovation Balladeer (campfire/beach guitar), a Martin HD35, and a custom built OM with a solid Sitka Spruce Bearclaw top. The best comparison is between the lammy Yamaha, and the HD35, there is a little more bass and volume in the Martin, but other than that the tone is practically identical, and the Yamaha seems more stable dimensionally than the Martin and stays in tune longer using the same strings. I can pick it up and just start playing, while I have to tweak the Martin a bit more. The OM, and the Ovation have different sounds entirely, so are not comparable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

No, I'm typing on the stupid onscreen keyboard of my iPad. Not too bad, when you take it nice and slow, but once you speed up, it's not the real thing. You have to conentrate very hard to hit just the right spot. So either I type v e r y slow and accurately or in my usual speed of 3-4 cps and less accurate...

 

Get a Blackberry.:), That said I've been looking for a guitar for my son and the Tak you have for sale would be nice, but the shipping would probably kill it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Get a Blackberry.
:)
, That said I've been looking for a guitar for my son and the Tak you have for sale would be nice, but the shipping would probably kill it.

 

The Tak IS nice, but iut receives no love anymore since I've got the custom build by Mr.Binh. And I fear that it will receive even less when the new custom by Binh has arrived. Solid Koa Jumbo, a mix of a Gibson SJ200 body with a nice cutaway and a Taylor'ish neck. Add a few handful of Paua-Abalone ... Mhhhmmm...

 

But unfortunately, guitars are bulky and expensive to ship....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've got three dreads that I play a lot. One is all solid, one has a solid top and the third one is all laminated. All of them sound very nice to me. The all laminated is an old Fender F-65 that I've had since it was new in 1981. One little ding on the headstock.....otherwise, still looks and plays as good as new. I just played it last night for about two hours. It has kicked some serious ass at a few bluegrass jams. It'll go to my grave with me.

 

So, regardless of what a lot of people think about all laminated guitars (or Fender acoustics either, for that matter), they're not all junk.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

This is probably going to run counter to everything everybody else will say, but having owned several examples of both (laminate and solid top) I believe that the difference is more in terms of volume and less in terms of tone. My experience with these has been that my solid top acoustics tend to be louder and boomier, but not necessarily better in terms of tone. Flame away...

 

 

You might be right. And probably more "sustain" as well. Perhaps that's why people feel it is a tone issue if the notes disappear quickly or sound dead. Of course as others have stated a well built laminate top guitar with good bracing can ring like a solid top. But I haven't run across too many of these. I see a significant difference between the yamaha F series and the FG series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

I guess I just need to concentrate on finding what sounds the best. I still like the sound of my Washburn D9C that from what I understand has a laminate top but boy does it sound good.

 

 

If you like the tone of your Washburn, then what it's made out of really doesn't matter. If you hang out in here too much, you'll come to convince yourself that anything less than a $3K all-solid-wood guitar is crap.

 

When you decide to upgrade, play some solid-tops in your price range for sure, but don't let materials be the deciding factor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

IMHO, a solid top has far more potential to sound better than a laminate top does, but a guitar having a solid top is no guarantee that it will sound better. It depends on how well designed and built the guitar is. Bracing, finish, wood quality, wood thickness, etc., have a lot to do with it.


 

 

yep... and doesnt a solid top guitar break in so to speak and sound much better over time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

yep... and doesnt a solid top guitar break in so to speak and sound much better over time?

 

 

Well, they sound different over time -- sometimes it's an improvement. Personally, I would buy a guitar based on the way it sounds at that moment rather than trying to predict how it might change a few years down the road. But yes, as noted elsewhere, a solid top has more potential to improve with age. But there are no guarantees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Well, they sound
different
over time -- sometimes it's an improvement. Personally,
I would buy a guitar based on the way it sounds at that moment rather than trying to predict how it might change a few years down the road
. But yes, as noted elsewhere, a solid top has more
potential
to improve with age. But there are no guarantees.

 

 

As well you should.

 

I've had good luck with a few vintage off brand guitars. The best sounding Acoustic I've heard to this day is a late 60s solid top Sigma. I keep trying to convince my friend to sell it to me but he wont. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

There are many laminated top guitars that sound very good - I happen to own one - and if you can find one that you like, buy it. However it is also a cost cutting measure and in most cases will not sound as good or age as well as a good solid top. An overbuilt solid wood guitar can also not sound good or age well - I had an old Martin that fell into that overbuilt classification until it got rodded.

 

It's kind of ironic that some of the leading experimentation in classical guitar construction are laminated tops, often with a layer of nomex or something similar sandwiched in. The idea is to build it as light and responsive as possible, but still maintaining strength. So here we have the laminated plywood cheapies and some of the top end guitars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...