Laminate top vs. Solid Top Acoustic Guitars

[poppytater]

IMHO, it's GPS-Guitar Price Syndrome. You pay more for a git , you Want it to sound better, you NEED for it to sound better than your $200 Yammie, therefore, to your ears, it does. I'm not talking about build quality or playability, just sound.

[Grant Harding]

 

Another asshole heard from.

 

 

Oh, my feelings!!!! Try growing a brain or learn to STFU n00b.

[Grant Harding]

 

Because 40+ year old laminates, are aged. ( NOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO! THEY CAN'T AGE! ONLY SOLID WOOD CAN AGE!!!!!!!!) Beg to differ. As do many others.

 

 

Yes - crap guitars do get better with time. Wish morons were the same...

[Nightwatchman9270]

If laminates sounded as good (full, loud, dynamic, whatever adjective you want to use) as all-wood guitars I would be the first on line to buy that laminate. But that just ain't the case. I'd love to hear some sound clips of a lami played next to an solid wood (brand name of your choice) under the same conditions to be proven wrong.

[poppytater]

 

If laminates sounded as good (full, loud, dynamic, whatever adjective you want to use) as all-wood guitars I would be the first on line to buy that laminate. But that just ain't the case. I'd love to hear some sound clips of a lami played next to an solid wood (brand name of your choice) under the same conditions to be proven wrong.

Here you go

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2644758-Poppy-won-t-leave-me-alone-so-here-are-13-guitars&highlight=

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2641392-Guitar-Sounds&highlight=

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2641905-Guitar-Sounds-now-with-MP3-and-less-hassle&highlight=

[Tartanlad]

If laminates sounded as good (full, loud, dynamic, whatever adjective you want to use) as all-wood guitars I would be the first on line to buy that laminate. But that just ain't the case. I'd love to hear some sound clips of a lami played next to an solid wood (brand name of your choice) under the same conditions to be proven wrong.

 

Yer Wroooong ^^

[Nightwatchman9270]

I will definitely check these out when I get a chance! That's pretty cool stuff, there.

[Hudman]

I prefer a solid top. They seem to be more responsive and offer a wider range of tones. Laminate tops tend to sound more compressed to my ears.

 

I owned a Yamaha laminate from the 1970's. It was an FG75. It was loud and punchy for it's size but sound a bit compressed and lacked a wide tonal spectrum. Was it nice? Yes. Was it equal to a solid top guitar of the same size? No, but the FG75 cost a lot less than a solid top guitar.

 

If laminate tops were as good as solid tops, you would see them selling for much more money and you would see a lot more of them. A well made laminate top guitar offers exceptional value and durability for the money.

[Chordchunker]

I just don`t see how glue and sawdust "ages"..

[Hudman]

 

I just don`t see how glue and sawdust "ages"..

 

 

I don't know anything about the aging process of a laminate guitar but I believe the old laminate Yamaha guitars sound great when they were new too.

 

That would explain why Yamaha sold so many of them and why people still want them today.

 

I think the current line of Yamaha FG (solid top / laminate sides) and F (all laminate) guitars will be viewed the same way in 20+ years. They are exceptional, budget friendly, high quality guitars. Will they sound better in 20 years? I don't know, but they sound great now.

[Neal]

This is almost like talking about the finer points of creating fine cuisine with a bunch of hamburger flippers from Burger King......

[Hudman]

This is almost like talking about the finer points of creating fine cuisine with a bunch of hamburger flippers from Burger King......

 

Nice comparison. Those Whoppers are freaking delicious but I would rather eat a New York strip steak.

[SpaceProg]

 

I just don`t see how glue and sawdust "ages"..

 

 

As far as I know, glue and sawdust isn't laminate. It's particle board.

[Neal]

 

As far as I know, glue and sawdust isn't laminate. It's particle board.

 

 

I believe he's talking about plywood in a general way. Glued thin sheets of veneer, meant to withstand heavy tolerance, most of the woods used aren't even instrument grade... yeah, I'd have to agree with the Chunker. They're adequate, and in some ways even desirable due to the price and the durability. But they won't really "get better" with age.

 

Sadly, there are a whole host of "solid wood" instruments being produced today that will fall below that category I'm sure. The fairly recent influx of cheap solid instruments from China, a few of which are made with the same care as our own top makers, just dictates that some of them are crap, and will continue to be crap as the years go by.

 

But none of the all plywood flat top guitars will hold their value, be as desirable, or have the sought after tone of the good maker's solid guitars. They will continue to be student/intermediate instruments marketed to those in that category, or those short of cash.

[SpaceProg]

I don't care if X guitar has a solid top or laminated, as long as it sounds good to me at that particular time. I'm not one to buy a guitar on what it may sound like in the future. A good lammy may not sound better with age, but it surely won't sound worse. Regardless of what kind you get, as long as it's the sound you like in the present, it's win/win.

[Neal]

 

I don't care if X guitar has a solid top or laminated, as long as it sounds good to me at that particular time . I'm not one to buy a guitar on what it may sound like in the future. A good lammy may not sound better with age, but it surely won't sound worse. Regardless of what kind you get, as long as it's the sound you like in the present , it's win/win.

 

Of course, that's your option.

[judep]

Well, the jury's still out on the claim that guitars "open up" with age, regardless of materials. It doesn't really matter that much to me either way. I have a Yamaha laminate that sounds very different compared with my Larrivee, both of which sound wonderful to my ears. Would I buy another laminate guitar? Yes, if I liked the sound it produced.

[SpaceProg]

Of course, that's your option.

Of course. Goes without saying, I thought.

[poppytater]

IMHO, it's GPS-Guitar Price Syndrome. You pay more for a git , you Want it to sound better, you NEED for it to sound better than your $200 Yammie, therefore, to your ears, it does. I'm not talking about build quality or playability, just sound.

This didn't come out right.^^ I'm no guitar expert, but i DO believe price affects perception..... in buying cheese-cars-wine-hookers and, from what I've seen here in those tests and observed in general... guitars too. What say you Neal?

[Neal]

This didn't come out right.^^ I'm no guitar expert, but i DO believe price affects perception..... in buying cheese-cars-wine-hookers and, from what I've seen here in those tests and observed in general... guitars too. What say you Neal?

 

Sure, a bit of price perception. When a guy pays his hard earned 500 bucks for a decent guitar, of course he will constantly compare it to the expensive Martin/Taylor/etc.. that his buddy has. And he'll usually think that it may be a LITTLE better, but not 1.5K much better. And the guy that pays his 2K for that expensive guitar may think the tone is monster, when it's good. Price does not equal great. We've all(?) had the opportunity to play some 3K-up guitars that were a bit underwhelming. But price can be a rough indication as to the quality of the instrument. I said CAN be, not IS.

 

I'm going to say something that may be offensive to some. If you are a strummer, you will be satisfied with the guitar that feels nice in your hands and is loud enough. Tone isn't that important, loudness is, and all decent guitars, as well as really expensive guitars, will sound good strummed if they're loud. It's those that branch off into different disciplines, fingerstyle, flatpicking, tapping, bottleneck, that you begin to see the difference in guitars, construction and tone. Can one settle with a nice Epiphone Masterbilt? Sure! I've had 2 AJ500-RCs. Really decent guitar! I could play those all day, and have! Did it compare to my Bourgeois OMC? No, but both are gone now. Did the Epi compare to an all mahogany '37 Martin 00-17(originally a "good" guitar) I've had for 20 years? Apples and oranges, I prefer the Martin, but that could be just loyalty or familiarity. Have any laminate guitars I've played (and in the last 35 years there's been maaaaany) been the same standard, sound/playability/construction, as the solid topped instruments I've owned?

 

I'd have to say no. Have some laminates been as decent as some of the solid topped I've played? Yeah. Could I live with 'em and be content? If I had a smaller budget, sure as hell could!

 

Having played the nicer instruments, I wouldn't be able to fool myself to imagine that the Yamaha/Epi/etc. laminate was the Martin/Bourgeois/Collings/etc. equivalent. Given the choice, with the type of music I play, and the style I use, I'll take a great guitar please.

 

There was an old Epiphone commercial from the '70s that I'll paraphrase:

 

"When you can't afford a great guitar, get a good one!"

...and there was a guy playing an FT-130 Caballero on the curb, goin' to town on it if I remember correct. I bought one, and they were right, all laminate, decent sound, great playability. I have one today. It does not compare, but it's a great student model, and fun to play some things on.

 

And wine.. I took a few wine classes, and use to sell wine in the '80s. There are truly some folks that CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE between Fine/Good/Mediocre/Poor wines. I can not. But I believe some can, few no doubt, but some.

 

So, winding it down, Yes Virginia Poppy, there is a Santa difference.

 

Hey, you asked....

[poppytater]

Thanks

[Neal]

Thanks

 

Don't lie to me, no one reads something as long and boring as that in 2 minutes!!

[poppytater]

Oh yeah

[poppytater]

I'd love to see a truly blind test featuring solid top and laminate top gits. Same player -same strings-same pick -same songs-same mic.Kujo's and katopp's tests were great , but we knew what was in their collection. No prior knowledge ofwhat was being played would make for an interesting test I think.

[guildfire]

I don't think most would be able to tell the difference in a blind test.