Laminate top vs. Solid Top Acoustic Guitars

[acousticdepot]

 

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.

 

 

I think there would need to be more parameters. All the same size (dreads?), all the same manufacturer? After all the best laminate top guitar is going to sound better then the worst solid top guitar. The demo songs should be played without a capo. I think a capo would be advantagous to laminate top guitars as would songs that are all bar chords. The solid top guitar is going to shine when it comes to volume and sustain which would be more noticable on open strings and notes that are allowed to ring for a period of time.

 

Gentlemen ... start your engines.

[poppytater]

I agree all dreads-but mix up the brands

[Grant Harding]

It seems a shame that companies like Santa Cruz only use solid woods, when they could be getting that same or better sound from their guitars if they used plywood. I guess some delusional plywood lovers could believe these companies are just using solid woods for their marketing value. Such a conspiracy! I can't believe that guys like Tommy Emmanuel don't use laminate guitars.

 

Call it what it is - you can't make a solid wood guitar sound any better than a laminate. That's understandable, but you won't find one in the hands of a master.

[FretFiend.]

A poorly built solid top guitar may not sound any better than a laminate top guitar... buuuut.

 

A laminate top guitar will never sound better than a well built solid top guitar.

 

It's a fact of life. Get over it.

[SpaceProg]

Imagining the above post being delivered by R. Lee Ermey in Full Drill-Sergeant fashion has convinced me once and for all. Lammies are crap.

 

 

[Neal]

Imagining the above post being delivered by R. Lee Ermey in Full Drill-Sergeant fashion has convinced me once and for all. Lammies are crap.

 

Damn right. Although I believe koiwoi was just tongue-in-cheek there...

 

Good post FF. Said in a very few words what I put the other readers to sleep with!! ( if they read at all..Guildfire didn't, and I'm hurt to the core.)

[SpaceProg]

Koiwoi?

 

I read them. I still like both types of guitars, but I understand what the yay and nay sayers are saying.

[Neal]

 

Koiwoi? I read them. I still like both types of guitars, but I understand what the yay and nay sayers are saying.

 

 

That was the one right before FF, I was just sayin'. And I agree with your assessment. What's not to like about something that plays music and inspires you to play, whether laminate or not? It's a tempest in a teapot, this thread.

 

What sort of bugs me.. if I may.. are the guys on certain forums that have an arsenal of Collings, Martins, Bourgeios, Small builder this, small builder that, who will expound on the tonal qualities of their chosen guitarS (capital S) and yet... no mp3, no youtube.. collectors. Or the gang that finally learn a progression that bust out and buy that expensive guitar.. for what?! Idunno.. learn about it, play it, fock the "chasing of the tone" until you got your chops. Get a "good" guitar, which the folks on this fine forum will advise you on, and if that Collings/etc. YOU'VE PLAYED sings to you, then get it.

 

But if you still are wondering, after you've played that Collings/etc., that it's really not 2K different than your laminate well made Yamaha, then wait awhile until you know and can tell.

 

Anyone practice playing guitar? I mean really practice? Takes time to get things right, doesn't it? Patience really IS a virtue, and virtue is a grace, put the two together..... go ahead, finish it! Goes along with what we're talking about here.

[SpaceProg]

Just give me an acoustic with nice sound, action, and a good neck. So far I've only found all three in my old 84 pawnshop Ibanez AE. Though I can adapt to pretty much whatever as long as the neck isn't too wide (Smallish hands).

 

... Oh, the 84 Ibby and a particular Martin Smartwood that I didn't have the money to buy at that time. Our paths shall cross again, Smartwood... Someday, sometime... I know it.

 

Maybe my ear is just crap, but I can find some sort of redeeming factor out of just about any guitar. Just about.

[Neal]

Playability is first on my list. Mainly because, like you, my ear is crap too.

[Tumbao]

There is no art to a great sounding acoustic, it's hit or miss. You can build your own guitars with the finest of materials and find that only a small percentage of the guitars sound good. Solid guitars tend to sound better with age but it's not always the case. For this reason, I would never build my own acoustic or have one build. I would rather try out guitars until I found the sound that I like.

[Hudman]

 

There is no art to a great sounding acoustic, it's hit or miss. You can build your own guitars with the finest of materials and find that only a small percentage of the guitars sound good. Solid guitars tend to sound better with age but it's not always the case. For this reason, I would never build my own acoustic or have one build. I would rather try out guitars until I found the sound that I like.

 

 

There is an art to a great sounding acoustic guitar.

 

Many people (and companies) have mastered the art to a point where the majority of their guitars sound the way they intended them to sound.

[Tartanlad]

 

There is no art to a great sounding acoustic, it's hit or miss. You can build your own guitars with the finest of materials and find that only a small percentage of the guitars sound good. Solid guitars tend to sound better with age but it's not always the case. For this reason, I would never build my own acoustic or have one build. I would rather try out guitars until I found the sound that I like.

 

 

Totally agree with the ^^ poster well sais ..

[Neal]

 

Totally agree with the ^^ poster well sais ..

 

 

I'll go with Hudman. There certainly is an art to constructing a great sounding acoustic. Kinda like saying there is no art to constructing a Maserati, they're hit and miss.

[FretFiend.]

 

There is no art to a great sounding acoustic, it's hit or miss. You can build your own guitars with the finest of materials and find that only a small percentage of the guitars sound good. Solid guitars tend to sound better with age but it's not always the case. For this reason, I would never build my own acoustic or have one build. I would rather try out guitars until I found the sound that I like.

 

 

Take a Martin, say, a D-28, any Martin D-28, or maybe a Collings D2H, any Collings D2H, for example. For every person who claims that one particular guitar of this caliber is a dud, there will be at least a hundred other people who will say it sounds great.

 

Can the same be said for a Yammie Lammie?

 

If you are looking for a great sounding guitar, the odds favor the higher end guitars.

[Tartanlad]

I would never build my own acoustic or have one build. I would rather try out guitars until I found the sound that I like.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Neal,

 

The above part of the post ^^ is what i really think sounds right to me anyhow

 

Because you can either get a guitar built for you and it may not sound quite so gd as you wanted ive met a cple of people whom later sais to me they wasted their time

 

sending away to get a guitar hand-made when they easily shouldve sais looking back

walked into a cple of different stores and tried several high end Martin / Taylors / Guilds / and Moon Guitars out and then picked the one which wouldve been much better

than sending away to a foreign country to get back what wasnt as nice sounding as any of the above..to late once they have yer money

we all live and learn by our own mistakes in life

[Neal]

Oh heck Stevie, I can understand that line of thought. Nuttin' wrong with that. It's the rest that's.. well, bull{censored}. I sent to the Island of Scotland once for an octave mandolin made by a fellow there, who's name I shall keep to myself. However, he was a decent price, had some following, and the gentleman was a gentleman. He's retired now I believe. Anyway, got it and it was very mediocre. Sold it at a loss, but learned that if you want to play that game of getting a custom, you'd best do some research. Haven't been disappointed since.. well once, but it was a slight cosmetic, sent it back and if I'd kept it, a mandolin, I could have made some good bucks reselling it.

 

Live and learn. But luthiery is an art, make no mistake about it. The chance of getting a good Martin, Taylor, etc.. is rather high, and getting a good Collings, Bourgeois, etc.. is pretty much a guarantee.

[Samilyn]

 

There is an art to a great sounding acoustic guitar. Many people (and companies) have mastered the art to a point where the majority of their guitars sound the way they intended them to sound.

 

 

This ^

[bigald18]

Buying an acoustic guitar has many constraints. BUDGET, playability, tone preferences, etc. If budget is a problem then lammie is the way to go. You can get a good sound with a laminated top done right - not implying that it will sound as good as a well made solid wood top guitar, but it can have a very acceptable tone for a very acceptable price. Comparing an all laminate guitar to an all solid wood guitar is comparing apples to oranges. They are two different animals made for two decidededly different preference levels. My own personal preference is for solid wood, but I have owned a Yammie LJ6 with a solid spruce top and laminated rosewood sides. I liked the tone of it but it still didn't have the sound of a solid rosewood b&s guitar.

 

BigAl