Laminated Solid Body Guitar

To start i will give a brief summery of solid vs.

Laminated solid body guitar. Laminates are built to last. And to think when i started playing the affordable guitars all had ply bodies which meant that i never looked back when i was able to afford solid wood of course they re all solid wood these days. That means the top back and sides are all made from solid wood components. Most of the guitar s body is made with laminate wood to keep the cost down while its soundboard is made with solid tonewood for a richer resonance.

Solid wood is not cheap. In fact when buying a budget guitar be leery of a solid top. I never thought of it like that. If you are looking at purchasing your first guitar or are on a budget you probably have come across the term layered or laminate body.

I know laminates are used frequently in hollow and semi hollow body guitars as well as acoustics and that pickups do make a difference in the amplified result but what i am interested to know how much a laminated woord plywood body would influence the acoustic sound of a solid body electric telecaster les paul etc. This discussion is strictly about amplified guitars and the effects of solid versus laminate woods in hollow body electric guitars. Companies like gibson epiphone etc purchase laminate sin. A major difference between laminate and solid wood guitars involves how the tonewood is sourced and processed.

May 23 2018 at 1 13 pm one thing that isn t mentioned is that all laminates are not alike at all. In an effort to offer customers other more affordable options many builders also make guitars featuring laminate back and sides. Using solid wood for the top is still preferred by most builders because the top plays a major role in translating the initial energy of vibrating guitar strings into rich acoustic sound. The laminate wood s climate resistant features boost the durability of a solid top acoustic guitar s body making it a resilient product with an awesome sound.

Where lower end builds tend to require less refined and at times questionably sourced wood variations today s boutique flat top guitar builders rely exclusively on the most resonant cuts of solid wood. Laminate back and sides. Only to find that. Fighting a carved top l5 on a gig is not fun.

Laminated hollow body guitars feed back less. An if acoustic guitar have a laminate body with a solid spruce top will solid spruce top age over years i been playing acoustic for 20 something years like you. Chances are the wood was poorly chosen poorly aged and poorly handled. This subject seems to come up from time to time on guitar discussion boards and has been talked about for decades among guitarists.

As a general rule any instrument under 199 is likely to be layered laminate.