• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Topic: laminated versus non laminated

If you surf on guitar sites, and you look closer, you can buy a BIG name, like Martin, using LAMINATED WOOD.
Question: IS THE SOUND a LOT DIFFERENT between 2 guitars, same brand, but one using laminated wood (lower price)?

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  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2007-02-08
  • Posts: 1,914

Re: laminated versus non laminated

The way it was explained to me is that 87% of you tone comes from the top, 10% from the back and 3% from the sides. Laminate backs  will have a noticably diffrent sound. the multiple layers of wood glued together restricts the vibration of the back. As far as how much of a diffrence it makes, Try this...Take one of your acoustics and hold it's back against  you and strum. Now strum it making sure the back is not touching you. Pretty big diffrence in sound huh... Of course there are several factors that define the tone of the guitar. A quality built laminate with a solid top and proper bracing will still out perform a cheap solid wood guitar. Also the thickness of the top, tightness of the grain, and even the type of neck joint comes into play. Usually a quality laminate guitar is also more stable and tends to hold it's tune better since solid woods are more prone to expansion and contraction due to temp and humidity changes. I have both and while I tend to favor my solid wood guitars I also have a '79 yairi that has laminate back and sides that will hold it's own with any solid one I have ever tried. I should probably also mention that there are diffrent grades of laminates. Some builders use a cheap plywood or luane and then just cover it with a laminate of better quality for the look. Other ,higher end laminates, tend to use a 3 ply system of solid woods glued together to form their laminates. The 3 ply system is by far better and according to some can even hold it's own when compared to similar solid back guitars. Hope that help shed a little light on the subject....Peace!

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  • Zurf
  • Zurf
  • Blunt but well meaning moderator
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  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2007-06-27
  • Posts: 7,522

Re: laminated versus non laminated

Martin makes a laminate guitar where even the neck is laminated (and gorgeous).  It's still a Martin.  Comfortable to hand, good tone, easy to play.  Compared to other guitars, even decent brand guitar brands, with solid tops in the same price range - I'd be surely tempted on the Martin. 

I think you can take a guitar being built of laminate as a CLUE about it's quality, but not as a sole defining factor.  A poorly built guitar made of low grade wood will not sound as good as a well made guitar of high grade laminate.  Comparing the laminate Martin (which costs about $450 American) to some Seagulls with solid spruce tops, the Martin still sounded better to me.  And Seagull's are well made guitars!  On the other hand, take a low-end laminate guitar like my Yamaha folk guitar (retails for about $150 American) and compare it to another low-end guitar with a solid top, and the sound from that solid top will ring out. 

- Zurf

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