solid top vs 100% solid components

[Newbie888]

For acoustics,

Does 100% solid make any difference in the long(15+yrs) and short-run compared to a just solid top?

thanks

[thinkgreen]

i don't really understand what your asking?

[Newbie888]

oops,

some acoustics have a solid top ONLY (the other components are NOT solid; perhaps they're woodchip)

i am comparing the above to one which has "all solid contruction"


my question is: what is the difference? I am only aware that solid tops mature better in long-run vs plywood tops. I have no idea regarding the all solid construction guitars.

thanks

[LPCustom72]

I have heard it said that a solid top makes a signfiicant difference whereas the back and sides also being solid only makes an incremental difference. An example is that some of the mid-range classical guitars by known makers can have laminated back and sides. Yairi guitars, whose Japanese maker was trained in Spain, has made many high end guitars with laminated back and sides. They have sounded as good to me as solid back and sides.

[thinkgreen]

i see now. im no expert and others can add a more scientific explanation. but here's my view, all woods have different sound/tone characteristics. and as wood matures it hardens and i believe it is this that makes the tone sound better with age, you wouldn't get this with a laminate/plywood as it is already in its finished state. im sure someone could better explane it and correct me where needed.

[bertzie]

With acoustics, every little variable can make a difference. Whether or not you will notice the difference is, well, a different story.

[hbucker]

I would stay away from "wood chip" construction...

If it isn't solid, it's a laminate. Kind of the guitar world's version of plywood, but a much better grade of plywood.

The top will give you most of the tone on any acoustic guitar. The shape of the body is also a major contributor. What the back and sides are made of also affects tone, but not as much, IMO, as the first two I mentioned.

Of course we can't rule out neck material, neck joint construction, bridge construction and material, nut, etc. But within the context of your question, the top and shape are more important (again, IMO) than what the back and sides are made of.

Over time, a 100% solid guitar will probably age better and sweeten more than one with only a solid top. Assuming both were in your price range and both sounded the way want them to sound, I'd go for the 100% solid. But as we all know,there are other factors to consider, price being one of them. Sound being the other.

I'd lean toward whichever sounds best to you now. Who knows what it will sound like in 15 years? Who knows if you'll even own it in 15 years? I can't recommend buying a guitar with hopes that it will become the guitar you want it to be more than a decade from now.

Good luck.

[4nd3h]

I've actually heard that a laminate top guitar ages beautifully also because of the way the wood settles or something.


Going off on a bit of a tangent, do they make laminate topped guitars with solid backs and sides?

[colchar]

Solid top with laminate back and sides is fine and many good manufacturers make them that way (my brand new Seagull has a solid cedar top with laminate wild cherry back and sides). Personally, I wouldn't buy one that doesn't have a solid top.

Here is some info from the Seagull website:

The Seagull Story

[TeleDog]

The top is maybe 80 to 90% of the tone, it gets better with age too provided you play it nicely. A laminated top may be a cost effective option for kids starting out and those looking for a guitar to take hiking and camping out. But the difference between a solid top and a laminated top, even if both have laminated sides, is dramatic.