acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

[lex666]

Hey guys,

I'm kinda GASin' for this Taylor acoustic:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/prod...Auditorium-AcousticElectric-Guitar?sku=514497

My only hesitation is the "laminated" back and sides. How does laminated woods compare to solid woods? Is there a difference in tone or quality? Is the difference worth spending another $500+ for an all solid wood acoustic?

 

[millsart]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

Its neither a good nor bad thing. Theres plenty of excellent laminated wood guitars that sound amazing and theres plenty of allwood guitars that sound poor. Theres also plenty of laminated guitars that sound poor and solid wood that sound great mind you.

Point being it all comes down to the individual guitar

 

[fingerace]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

Hey guys,

I'm kinda GASin' for this Taylor acoustic:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/prod...Auditorium-AcousticElectric-Guitar?sku=514497

My only hesitation is the "laminated" back and sides. How does laminated woods compare to solid woods? Is there a difference in tone or quality? Is the difference worth spending another $500+ for an all solid wood acoustic?

I got into acoustics much more deeply and much sooner than I got into electrics....

IMO you can look at laminate wood as you look at a multi piece solid guitar body.

It's less resonant than solid but that of course doesn't mean that the guitar isn't a great player!

Go play it in a store, if it rings out as it should and the price is right then walk away with it.

 

[Bludave]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

There are pros and cons to both.

Solid wood guitars will usually resonate better than a laminated wood will. Thats the Pro

Solid woods are more prone to cracking due to the wood drying out. Thats the Con. This can be eliminated by keeping moisture available to the guitar if you live in a climate that is very low in humidity. Buy a Hygrometer and a dampit to keep with the guitar when you are not playing it. Laminated guitars are less likely going to have as many issues as a solid wood guitar will.

I own 11 acoustic guitars. Only one is a laminated guitar. A Takamine. I refer to this as my beach guitar. It definately does not sound as good as my solid wood guitars do, but it does not sound bad.

The main thing with an acoustic guitar is you really need to play it before you buy it. I have had many guitars in mind that I would have liked to buy, but after playing them I did not want to buy them. Then other guitars that I never would have considered played and sounded great and I woun up bringing a couple of those home.

When it comes to acoustics there are a lot of things to consider. What kind of player are you? Are you a strummer or a fingerpicker? This will affect what type of instrument will suit you better.

Small body guitars like 000 Martins or OM sized guitars are a personal favorite for me. They have a 1 3/4" wide nut width which makes finger style playing much easier. I tend to play more with the fingers than a pick when I play acoustic. The smaller body size is a lot easier to get a good sound out of the guitar without hitting it very hard.

A large guitar like a size D or a Jumbo may be a better choice if you are more of a strummer. A D or Jumbo you have to hit pretty hard to get a good sound out of, but they have usually a bigger voice than a small guitar.

The other issue is woods. Rosewood will give you a strong bottom. This can be helpful in a small body guitar because they tend to have less bottom than a bug guitar does. Mahogony has better balance from string to string, and is IMHO a better choice for a larger body guitar. This is not to say that a RW large guitar won't sound good, bit in a bigger body RW can be boomy. Mahogony will balance this out. MAple back and sides can be bright, but again it does depend on the body size. I used to have a Taylor that was Jumbo made from maple and it had a very well balanced tone. Small guitar made from maple tend to be very crisp and the response is very fast. I like Mahogony OM, 000 or Grand Concert size guitar. Some people feel mahogony is better suited for a big guitar, but it can be magical in a small guitar. A lot of slide players prefer mahogony becuase it has a quick mellow response to it. Very well balance from string to string.

Another consideration is top woods. Top woods most commonly are Spruce ( Sitka, German, and Adarondack ). The different species have a different type of grain and will affect the tone and response of the guitar. Cedar is also a nice top wood. Cedar is a much softer wood so you are going to have to be more careful in the string guage you use. A Heavy string could damage the top. Cedar is most commonly used in classical guitars. The woods of the fingerboard can also affect tone. A common combination is ebony on rosewood guitars and Rosewood onMahogony guitar. However there is no reason why you cound not have Ebony with Mahogony. I prefer the feel of rosewood, but I have several guitars that have ebony boards also. As I said there is a lot to consider. The key here is to take your time, play a lot of guitars and find the right guitar for you.

 

[lex666]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

Hey Bludave,

Thanks for your post, I found it very helpful.

Since your pretty knowledgeable about acoustic guitars, I'd like to get your opinion of the guitar I posted above, the Taylor 214CE and/or the 210CE. The olnly difference is the body shape.

Anyways, I'm currently playing a Martin D15 rosewood acoustic. Its a great solid wood guitar, but I wanted something with a cutaway. I mostly play using a pick, but lately I've been practicing my fingering more and getting more efficient at it. The lack of upper fret access has me GASin' for a new acoustic with a cutaway. I've always liked the sound of my rosewood Martin, I wouldn't change anything, except maybe a little of the boominess in the low end, which I compensate for by playing those lower strings more softly.

I've played other Taylors, like the 110 and the 310, but not the 210 series. They all felt great, especially the neck. The tone was right on.

Anyways, how do you think the 210's compare to the 110's and how do you suppose the different shapes and the cutaway contribute to the sound? Would the larger GA body be more boomy than the regular dreadnaught body? Even with the cutaway? Will the cutaway accentuate the highs? How would you guess its tone would compare to my Martin?

Anyways, I know I still have to get out there and try it. Trouble is finding the time and the right store...

Thanks!

 

[sgstrat]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

Cedar is also a nice top wood. Cedar is a much softer wood so you are going to have to be more careful in the string guage you use. A Heavy string could damage the top.

Another consideration is that a cedar top is much more easily overdriven than spruce. Unlike electric guitars where overdrive is our best friend, for acoustic guitars overdrive is not a good thing. Cedar tops tend to work better for fingerpickers while heavy strummers would be better off with a spruce top. Also, the softness of cedar makes it more susceptible to scratching and gouging.

 

[shaka]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

Usually I would say that solid everything is what you want However, I have played some laminated top guitars that sounded awesome. One was a Takamine that I bought back in the early nineties. It played and sounded great. However, it had one of the best recorded tones I've ever heard. For some reason it was incredibly smooth with great definition. I played a few other guitars of the same model and they were all consistently good sounding and playing.

My rule now is that if you play it and it floats your boat then it's a good guitar.

 

[caprae]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

Usually I would say that solid everything is what you want However, I have played some laminated top guitars that sounded awesome. One was a Takamine that I bought back in the early nineties. It played and sounded great. However, it had one of the best recorded tones I've ever heard. For some reason it was incredibly smooth with great definition. I played a few other guitars of the same model and they were all consistently good sounding and playing.

My rule now is that if you play it and it floats your boat then it's a good guitar.

+1

Isn't there a difference between laminated sides/back + solid top vs laminated sides/back + laminated top?

I've heard that laminated tops will sound the same for pretty much the life of the guitar vs a solid top mellowing.

 

[Bludave]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

Hey Bludave,

Thanks for your post, I found it very helpful.

Since your pretty knowledgeable about acoustic guitars, I'd like to get your opinion of the guitar I posted above, the Taylor 214CE and/or the 210CE. The olnly difference is the body shape.

Anyways, I'm currently playing a Martin D15 rosewood acoustic. Its a great solid wood guitar, but I wanted something with a cutaway. I mostly play using a pick, but lately I've been practicing my fingering more and getting more efficient at it. The lack of upper fret access has me GASin' for a new acoustic with a cutaway. I've always liked the sound of my rosewood Martin, I wouldn't change anything, except maybe a little of the boominess in the low end, which I compensate for by playing those lower strings more softly.

I've played other Taylors, like the 110 and the 310, but not the 210 series. They all felt great, especially the neck. The tone was right on.

Anyways, how do you think the 210's compare to the 110's and how do you suppose the different shapes and the cutaway contribute to the sound? Would the larger GA body be more boomy than the regular dreadnaught body? Even with the cutaway? Will the cutaway accentuate the highs? How would you guess its tone would compare to my Martin?

Anyways, I know I still have to get out there and try it. Trouble is finding the time and the right store...

Thanks!

I personally do not like cutaway guitars. I find that making the sound box smaller takes away some of its tone. So I would say don't get a cutaway. I am also not a big fan of Taylors. They are very well made guitars and very consistant, but I find them generally to bright. I tend to lean more in the direction of Martin styles. I know there are a lot of people who favor Taylors. I find that most of those people are electric guitar players. Taylors necks are usually very thin and easy to play. They are setup with very low action. These are all the things I avoid in acoustics. I like a "V" neck and I string my guitars with heavy strings and higher action. Acoustic guitars can have a huge sound with a heavier string, and with heavier strings higher action. It makes you work harder, but the sound is a lot better.

But don't take my opinions and preferences to the store. Go play a variety of guitars in different sizes, different tonewoods and different brands and see what works for you within the budget you are willing to spend. Guitars are like Women....... They are all beautiful in one way or another!!

 

[jmh151]

Re: acoustic guitar: laminated wood?

I would go and play the guitars first to see how you like them. I went to Guitar Center to looks at acoustics, and tonally, there wasn't a huge difference in tone and playability between some of the $300-$2000 acoustics. That's just my ear though. There were some imported spanish classical guitars- I forget what brand, but they were above $2400, and you could clearly hear a difference with resonance, tone, and harmonics on them...

I just bought a used Washburn- cost me $120- had a figured bubinga back and sides, spruce top, and it sounds heavenly. I think new they for for $350.

Maybe I have a dead ear, but it seems like more acoustic guitar manufacturers are not focusing on the tone of their guitars anymore, but rather, getting better acoustic pickup systems and onboard electronics on their guitars- so when the guitar is plugged in, you can hear a difference between a cheaper and more expensive acoustic. But unpugged, many of them sound the same (I'm not saying a mahogany back sounds like a roseweed back, but place 2 of the same wood guitars together, and it's hard to tell them apart)