solid top guitar?

[teoze]

hello! some questions to ask. just wondering if there's a way to differentiate solid top guitars from non-solid top guitars by just looking at it ? how do you do that?? or must you hear the sound to hear the difference??

what about the sound difference? is it possible that a non-solid top guitar would sound better than a solid top guitar? (other than CAs, that is)

thanks!

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Yes, good laminate tops can sound better than not-so-good solid tops. I tried several guitars yesterday and despite hoping for a solid-top, I chose the laminate-top SGT120 by Ibanez because it sounded and played excellently. Didn't even require setup.

So yeah, use your ears and fingers as a gauge. Tone, playability, overall whether you like the guitar. You might wanna test the tuners, inspect the guitar and decide from there. Do not base superiority on solid-top versus laminate top...

And yes, I could easily afford some of the solid-tops there. :mrgreen:

 

[theunknown]

BETTER is very subjective. some like some dont. ok i have no idea myself on the topic so i shall wait and see. hee hee

 

[naviros]

solid tops require a more extended auditioning. even guitars of the same model and make can sound so varied.

i find that laminates generally have a very even quality throughout the batch. but solid tops imho are worth the price (if somehow or another you're lucky to find the flower within the forest.)

 

[teoze]

thanks for replying! is it true that playing solid top guitar for a period of time, the sound will 'open up' ?

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Yes, it opens up over time so the tone gradually gets nicer and nicer. But the thing with solid woods is, you gotta take better care of them then with laminate woods because solid woods are more susceptible to moisture and warping. But methinks a single silica gel pack placed into the guitar should prevent anything bad from happening.

If I'm not wrong Taylors are known to be pretty resistant to humidity despite being all-solid.

 

[Caustic_30]

To answer your original question, It's pretty simple actually. Look at the sound hole area. The way that the grain flows around it should match the grains you see.

Another way it to look at the grain ON top, and then match it with the grain inside. You might need a mirror inserted into the guts of the guitar to see if it matches.

RE opening up, it's definitely true. I've read somewhere that they actually put guitars infront of radios cranked up so as to "season" the wood and help the tone open up faster.

Nothing beats practising on it though, IMHO.