Solid vs non-solid tonewood?

[bin4christ]

woa, crack open at the sides.. electric or acoustic?

 

[bin4christ]

woa, crack open at the sides.. electric or acoustic?

 

[Gr3y]

I've got a feeling amptones posted this because he have been to places like eg.. yamaha that have description paper that says solid alder body or places like maestro that states solid top guitar..

if i'm correct,
solid alder basically means its alder.It can be 2 4 blocks glued together but its still considered as solid alder.There isnt other wood involved thats y.. and what about a non solid alder? i suppose it refers to guitar that might only have alder top and back plyed with some other wood,eg basswood. Reason to do that? simple, basswood are cheaper den alder.. There are also chances you might see flame maple top with mahogany..Those aint combined due to price factors but instead matter of look and tone combinations.. maple are bright,mahogany have that great mid tone.. so you combine 2 optimize e best tone out of it..

if i'm correct,
acoutic guitars basically have 4 types
full laminated guitar - meaning all the top,side and back are made of laminated wood..
solid top guitars - meaning only the top is 1 complete piece of wood while e sides and back are laminated..
solid top and back guitars - i guess u are getting smart enuff to know..
full solid guitars

If you are asking me, acoustic's tone is very much determine by
1)bracing.. you may have a great J45 guitar but if the bracing is not well done, it is as good sounding as a laminated J45 copy..
2)the top.. yes, this is due to the top is the piece that actually vibrates e most and giving that unique sound only solid top guitars can produce.. solid wood have more resonance and thus able to bring out more den a laminated guitar which bounds to have impurities...
3)the back.. yes i dun even bother about the sides.. basically the side is the least to worry about in acoutic guitar because most of the time it doesnt really make much of a diff.. but of coz.. if possible, every1 would wanna go for a full solid.. since e point i mention in pointer 2..

So will diff kinda laminated wood makes a diff? yes it does..
Y? coz the top is still the real wood that is used.. just like maple top on mahogany electric will sound diff from a full mahogany electric..

if i'm correct,
Classical guitar are divided into only 2 categories
Solid and Laminated.
Laminated classical tends to produce the plastic sound and often lacking in bass response.. classical guitar are very unique instrument.. a slight different in bracing affects the tone in certain note.. so do make sure you play and play while deciding on a classical for every piece will have their own sweet spot and errors.. there are many design errors in classical, at least for my own eyes.. some have natural harmonics without e intention of doing it.. it juz rings.. some will only start to buzz on an open string when a note on another string is fretted.. Best is to ask the shop person if you are not sure..


So.. are laminated guitar better or solid?
for electric guitar, i say most of the time you would wanna go for your own preference.. cost some are very happy with basswood body while others may be a sucker for specific wood combination.. generally it should not have cracking problems as much as acoustic n classical would face..

for acoustic n classical, generally laminated guitars are much more durable den a solid top.. but it also comes with a general tone disadvantage.. the clear used to finish on a laminated are also generally thicker.. which hinders the tone from projecting in a way...

Oh if you are wondering about the necks.. are they solid? yes.. for at least i've yet seen any plywood neck... this is due to the tension forcing over the neck.. even e cheapest classical i've seen are made of nato, which are honderous mahogany.. of simply mahogany... there are other exotic kinda wood used too...

Hopefully it helps

Gr3y

 

[bin4christ]

grey, what if it's not a few hardwood combinations (ala les paul), but literally plywood, like those used to make skateboards, cabinets, etc?

 

[Gr3y]

bin4christ.. i dun get you.. haha.. really

but for amp, they are mostly made out of birch or ply.. and have you heard b4? Crate amps got that name because they literally made their products out of crate wood! haha.. not sure about now.. and not sure how true this was.. but those crate you see at industrial areas are actually great for amp building..not for guitar though..

 

[Crawldaddy]

Hmm.

The plywood guitars which I had seen cracking at the sides are electrics. The glue had basically dried up to a point that it was no longer adhering the wood together and that wood moisture had forced the plies to split apart, causing this huge crack at the side.. sometimes all around the edge of the body.

I would agree with Gr3y on the plywood acoustics, maybe just hope that your acoustic has a thinner finish?

 

[KayCee]

good quality ply is far more durable than a thin piece of solid wood. A two piece electric body is also less likely to warp than a one piece body. Look at the hi end bass makers, they op for multiple piece necks to create a stronger neck. It's a misconception that one piece is stronger. The reason why one piece is rarely used is, there are many inconsistencies in wood. It's easier to find 2 pieces of good wood and join them together to make a body.

 

[edder]

but kaycee... its all about the internet information available.

plywood = bad
solidwood = good

i really need to see you soon with another bro for nut jobs. we shall try to arrange soon.