Spruce top means laminated? (doubt about Ibanez V72E acoustic guitar).
- Thread starter Robatti
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EugeneSmasher
New member
Generally, for brands like Ibanez which make a wide range of guitars at a wide range of price levels, they'll state if it's solid wood. E.g. 'solid spruce top'. If they say 'select spruce top' or just 'spruce top', it refers to laminated woods.
It's different for high-end guitars such as Martins, Taylors and Gibsons as they predominantly use solid woods, so unless otherwise stated (e.g. Martin's 'high-pressure laminate', or HPL, in their lowest-end models) , for these brands it's solid wood by default. Then again these high-end brands would also tend to be more specific as to the variety of wood, so they use terms like 'sitka spruce', 'engelmann spruce', 'western red cedar', 'koa', etc. These are solid woods by default.
It's different for high-end guitars such as Martins, Taylors and Gibsons as they predominantly use solid woods, so unless otherwise stated (e.g. Martin's 'high-pressure laminate', or HPL, in their lowest-end models) , for these brands it's solid wood by default. Then again these high-end brands would also tend to be more specific as to the variety of wood, so they use terms like 'sitka spruce', 'engelmann spruce', 'western red cedar', 'koa', etc. These are solid woods by default.
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Spruce is a type of wood.
You can typically tell whether it is laminated or not by looking at the soundhole (if it is not bound). If it is laminated, you will see lines like a very compressed sandwich (like a kueh lapis). If it is a solid top, then you will the grain of the wood flowing across.
Typically, solid top guitars cost a bit more
relinquish69
New member
I've noticed brands like Yamaha and Ibanez have been making non solid top guitars ever since the 70s and they still sound good today.
I don't think a good sounding guitar should be based on specifically looking for a solid top guitar. Rather, we should be talking about which company produces a better constructed guitar for the price.
Ibanez makes good budget acoustics. I won't be too worried even if it's not a solid top model. I have tried many budget solid top guitars and they can still sound bad. Nothing to do with the strings, it's just the way how those guitars were built.
I don't think a good sounding guitar should be based on specifically looking for a solid top guitar. Rather, we should be talking about which company produces a better constructed guitar for the price.
Ibanez makes good budget acoustics. I won't be too worried even if it's not a solid top model. I have tried many budget solid top guitars and they can still sound bad. Nothing to do with the strings, it's just the way how those guitars were built.
EugeneSmasher
New member
To be honest, I've got a rather bad impression of Ibanez acoustics (except the Artwood series), they just look poorly made and sound dead to me. But of course I haven't played them in a long time so perhaps they've improved.
My Yamaha F310 isn't very well-made and it's a full-laminate but it's tone and playability - wow! I still think it's great even though I've got a supposedly better guitar with a solid-top. So I'm probably along the same line of thinking - good guitar is a good guitar, whether it be solid or laminate. A lot of people have the impression that laminate guitars are not good, and that you should get something with a solid-top at least. But to me, there are pros and cons of both.
I would love to get my hands on one of those 60s-70s Yamaha FG guitars. Probably sound much much better than my F310.
My Yamaha F310 isn't very well-made and it's a full-laminate but it's tone and playability - wow! I still think it's great even though I've got a supposedly better guitar with a solid-top. So I'm probably along the same line of thinking - good guitar is a good guitar, whether it be solid or laminate. A lot of people have the impression that laminate guitars are not good, and that you should get something with a solid-top at least. But to me, there are pros and cons of both.
I would love to get my hands on one of those 60s-70s Yamaha FG guitars. Probably sound much much better than my F310.
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