Laminate guitars - What do they sound like?

[deepermagic]

In the latest Wood & Spring someone asked Bob about laminate and while I don't have it in front of me, the answer was quite good. The one thing that stuck with me was that he described the guitar woods like grapes for wine. With the solid bodies you are getting the depth and quality of a particular grape, and the laminate guitars can be viewed as a kind of blended wine.

[Earl]

I like that analogy.  Varietal grapes for specific wines (solid wood) and blends for "table wine" (laminate).  Good answer.

As previously said, I've had more than one really good guitar with laminated bodies of various woods.  As long as the top is a good piece of solid wood, it makes for a good guitar.

[Bernie]

There are different types of laminate woods...Sometimes it is more a way of building a guitar as to get a peculiar response....Gipsy Jazz guitars are usually made with laminate backs & sides, even very expensive instruments, sometimes worth up to $XXXX...Django Reinhardt's guitar, the original Selmer Maccaferri used laminate rosewood for back & sides it seems... I think that the sound cuts through the noise better : I would describe it as being sharper....These woods are stiffer from having three layers stuck together, and allow to use thinner back & sides : they seem more reactive, kind of quicker - if that makes sense...
So it's not always for the sake of saving money that laminate woods are being used...After a while you'd miss the depth of a good plain wood I think...

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[Stringband Eric]

Bernie - good point about the gypsy jazz guitars.  Also, and this may just be the one's I've seen, but some of the Epiphone guitars from the 1960's have laminates.  Had a 1965 Texan that had laminate sides.  Also seen 2 other ones from that time period that were the same. 

And don't forget the Guild D-25/D-4 models that have laminate, curved backs.

[Huw1952]

I bought a 210E about a year ago and have gigged with it quite often and love it. So much so, I have added a 110E to my collection as well - to spread the dings out a bit!!!  Last night was the first time I took the two out on the road. Acoustically they are very similar - it might just be the age, but the 210Es sound seems to come from deeper within the guitar - the 110E is more in your face. They both have the "ringing" trebles which I love. I was surprised though when I plugged them into our P.A. The 210E projected the ringing trebles as it does acoustically and I even have to turn the centre knob down. The 110E though has a "warmer" sound and however hard I tried I couldn't get the ringy tone of the 210E even turning the centre knob fully the other way - so a perfect combination really. A little strange there should be so much difference with the same pickup system. Anyway, they are both fantastic value for money.