The REAL Difference Between Laminate & All Solid Guitars | BLIND Comparison
Today we have the best example of the sound difference between a laminate back & sides vs an all solid body guitar! The Eastman PCH & E1D are almost identical with the back and sides being the only exception.
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00:00 – Intro
01:11 – Review
09:10 – Back to Back Tone Samples
10:39 – Conclusion
14:44 – Reveal
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Check out the full performance of “In The Sweet By And By” here:
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Originally posted by UCgToABlTkcQP-ojGXd1g1SA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGqrV6j2eT8
Compare a Cheap ass Mitchell guitar to the PCH. You will sell a lot of PCH's. hahaha
you are a good enough player that they both sound great
they sound alike
Great comparison
I have an old Taylor 210 with a laminated back and sides, that I've played for years. The back is an arched back with no bracing and I'm not sure they could build that guitar without the laminate. I have both solid wood and laminate back guitars and the primary difference is typically in the amount resonance. The solid wood is a little more resonate than laminated. Is it worth the extra money, probably not for the average player, but for someone who makes a living with their guitar, probably so. I have several with aged or torrified tops and I'd recommend spending a little extra to get one. They resonate beautifully. Tip: always clean those strings before you play. It will definitely make a difference.
I think laminates sound better than high pressure laminates, so far. A $450.00 Sigma/AMI guitar sounds better than an $800.00 Martin. HPL is more brittle and can shatter if it's dropped. Laminates are tougher, and HPL is unnaturally reflective. It is like countertop material, and sounds like plastic.
This was a great comparison video. I could reliably distinguish the E1D from the PCH, BUT, it was subtle (at least on my earphones). Here in the UK, the price difference is about £150 instore, which is a lot in that price bracket, but really not that much (latte is £4 a go). Few things. Your discussion of the use of 'mahogany (etc)' to mean 'laminate mahogany' is spot on. So irritating for the experienced buyer to have to check: so deceptive for the inexperienced buyer who does not know to check. A sold back sould always beat at laminate. Boutique shops and single handers either favour reflector or resonator backs. WIth a reclector, the glue between the laminates muffles the reflection; with a resonator, the glue constricts the resonation. The big question is how much that contributes to the overall sound, given that the top makes most of the tonal contribution. A lot of it is down to construction. I've heard a lot of solid top acoustics that were dogs, but rarely an all solid one that wasn't at least acceptable. I also have an all carbon fibre guitar that stands up well against my Martins and Collings. Finally, I have a background in experimental psychology – fact is, you knew what guitars you were playing, and might make you play them differently without even realising it. That alone could account for the difference in sound. Anyway, the all solid was better …
Wow, not at all as big a difference as I thought it would be, especially with your saying that this video should be showing us the biggest difference out of most your videos, oddly enough, I am hearing more differences between the woods, even the rosewoods, than I am hearing in this video, between laminated and solid.
A seems to be a little sharper and B seems a little muted – so I'd guess A is solid and B is laminate – will find out at the end
Great Job told us EVERYTHING BUT WHICH GUITAR WAS WHICH ?
Numbskulls
There is nothing wrong with a QUALITY laminate guitar, i.e. well put together with a solid wood top. I have a pair of Martin DM's that sound fantastic. Loud, punchy, and beautiful intonation. The biggest difference I would note between them and my D-18 or D-28 is balance. The higher end guitars have a much more balanced tone with a great degree of smoothness. The DM's are bright; the tenor strings stand out more than the bass which is OK. If I am going to play a gig somewhere, I usually grab one of the DM's as I'm into those for about $750 bucks each compared to my D-28 which has been appraised at about $4000. If somebody steps on the DM, I'll be upset but not as much as I would if I lost my D-28 or D-18. If you're learning to play, just do yourself a favor and save up a few extra bucks and buy a halfway decent guitar that has decent action so you don't kill your fingers and has good tone so you'll enjoy playing it.
A laminated top guitar does not change tone over time like a solid top that can improve over time. At least that's what I have heard and it seems to make sense plywood is more stable
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Don't know if this was mentioned in the comments section but, didn't hear it in the descriptions of laminate vs solid. Many times the manufacturer will use the word "select" (example, select spruce top) to describe a laminate top.
skateboards are 7 layers of maple flipping the grain direction each piece. and being a skater myself. more so retired but still skate around here and there i know how durable they are. i have a alvarez from the early 2000's thats a solid spruce top with laminate rosewood back and sides and it sounds amazing and plays amazing. the top is the most important part and is where most of thje sound comes from.
Not all laminate construction is equal.
I’ve just picked up a vintage Saxon Japanese copy of a Gibson Dove it’s all laminated, top back sides, but I can’t work it out, it blows the socks off every high end Gibson and Martin I own.
Can’t get my head around it, cost me £70 ????
For an acoustic the sound depends on multiple factors: selection of wood for the top, cut/thickness of the top, and also important bracing. Most will agree that a solid top gives better results , however i strongly doubt that many (if any) people could consistently tell the difference between solid and laminate back and sides, given that the rest of the guitar were equal
All of that, and they don't tell which is which. Come on Guys, you can do better than that.
Sound is subjective, I have had expensive all wood guitars that sounded so so. Ive had so-called cheap guitars, which sound great. Thats why it much better to play they beforehand. I just bought a martin om all wood guitar from Sweetwater. So hears hoping it sounds and plays good.
Aren't drum shells made of layers? Often times different woods. Mmmm it's a instrument
Was hoping you would cover the more specific HPL high pressure laminate as used by Martin etc.
IMHO guitar A sounded better via the limits of my internet, I pad and quality stereo blue tooth headphones.
Ive just picked up a brand new E1d to go with my e10d-tc. Im struck by the top on the E1d as i was expecting it to be a much lighter colour than the thermo cured top on my e10d-tc but its the same darker tint. Its a 2024 built e1d so is there a possibility it has an unspecified thermo cured top?. It sounds fantastic and is louder than my e10d-tc!
Maybe if I were in the same room, I could hear a difference, but I couldn't really over a high fidelity digital speaker set attached to my computer. Having said that, I'm getting old and am pretty far along on my guitar playing journey. I only buy solid wood instruments now and one of my favorite guitars is a 2012 Eastman.
I totally agree with you!!! I have about a 30% hearing loss in both ears, and yet, I still prefer the sound of an all-wood guitar.
i would bet guitar A was the all solid wood
If I only heard the video I would’ve thought it was Alex jones doing the comparison!! ???? nice video.
Jeremy said it
As beginner playability is what is most important and yes it should have good tone. But the name on the headstock is a vanity purchase until you can actually play because you will not use the instrument to its abilities.
I would like to see a comparison of eg Yamaha FG830 vs Eastman comparable guitar.
Of the guitars at just under $2000 at guitar center hands down the best one in sound and playability was Taylor 214ce Dbx ziricote. Solid top, laminated bottom and sides.
I love your videos. Thank you.
Glad I picked out the solid wood ????
I guess I missed which guitar was A and B.
My Martin 000-x hangs with my D15, 000-17, and 0012-28. It separates itself as “good” with finger pluck blues. Best thing: campfires, beach sand, sweat, sun lotion, gig bags, etc… she just doesn’t give a shit… and neither do I. After a shower, when the sun goes down, and I’m on porch with a humidified hard case nearby – Martin, Furch, Huss & Dalton – all solid, all the time.
Alvarez Yairi makes top-tier guitars with laminate sides and backs and they also command a premium price these days – more than many of the Chinese built all solid wood guitars. One of the big advantages of having laminate sides is you do not have to worry so much about bumps or keys in your pocket creating a crack in the sides – laminates are much more durable. My all solid wood Martin D-18 completely blows away all of my other guitars (as it should) but my Yairi would be more suitable for the usual playing out at open mics and casual gigs.
There is absolutely no excuse these days for not getting a solid-topped guitar these days! I just bought a brand new Mitchell travel guitar at Guitar Center for my 4-year old grandkid. I paid $125 at Guitar Center and it came with a solid spruce top! This was unheard of back in the 70s when I first started playing guitar. Back then, my parents bought me an entry-level Epiphone with a laminate top for right about the same price and you had to get into the $300-400 range (1970s money) to get anything with a solid top.
Tone is as subjective as looks in a potential partner. It’s the top. The pch has a thermo top and I believe the solid back and sides doesn’t. If I remember the specs I could be wrong. But really good bracing and a good top means more than back and sides.
I would say the biggest improvement in sound in any acoustic is hide glue versus the prominent tight bond glue.
I play bourgeois, Martins, Huss dalton, Collings, and Taylor. I bought a pch1d laugh, but it’s my travel to the fireside cabin anywhere guitar. It’s a freaking stellar guitar for 349.99 plus tax. And I mean stellar. I didn’t want the responsibility of solid wood in a take around guitar. Plus I’m pretty sure it has a thermo cured top. It’s light and sounds good.
The difference is not in the woods but the craftsmanship used when making the guitar. I've collected and sold guitars for over twenty years. The discernable difference is never solely dependent on laminate or solid woods but ???? dependent on who made the guitar and what bracing and craftsmanship went in to creating it.
Thanks for the video. K Yairi guitars are known for their very high quality laminate back and sides. But as a rule yep all solid all the way!
The all wood one sounded a bit like if you opened the door or the store behind which the laminated one was played, and with not only a wider range of frequencies, clearer, but a deeper sound too …
Although the laminated one can be played without any shame, nice for beginers, and may be usefull in certain circumstances for not beginers too.
Thanks for the comparison, a bit late considering this video was done years ago :).
I prefered B haha sounded closer to how i would Eq it in a mix.
No contest. All solid sounds way better.
They're calling some tops solid now and some are not one piece off wood….they're solidly wood. Some of the woody vintage guitars don't have a lot of the full round overtones….you couldn't tell the difference between an old martin and a new laminate.
I have an old laminate flamenco guitar that is extra light because of the lamination, vibration last longer. My solid wood guitars are more beautiful and louder. But did not have the sustained vibration as my laminated light weight guitar. A beautiful laminated guitar can also cost more than a solid. Forget everything Solid or laminated. The real test of sound and Vibration truly depends on a guitar that has been played more. The more you play any guitar, the more that sound wave will force the wood to resonate the unseen barriers inside the Wood. Solid wood is always better in time. But a laminated guitar that is always played, will Win, not only in sound, but will last longer and hold up better to climatic changes to Weather. A well seasoned Luthier, can produce a superior laminated and even more beautiful guitar, than the Solid Wood counterpart. The interior bracings, Sound board, laminated or Solid. all depends on construction inside the guitar. The newness on strings and a well lacquered guitar, is the Key, not Laminated or Solids Woods. For my taste, for Superiority, I would rather pay more for a laminated than the Solids. I own over 300 guitar made from the best Luthiers, and I know the Difference. Some of my most expensive guitars and more beautiful looking one's, believe me, were laminated.
Given that Jeremiah is a profit, his friendship with Jonathan has kept him more alive than a warrior friend like David????????.
I wont say your conclusion about solid vs laminated is wrong, but I'll say your reasoning is unconvincing.
All laminates are not the same.
Today, we think of "plywood" as a cost-saving alternative to solid wood that was enabled by factory machinery and automation.
But plywood was used by craftsmen from the first time creative cabinetmakers needed flat, strong, stable surfaces. Imagine a cabinetmaker of old realizing the structural and stability advantages of laid-up layers of wood oriented in different directions. They actually made their own plywood slicing their own thin strips by hand.
Today, we think of plywood as an off-the-shelf manufactured comodity product, but that isn't necessarily so. For the purposes of musical instruments, there's no reason that layered laminates might be engineered-to-purpose in such a way that it might improve the end product's function.
Is that the case? I don't know. But you didnt make a good case that all laminate guitar tops are just cost-saving, off the shelf plywood.????
Love you guys. B sounded a little more muffled. What is the tune you’re playing ? I wanna spend three years learning how to play it like you guys. ????
The laminate sounded like it has a wet rag in it compared to the solid wood version
I got a Yamaha apx300 exotic wood and it sustains longer than my Cort solid top…. How do they manage that?
Laminate sides and back and solid tops guitars are fine for 90% of players and it saves them more than a few bucks. if you're a professional or just have the money, then definitely get the solid wood guitar.
The only difference between laminate and solid, let me say the only difference that really counts. Solid wood sounds better with age, laminate never changes.