|
|
Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 288
Location: New Hampshire, USA | Originally posted by bauerhillboy:
That's true to a point. Some laminated tops are better than others. Seagull, for instance, uses 3 ply cherry for tops. It's all good wood to start, and the "plywood" is well-made. If you look at an Indiana guitar, or the famed Esteban guitar, the plys are made of junk wood. That makes sense. But if we stay within the realm of Ovation laminates only, whatever wood makes up the outside surface probably isn't going to affect the sound that much, correct? It will either be a good sounding laminate or a bad sounding laminate, for reasons other than the species of wood on the surface.
So the ratio of good/bad Koa laminates shouldn't be any different than the ratio of good/bad spruce laminates for instance. The challenge will to find one of the good ones. :) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Every guitar is like a snowflake ... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | . . avoid the yellow ones. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE |  |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2008
Posts: 22
Location: Rocheter, MN | In my (admittedly limited) experience, lams can sometimes be *better* than solid tops if you're going through an amp. You get weird harmonics when you have a loud soundboard along with your amplified sound; a lam top tends not to project as much, which is actually better in an amplified setting. For pure acoustic sound, though, solid tops are definitely the way to go.
I know there are lots of partisans in terms of tonewoods. Some won't go with anything but spruce (and some even want a specific *kind* of spruce), while others prefer other stuff like cedar or even mahogany. Many players prefer graphite tops to wooden tops.
However, I've discovered that while many players will obsess over which top is best suited to their style of playing, they don't pay enough attention to the *strings*! Bad strings make even a good guitar sound lousy, and my first advice to people playing guitars in stores is to make sure that the strings have been replaced recently. (GuitarCenter guitars are notorious for having dead strings, which many people interpret as a bad instrument.) A good set of D'Addarios or Black Diamonds can make all the difference in the world to the sound you get out of your guitar. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 288
Location: New Hampshire, USA | Very informative, mrmanley - thanks! |
|
| |
School me about Koa...
