|
|
Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 63
Location: Miami, FL | Okay Ovation Gurus,
I need a little help. I am looking at a 1755 Custom Ballader 12 string that looks like the top is a laminate. There is a clear distinction between the 2 sides of the top, and the woodgrain looks to be a little different.
Does Ovation make any of the USA guitars with laminate tops or is this an optical illusion?
Thanks
John |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Illusion. All USA made Ovations have solid tops. Doesn't mean that the two pieces are bookmatched tho'. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 63
Location: Miami, FL | Thanks Paul,
It does give it a nice look.
It reminds me a more contemporary version of the Pacemaker.
Thanks again. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | MOST US made Ovations have solid tops. Don't forget there are the panelmasters.
But to answer the question, there aren't laminated spruce looking tops. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 63
Location: Miami, FL | Okay, my ignorance is going to show now. What are panelmasters?
Thanks cwk2
John |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Hello John,
I didn't want this tread to go inactive before someone answered your question (we all seek knowledge!! ;) ) So I'll try to explain.....
....Panelmasters (coined by cwk2 I think) are any of the collector series guitar and others that use a "laminate" of an exotic/figured top wood(such as "Lacewood"('00),"African cherry"('02),"Waterfall Bubinga"('99),etc.)over a substrait of a different(lesser grade?)wood hence the reference to paneling or plywood instead of being a solid wood top!
Now just because they aren't solid tops it doesn't necessary mean they sound like a cheap import with a plywood top it just allows the use of some highly figured exotic woods that aren't great tonewoods to be used to produce some stunningly beautiful guitars!!
****
Does this help?
****
Mike :cool: |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | The 2002 collectors has an african cherry, with birch in the middle, african cherry top. It is a great sounding, and looking guitar. This laminated top sure doesn't bother me. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 63
Location: Miami, FL | Thanks Mike,
That helps out and makes sense.
Thanks again |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I thought I posted a reply but see it never made it to here. Must be a personal problem, well never mind.
There was one in there that was solid and Al can tell which it was, 01 redwood? maybe??
The panelmasters were the C-Series with the exotic looking tops. Yes it's ply, not solid. Because they're ply I think they all sound about the same acoustically (but that can be debated). Not that there's anything wrong with a ply top using this style of braces and sound holes, that grafito one uses the same too.
DJ came up with the term, we were talking about what the f@#&* we were going to do for the next collectors and he said he's go to home depot and check out the interior wall panneling section for ideas for the next model, hence panelmaster. (Actually he never went there, he was just being sarcastic. Figured we had to go there for new ideas, we'd used up all the others) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | The redwood ones are in fact solid.
...one day, I shall HAVE one of those!! |
|
| |
LaminateTops
