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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | I have been following the discusion about the koa top Elites being laminated. Why is this? Other guitar makers have koa instruments that have solid koa tops? Just wondering why Ovation has a laminated top on these guitars?.....Paul Hebert |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Apparantly the reason some of the exotic-topped Elites are laminated is for stability, highy figured non-traditional top woods such as Bubinga may not be strong enough in their native form. The only problem with Koa is that the highly-figured flamey stuff has a tendency to split when bent, which is hardly a factor when used for a top. I guess it has to be a price issue. The premium lumber is not cheap. Koa is pretty rare, it only grows in Hawaii. Stocks were decimated during the Ukulele boom of the 30's & again to a lesser degree in the 50's. In the 80's Koa-panneled kitchens were de riguer for Californian yuppies, so there's not a lot of good, stable, pretty Koa left for instrument makers. Builders & customers will pay top-dollar for highly figured Koa. No-one makes inexpensive Koa guitars. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | I resent that remark. I live in California and my kitchen was never done in koa. However my bathroom and the sides and top of my Toyota Camry are laminated in koa.
Get your facts straight! |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | "Laminated" seems to get a bad rap in general, and from what I understand, laminating actually makes a more consistant sounding and sturdy top. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Consistency and sturdiness are good qualities to have in a guitar, esspecially moderately priced instruments. However most people would aggree that a top made from solid timbers sounds "better" than a laminated top (Adamas zealots please be aware that we're talking wood here) and continues to develop as the guitar is played, which does not happen with laminates. Also if a solid top gets damaged it can usually be repaired succsesfully. You can pretty much forget reparing plywood. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | Paul T, as always thanks for the good information....Paul Hebert |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | The Hamer Mirage with the koa carved top is a great example of how good koa can be on a guitar. And they can be had on eBay for just about a song. |
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Why laminated Koa?
