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Acoustic myths and legends (Reply to this comment)
by baldybeano
My thoughts on the myths surrounding laminated vs solid wood acoustics and that very touchy subject: American vs foreign made acoustics. I've been a guitar player (former professional) for over 40 years now and I own both laminated and solid wood acoustics, foreign and domestically made. The quality of foreign made acoustics has increased dramatically in I'd say the last 15 years or so (Japan started earlier) due to the introduction of computerized manufacturing equipment and aggressive training programs resulting in a highly skilled workforce. Japan's quality took a giant leap during the mid 70's and many guitars, both electric and acoustic, from that time are highly prized today by many players including many famous guitarists, American guitar endorsements not withstanding. Now, the rest of the world is following suit. First Taiwan, then Korea, then Indonesia and now China are making excellent quality acoustics. Many American companies are taking advantage of this by having at least part of their product lines made overseas. Gibson has gone so far as to open their own factory in China to make their Epiphone line of guitars for import to the US. I won't walk on the thin ice of opinions regarding tonewoods as that subject can take on religious fervor among many guitarists and collectors, but I will say I think the quality of materials in foreign made acoustics is excellent, as well as their construction. I'm sure the American companies must think so, too, or they wouldn't be outsourcing some of their guitar manufacture to these companies. That being said, laminated wood for guitar construction has also advanced dramatically. I purchased an all-laminated wood acoustic (I won't mention the brand) recently that sounded as good (maybe better?) as a US made (no names mentioned again) all solid wood guitar it was modeled after. Not trusting my judgement, I had others take a blind test with the same guitars and no one could tell which brand was being played. So, in essence, a laminated wood guitar doesn't mean inferior any more. Mine is around 10 years old now and the tone has improved with age, despite opinions to the contrary about a laminate guitars sound not improving as they get older. Yes, solid wood guitars do sound wonderful (I own a 1958 Gibson J50) but laminated wood construction has improved and evolved to the point where they can hold their own with solid wood guitars in both projection and richness of sound and they age just as beautifully. The fact that they require less intensive care regarding temperature and humidity than a solid wood guitar is an added plus. Dwindling tone wood resources may make laminated wood guitars the standard for the future, who knows? I'd say don't avoid laminated wood acoustics or foreign made acoustics when shopping for a guitar. Try them all and decide what plays and sounds good to you. Avoid taking the headstock brand into account when making your final judgement. I'm as loyal an American as anyone out there, even when it comes to guitars, but you can't walk through life with blinders on. We're all in a global economy now and shunning foreign made guitars because of their origin is just plain stupid, to be blunt. The quality and craftsmanship has reached custom-built levels so that now even a beginner or someone on a tight budget can get a professional grade guitar for a very modest price.
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Apr 02 '07
9:52 pm PDT
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A Very Good Review (Reply to this comment)
by Dr.P,  in Musical Instruments
I very much enjoyed reading your review. There is a lot to learn here.
Dr.P (John)
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Apr 22 '05
9:09 am PDT
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Re: Yo! (Reply to this comment)
by jefhatfield
oops, that's right...thanks for the correction
i did not realize i said rosewood for the d-18 back and sides, that is, like you know, the d-28, d-35, d-41. and d-45
i like the 18 due to its warm sound
i sometimes see brazilian rosewood in cheap vintage guitars from the 60s and before but one has to know what to look for
santa cruz guitars has had some nice brazilian rosewood guitars i saw in the past but they were so expensive and if you have not yet, check out their koa model
thanks
jh
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Oct 20 '01
8:25 pm PDT
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Yo! (Reply to this comment)
by Horswispr, in Musical Instruments
Before I rate this, please make it clear that the D-18 is made of MAHOGANY, not rosewood. But yes, anything above a D-18 is pretty darned good, and most higher end Martins are made of rosewood (though it's mostly Indian these days, as Brazilian got too darned rare and too darned expensive).
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Oct 18 '01
9:02 pm PDT
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