[devellis]

Ultimately, only you can decide. A solid top, I think, is well worth it. For back and sides, it depends on what you want to spend. I've heard some pretty nice guitars made with laminates. My general rule of thumb is to pay first for sound and only after that, worry about looks. So, if I had a choice between a laminate guitar with lots of pearl inlay and a plainer equivalent with solid back and sides, I'd go with the latter. But if my budget were tight, I wouldn't rule out laminated back and sides. Seagull guitars, for example, are laminated and sound quite good. But I'd watch out for a really fancy looking guitar made with laminates. That suggests to me a greater concern on the builder's part with wowing customers visually than with making the best-sounding guitar.