What about this wood grain? Solid or laminated?

[javierj]

Hello,

Hope that you are all doing great out there!

I am not trying to create a discussion on solid vs laminated guitar or am I going to get happy or sad if it is one or the other. I just want to learn more and more about different guitar constructions. This thread has been created just for trying to get to know better an old, non famous cheap guitar that I had purchased almost 15 years ago in South Corea on a very nice and remarkable trip I had, for a 2002 FIFA World Cup. The guitar brand or name is Sepia Crue Custom. There is little information on this brand on the internet, but from what I was able to find, it seems like is a very small cheap Japanese brand made somewhere in Asia.

This is my travel guitar that I take to the beach and stuff like that. It's got a nice tone for a cheap guitar.

I decided to take some inside pictures to compare the outside wood grain which looks really nice, to see if it matches the inside grain. Most laminated guitars will have the nice wood grain pattern part of the lamination on the outside, to look nice and maybe the inside wood grain would not match, right?

A picture of the headstock brand logo:



Guitar top outside:



Guitar Top inside:





Guitar back outside:



Guitar back inside:



Guitar side outside:



Guitar sides interior:



So my question is, could one tell by looking at this inside and outside pictures of the guitar, if this guitar top, back and sides are solid or laminated?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Regards,

Javier

[rokdog49]

I'm no expert so we will get that out of the way immediately.
Laminate.

[javierj]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I'm no expert so we will get that out of the way immediately.
Laminate.

Yeah that is what I mostly think about this guitar, that it is a laminated guitar, because the tone it's kind off nice but it does not sound quite open and good bass definition as most solid wood guitars do.

Based on the sound and tone of the guitar, it sounds like most laminated guitars, not necessary bad, but it lacks the sound definition of an all solid guitar.

I just thought because of the matching inside and outside grain, that it could be solid, but there are not so many really cheap solid guitars out there right

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by javierj

Yeah that is what I mostly think about this guitar, that it is a laminated guitar, because the tone it's kind off nice but it does not sound quite open and good bass definition as most solid wood guitars do.

Based on the sound and tone of the guitar, it sounds like most laminated guitars, not necessary bad, but it lacks the sound definition of an all solid guitar.

I just thought because of the matching inside and outside grain, that it could be solid, but there are not so many really cheap solid guitars out there right

Depends on what you mean by "really cheap".
In any case, if you like the guitar, that's all that matters.

[dalep]

It is probably laminate. However a more sharp and clearly defined pic of the edge of the sound hole might tell us more.

[j.blay]

No expert here either, but one thing make me think the top could be solid. The inside grain is running in the same direction an the outer and looks to be the same width of grain spacing. Sometime you can tell by scraping away a little finish from the edge of the sound hole to see the layers with a magnifying glass. Looks like you may have strumming pick damage there already.

[javierj]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Depends on what you mean by "really cheap".
In any case, if you like the guitar, that's all that matters.

Ohh yeah definitively I agree and I'm okay with this guitar as my travel and ''beater'' guitar. When I said ''really cheap'' I meant to say that I paid a little amount of money, for an acoustic guitar, to buy this guitar new, when I got it.

[Tico]

To see if it's solid or laminate unscrew/remove that assembly and look at the exposed side wood.

[javierj]

Originally Posted by Tico

To see if it's solid or laminate unscrew/remove that assembly and look at the exposed side wood.

Thanks, that really helped! I was able to take a closer picture of the exposed side wood from the inside, near the preamp and yeah it's looks like a laminated side.



If you download and zoom in the picture, you can see that it looks like a typical 3 piece ''sandwich'' laminate, where the center or middle piece of wood has different grain style and color.

[Tico]

Glad it worked.
Now, you owe me a beer.

[wade63]

Ah but it very well could have a solid top as a lot of guitars with solid top/laminate body. For this you will have to check the sound hole as mentioned. And maybe a solid back too as a few guitars I've owned had laminated sides only.

[javierj]

So here is a closer picture of the sound hole. I think it is also laminate, because you don't see the grain following down the board into the hole. It's finished and stained so it does not show it ''your face'' the grain pattern, but I think you can see through it.



When I see it ''in real life'' and I take a close look, I don't see the wood grain, spruce type lines following down the board into the hole.

Like in this picture of another example of guitar that I found on Google images, of a comparison between a Solid and Laminated Top

Example of a Solid Top:



Example of a laminate top:

[Tico]

At the edge of the sound hole I see what looks like lines where the layers of wood meet.

Since you've already stated it's your beater guitar, you could sand a tiny part of the edge of the sound hole to remove the black stain.
Then use a black sharpie to make it black again.

[wade63]

I agree, it's all laminate. I also agree, especially small bodied laminates, have a hard time projecting tone. I've had a ton of them. My beater/camper is an emerald cf. Once I got over paying $850 for a camping guitar I never looked back, except now I wish it were a 12 fret

[javierj]

Originally Posted by Tico

At the edge of the sound hole I see what looks like lines where the layers of wood meet.

Since you've already stated it's your beater guitar, you could sand a tiny part of the edge of the sound hole to remove the black stain.
Then use a black sharpie to make it black again.

I appreciate that thought/idea suggestion, but I think I am just going to leave it alone as it is for now.

I learned another bit, just like every time I participate or read stuff from the forums and that is what suits me better!

It looks like it can be either all laminated or partial back and sides laminated, but definitely it's got something that I don't end up liking about most or all laminated guitars that I have played. It's something there in the sound or tone. I am no ''cork sniffer'' of only solid type of person, but definitely the all solid wood guitars I played, have really made a positive difference, specially in the bass strings.