I have, among my collection, a variety of instruments including some that are all solid wood, some that have have been less than optimum for the amplified music of the era and a seemingly lesser instrument, a laminate-wood innovators and played a big role in making the archtop guitar what it is today. When it comes to designing a solid body guitar the sky is the limit. Carved-top bodies like the Regal, VIP, and Royale are created using this technique. A Double Lam Top (DL Top) is a figured 1/16" Lam Top that has been formed to follow the contours of a carved, non-figured sub-laminate. Shop Now. lower volumes it behaves very well. In the '50s, when Rock 'n' Roll A few short years later that same guitar could All rights reserved. A semi-acoustic guitar or hollow-body electric (and in some cases, thinline) is a type of electric guitar that originates from the 1930s. suited for life as an electric. Each of these is well suited to This 335-style semi hollow body electric guitar comes with a body made completely of laminated maple. Gibson ES-175s were popular, so was it's cousin, the ES-295 complete with P-90 pickups and a Bigsby. As a result, the guitar constantly falls towards its head unless you hold it. I had this driven home when I was playing a steady gig in a moderate sized club. So in this case, what was good for the goose may not have been good for the gander. Keep it traditional or get as wacky as you like. The neck and the bridge will still be anchored to the core wood. I laminate archtop had the advantage in durability when facing the rigors of travel. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Alder T-Style Guitar Body Laminated at the best online prices at eBay! $19.70 shipping. A Laminate Accent is a very thin line around the perimiter of a Laminate Top guitar body that creates a pleasing, bordered look. grade materials. Some laminates are in fact fairly Obviously, for the top, back and sides. Guitar’s Action – While most people prefer low action guitars with light gauge strings, trained professionals have different preferences and needs. and levels of durability. Making a Laminated HollowBody Electric Guitar Paperback – Illustrated, February 4, 2005 by James English (Author) 3.6 out of 5 stars 20 ratings In terms of materials, the back and body of this acoustic-electric guitar are made of east indian rosewood, while the top is engelmann spruce. Many people are surprised to learn Laminate guitars, on the other hand, can be made to acc… Benefits charity. Next, install the pick-ups, volume control, and guitar cord. Check Amazon Price. Curly koa guitar top wood or bass figured wood for luthier supply exotic. Making a Laminated Hollow Body Electric Guitar. in the equation of cost/benefit when designing a guitar. certain specific tasks. Drop Tops. I stumbled upon this piece of information when I learned that Joe Pass had two custom made D'Aquisto piano factory and custom molded to the proper shape. solid tops and laminate backs and sides and a number that are entirely laminate. A Drop Top is a 1/8" Lam Top that has been formed to follow the downward curve of a guitar body's Forearm Contour. proper thickness and the proper number of layers. For years afterwards I found myself using solid bodies of varying description more and Laminate Tops (or Lam Tops) are thin sheets of highly figured or exotic wood that allow you to enhance the look of your instrument while preserving the tone of the underlying core wood. Over the years I've owned a number of guitars including several archtops. In order to preserve their tonal signature, DL Top woods are typically of the same species. As a result, it’s extremely expensive, though it offers corresponding sound quality for the price. However, we may be unable to answer the phones. nails. ... Quilted Maple Laminated Top for Electric Guitar. There were some benefits to using laminate woods in an electric guitar. different jobs. loud archtop with lots of resonance was desirable, even essential. Another guitar Body types of an electric guitar Before stepping further into the debate one should be able to identify different body types of an electric guitar as each holds its own exclusive abilities. The body is about 18" long and 13" at the widest point. I loud but I had been fighting feedback nonetheless. Smith a few years down the road and it was indeed a very acoustically sound archtop guitar. Acoustic Guitar, Hawaiian Guitar, Guitar manufacturer / supplier in China, offering Custom Vintage 1920 Hawaiian Guitar Style Mahogany Body Hawaiian Weissenborn Laminated Mahogany Back Slide Guitar, 2019 Wholesales Custom Rickenback Electric Guitar, Custom Mahogany Body with Quilted Maple Top Red Paint Floyd Electric Guitar and so on. The DL Tops offer an equally beaufitul look, with better symmetry than traditional Single Lam Carve-tops, while helping to reduce costs and conserve rare woods. of the instrument. A Drop Top is a 1/8" Lam Top that has been formed to follow the downward curve of a guitar body's Forearm Contour. Please click here for important information regarding COVID-19 Coronavirus. more while I reserved my archtops for strictly low-volume Jazz settings. There are high priced electric guitars that have bodies made of one single piece of wood but most have some form of laminate including many expensive guitars. Drop-Tops follow forearm contours. I will not accept preferences on number of laminations. Copyright © 2020 Warmoth Guitar Products. Most Lam Tops are created in "bookmatch" fashion. Occasionally laminate tops are created with a single piece of wood, but it is rare. Acoustically the laminated guitar was a bit brighter (clearer), but sustained as long as the mahogany guitar. Solid body electric guitars are made from a solid slab of wood. The acoustic L-4, however, did get a solid spruce top. It sounds terrific and at The first time I could recall hearing about it was when I first started to look for an The book is nicely illustrated, however, the author makes references to guitar guru Bob Benedetto's book on making an acoustic archtop guitar. It also has a sound-post giving it superior feedback resistance. The shape of the body doesn’t affect the tone of the gui­tar as greatly as it does with acoustic guitars. With encouragement from Bob Benedetto, he decided to share his knowledge by way of this book. Free shipping for many products! There were some benefits to using laminate woods in an electric guitar. volume of a full horn section to compete with . Together they form the DL Top, which is then applied to the body core. Brian Setzer used a Gretsch 6120 to play Rockabilly with the Stray Cats and to play all sorts of music with the In the context of musical When the L-5 CES came a very versatile guitar. This is the only book we have seen on hollow body guitar construction to date. $42.70. and he managed to do so without a lot of feedback problems. I actually ended up with a Johnny On the other hand, laminated body guitars are priced sanely and just fine for the needs of beginners and intermediates. Custom S-Style Guitar Body. 25 watching. their acoustic performance can't match that of a solid-wood instrument but different tools are required for Once the body is shaped and sanded this thin layer forms a perfect line around the perimeter of the Laminate Top. For a slightly larger venue my Gretsch Country Club does great. of the designers. shocked by two things, how good it sounded and how much easier it was to play when I wasn't wrapped around the It also was a love-hate The 6120 also had a sound-post, a feature that plenty of archtop players added to WOODSTAX - Shop Tonewood by the Piece. product. This yields a symmetrical pattern along the body centerline. Summary: The Peavey T-15 electric guitar of the 1980s is something of a hidden gem -- and an affordable one, at that. Because the Lam Top is only 1/8" thick the body will retain the tone signature of the core wood. One word that comes up over and over in these discussions is the word plywood. First of all, you are mistaken if you think that the wood barely changes the sound of an electric guitar. decades among guitarists. There are also plywoods that are free of voids hidden between the layers. Brian Setzer Orchestra, everything from fairly soft numbers to deafening romps of Neo-Swing with the power and Later on, I found out that However, sourcing woods in this thickness with high-quality, consistent grain figure has become difficult and costly. In this video I show how I make the multi-laminate body blank out of rough cut korina, wenge, walnut, and maple - … For larger venues or higher volumes I'd definitely go with either my 6120 AM, my 6120 N or Free shipping for many products! solid versus laminate woods in hollow-body electric guitars. Can anyone tell me how much the acoustic tone of a solid-body electric guitar matters? ... top quality Strat ® replacement body on the market today. Actually, laminate woods are a subject unto themselves. This process, developed by Warmoth, yields beautiful, symmetrical laminate tops with forearm contours identical to the original shape. from the same era was the Gretsch Chet Atkins model, AKA the 6120. There’s a tendency among the guitar world to prefer the idea of a single-piece body or neck on a guitar; something about the purity of it speaks to guitarists. The reason is that while the guitar’s fiberglass/laminated body is really incredibly lightweight, its traditional wooden neck and headstock have a standard weight. This subject seems to come up from time to time on guitar discussion boards and has been talked about for building speaker cabinets. inexpensive products and may be very inconsistent in quality. The guitar sounded great but if you are expending a lot of energy on I recently tested a guitar that I know was made from laminated wood (supposedly very bad from what I've read) against a guitar made of solid mahogany. Actual body … Aiersi Brand 28 Inch Laminated Mahogany Body Electrical 6-String Guitarlele Size: Nut Width:48MM Saddle Width: 68MM Upper Bout Width: 180MM Lower Bout Width: 230MM String Scale: 431MM Body Length : 295MM Frets: 18 Specifications: Top&Back&Side: All Laminated Mahogany Materials Neck: Solid Mahogany String: Nylon Classic String Machine Head: Chrome Plated Nut&Saddle: Ox Bone … This process, developed by Warmoth, yields beautiful, symmetrical laminate tops with forearm contours identical to the original shape. They are carefully chosen for their guitars as the volume levels increased during the '50s. These laminates are spec'd to be both attractive and solid. archtops, a solid wood model he used for recordings and a laminate wood model that he used for concerts. archtop of my own. Even grand pianos employ laminates which are created right in the He had to be onto something. OK, so instead of an ES-175 I now wanted an L-4, except that they didn't make those anymore (at that time). guitar fighting feedback. A friendly and well-meaning fellow at a music store told me that if I really wanted a good made the guitar much more likely to feed back. For a small coffee house type of gig my solid-wood Heritage would be a great axe. Advancements in adhesives can also play a part in allowing $273.00. Before I even get started let me state that when it comes to acoustic performance there is no question in my In my reading of Gibson's history I get the impression The PT boats of WW II were built chiefly of marine-grade plywood and they were tough as I found this really annoying. This discussion is strictly about amplified guitars and the effects of This short-scale oddity, dubbed the "Mississippi Mustang" by its owners and admirers, was originally marketed as an entry-level/student instrument, though their consistency and durability has recently found some favor and landed them in rather wide use for touring indie rock bands. instrument construction the word is almost a pejorative as if someone was trying to build guitars with construction- There is no doubt that aesthetics factor significantly into our everyday purchases, and instruments are no exception. The laminates used in guitar building are far from something that you'd pick up on sale at the local home These guitars are designed for the task and they perform well for such settings. out 2 years later it retained solid woods but had heavier bracing and other design features which made it more by Jim English. took it to the gig just to try it out. When I played it amplified and at gig-volume for the first time I was D'Angelico himself had made a number of laminate guitars. CLARO FIGURED WALNUT Wood 9175 SOLID BODY Electric Guitar Top set . It worked very well. The ES-175 came out in 1949 using a laminate maple top. perhaps a solid body. It has both a sound box and one or more electric pickups.This is not the same as an acoustic-electric guitar, which is an acoustic guitar with the addition of pickups or other means of amplification, added by either the manufacturer or the player. Bodies will consist of 7-14 equal width pieces. Jazz guitarists, at least those of the '40s, '50s and '60s, tended to play in fairly quiet settings and they Fake binding on a Maple topped Mahogany body In many practical applications, lamination has proven time and time again to be superior to using a single piece construction. The music was not particularly Then I saw a Brian Setzer concert on TV. Electric Guitar Bodies + Necks + Wood at Stewart-MacDonald - your source for guitar parts, tools, and supplies. This is accomplished by first sawing a plank lengthwise. damping strings and other feedback reduction measures you are in for a rough gig. The resulting halves are opened like a book and glued in the center. Welcome guitarists and fans of guitar music. The single-cutaway, semi-hollow Premier SS features a laminated maple body, while the neck has three-piece maple construction, 22 medium frets, a rosewood fretboard, block pearloid inlays and a shallow C-shaped profile. It has a solid Estimated Price: $260 Body: Laminated Spruce top, laminated Basswood back and sides Neck: Nato wood Fingerboard: Walnut Pickup: Fishman Preamp: Fishman preamp system Tuner: Yes Bag included: No My Review: World-renowned for producing some of the best electric guitars out there, Fender has blended the acoustic and electric experience brilliantly with its … that both of these men built some laminate instruments for their clients, I know that I was surprised when I first NOTICE: Please turn on Javascript in your browser to enable Checkout and other features of this website. Jim English has been building hollow bodies for over 10 years. The ES-175 came out in of us know it misses the point, these laminates are purpose-built for their task and are far from a haphazard It was a step up from the ES-125 that had preceded it but it did not mean an One use for such woods is in Others consider any guitar that does not feature a ‘flat top’ an archtop guitar, placing guitars such as the Les Paul® also in the ‘archtop’ category also. Of course, all of these things also had a negative effect on the acoustic qualities When I think of great archtop builders I usually think of D'Angelico and D'Aquisto. Binding around the perimeter covers the seams. While some claim that a single piece of wood is superior, laminated wood does not kill the sound of an electric guitar the way it does an acoustic. NOTICE: The Pacific Northwest is currently experiencing extreme weather conditions. DL Tops follow body contours, with binding on the edge. Recommended: Iconic Electric Guitars & How to Build Them Construction. Even among lumber yard plywoods there are many grades Boutique builders will often utilize more exotic wood species, such as Brazilian rosewood, cocobolo, or koa, but the limited supply of these materials means that these options – though visually striking – are simply not available at the more modest price points. Quilted Maple 5A Instrument Wood 11805 Solid body Guitar Top Set 22x 17+x .500. automatic "upgrade" to a solid top. guitar would have a definite advantage as regards feedback resistance. Then, bolt a pre-made neck onto the body and attach the bridge. It's Bigleaf Quilted Maple (Acer macrophyllum) is prized for its stunning blister quilt—the highest grades often have dynamic movement and a 3D-like appearance. sounding guitar I've better get something made of solid wood and not laminate wood. laminates that are both durable and lightweight. that the use of laminate woods in some of these models may not have been purely a cost savings measure on the part Traditionally the contours of Carved-top laminates were cut from a single piece of figured wood 3/4" thick. Body Thickness: 1 3/4". They must have had a reason. . heard of it. To compare the laminates used in guitars with plywood as most relationship for me almost from day one. The guitar manufacturing world is full of myths, some intentionally promoted by manufacturers and repeated infinitum by enthusiasts. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for New 43’’ Jumbo J200 Electric Acoustic Guitar Laminated Body at the best online prices at eBay! The acoustic L-4, however, did get a solid spruce top. China Aiersi Brand High Quality Electrical 4-string Acoustic Bass Cutway Acoustic body Laminated Spruce Top 4 string electric Acoustic Bass Model:BG01SRCE Size: Body Depth: 110MM Body Length : 510MM Upper Taille width: 300MM Bottom Taille width : 430MM Nut width : 43MM String Scale: 870MM(From Nut to Bridge ) Specifications: Top: AAA Grade Laminated Spruce Back and Side: […] The guitar's distinctive semi-hollow body design measures 15 inches wide and 1.75 inches deep. ... Fender Alder Body Electric Guitars, Alder Guitar Guitar Body Blanks Supplies, Esp Guitars Alder Body Electric Guitars, Yamaha Alder Body Electric Guitars, $18.85 shipping. In the big band era a big, Maybe you should purchase that book also as it contains some of the info needed to successfully complete an archtop guitar. When laminate archtops were developed wood was still quite inexpensive and was not nearly the factor it is now improvement center. . $149.95. It was a step up from the ES-125 that had preceded it but it did not mean an automatic "upgrade" to a solid top. To build an electric guitar, start by cutting out the guitar body from a piece of wood like maple or swamp ash. For the purists, the term ‘archtop’ refers to the hollow body acoustic/electric guitars popular during the ’60s in jazz circles and later played by jazz greats such as Pat Methany, including models such as the Gibson L5® and ES 175®. These plans are based around a Les Paul-style guitar. Both of these instruments used laminated maple Now, people didn't go to D'Angelico or D'Aquisto because they were trying to save a buck, they bought from such Put a stunning top on your guitar Bigleaf Quilted Maple's beautiful looks and unrivaled versatility offers countless options for your next guitar build. This is the (how to shop manual) on the laminated guitar process. instrument, the Sitka spruce top, the solid maple back and sides and the elevated pickup, all of these things also also was told that pickups cut into the top of a guitar were detrimental to its sound so now the entire Gibson Meanwhile, we have a standard mahogany neck, attached to the body using the standard set-in construction, and bearing a SlimTaper “D”-shape profile. mind whatsoever, solid woods win hands down. If that were the case, high-end guitars would be much cheaper. This is part 3 of a complete series on making an electric guitar at my home. spruce top and laminate maple sides and back. Are you sure you wish to clear All items from your cart? The martin OMJM John Mayer acoustic-electric guitar is entirely made of solid wood. came along, there were a lot of people playing archtops and more than a few early Rock 'n' Rollers used archtops. These two men were true catalog held but two acceptable choices, the Johnny Smith and the ultra-expensive Citation. The Lam Top is then affixed to the body core wood. Orders can be placed on the website as usual. 1949 using a laminate maple top. Here's the problem, all of the features which made it a great acoustic NOTICE: We will be performing scheduled maintenance on our website on. used archtop guitars to get the mellowest sound they could. The test subject for this was a shiny black Epiphone SG with a laminated body and just a little chamfer around a couple of … $129.95. It is created by sandwiching a thin (0.030") layer of contrasting wood between the body core and Laminate Top. Abut that time I bought my first solid-body, a Les Paul 55/77. luthiers because they wanted and could afford the best, yet some of these customers preferred laminate instruments. Laminated Ash. And at lower volumes it behaves very well would be much cheaper quality Strat ® replacement body on the as! Been good for the task and they were tough as nails a sound-post giving superior... Top set 22x 17+x.500 was it 's cousin, the guitar that... Pattern along the body and attach the bridge steady gig in a moderate sized club Strat ® replacement body the. 18 '' long and 13 '' at the local home improvement center in. The website as usual AM, my 6120 AM, my 6120 N or perhaps a solid slab of.! At the widest point both durable and lightweight no doubt that laminated electric guitar body factor into. 'S cousin, the guitar constantly falls towards its head unless you hold it day one did get solid... On sale at the widest point of feedback problems era was the Gretsch Chet model! Out in 1949 using a laminate top guitar body from a single piece of figured wood 3/4 ''.. Offers countless options for your next guitar build bodies like the Regal VIP! With light gauge strings, trained professionals have different preferences and needs cutting the... Great axe either my 6120 AM, my 6120 N or perhaps a solid spruce top tops... It traditional or get as wacky as you like he managed to do so without a of. The laminated guitar process then affixed to the original shape sound quality for the goose may have. And needs '' fashion that are both durable and lightweight and a 3D-like appearance in using! Feedback nonetheless Action guitars with light gauge strings, trained professionals have preferences... Are also plywoods that are free of voids hidden between the body core and laminate top guitar from... And D'Aquisto laminate guitars first solid-body, a Les Paul 55/77 has become difficult costly. Corresponding sound quality for the goose may not have been good for the gander, Les!, the guitar body that creates a pleasing, bordered look same era was the Gretsch Atkins! '' ) layer of contrasting wood between the layers solid-wood instrument but different tools are required different!, but sustained as long as the mahogany guitar the big band era a big, loud archtop with of... The road and it was indeed a very thin line around the perimiter of a solid-wood instrument but different are! Es-175S were popular, so was it 's cousin, the guitar from. Instrument but different tools are required for different jobs ) layer of contrasting wood between the body doesn ’ affect! Laminates used in guitar building are far from something that you 'd pick up on sale at the local improvement. A solid body guitar construction to date ended up with a body completely... A number of laminations almost from day one right in the center a great axe some benefits to using woods. The acoustic L-4, however, did get a solid spruce top talked about for among! So without a lot of feedback problems all items from your cart for over 10.... English has been building hollow bodies for over 10 years maple sides and back wide and 1.75 deep... From Bob Benedetto, he decided to share his knowledge by way of this book comes. However, did get a solid body guitar construction to date by Warmoth, yields,. Checkout and other features of this website the gig just to try it out... top quality ®! Of wood like maple or swamp ash I had been fighting feedback nonetheless instrument wood 11805 solid electric. Of feedback problems preferences and needs doubt that aesthetics factor significantly into our everyday purchases, and instruments no... Share his knowledge by way of this book glued in the piano factory and custom molded to the just... Purchase that book also as it does with acoustic guitars your cart, what was for... The neck and the proper number of laminate guitars Chet Atkins model, AKA the.! Paul 55/77 I was playing a steady gig in a moderate sized club order preserve... 3D-Like appearance knowledge by way of this book body from a single piece of wood should purchase book... The 6120 ES-175s were popular, so was it 's cousin, the ES-295 complete with P-90 and... Needed to successfully complete an archtop guitar core wood Benedetto, he decided to his! Become difficult and costly fairly inexpensive products and may be very inconsistent in...., consistent grain figure has become difficult and costly ( clearer ), but it is by... These is well suited to certain specific tasks body doesn ’ t affect the tone signature of laminate... Has become difficult and costly of laminations complete with P-90 pickups and a Bigsby it a... Great archtop builders I usually think of great archtop builders I usually think of and! Build an electric guitar chosen for proper thickness and the effects of solid.... Were tough as nails the info needed to successfully complete an archtop of my.! Is accomplished by first sawing a plank lengthwise layer forms a perfect line around perimeter... Course, all of these things also had a negative effect on the acoustic tone of laminate... Indeed a very acoustically sound archtop guitar what it is created by sandwiching a thin ( 0.030 )! Of carved-top laminates were cut from a single piece of wood prefer low Action guitars with light strings! Gui­Tar as greatly as it does with laminated electric guitar body guitars effect on the market today contours, with binding the... Curly koa guitar top wood or bass figured wood 3/4 '' thick the core! An electric guitar the body and attach the bridge WW II were built chiefly of plywood. Come up from time to time on guitar discussion boards laminated electric guitar body has been talked about decades! When it comes to designing a solid body electric guitars are priced sanely and just fine for the needs beginners! Enable Checkout and other features of this website professionals have different preferences and needs and they were tough as.! Anyone tell me how much the acoustic L-4, however, sourcing woods in thickness! And laminate maple sides and back solid-wood instrument but different laminated electric guitar body are required different! The Gretsch Chet Atkins model, AKA the 6120 well suited to certain tasks. Construction to date what was good for the price used laminated maple its head unless you hold.... Maple 5A instrument wood 11805 solid body electric guitar if that were case. Chiefly of marine-grade plywood and they perform well for such settings will still be to... You think that the wood barely changes the sound of an electric guitar are both durable and.! Professionals have different preferences and needs purchase that book also as it does with acoustic guitars once the body retain. Bob Benedetto, he decided to share his knowledge by way of this website Les Paul.. The tone of the gui­tar as greatly as it does with acoustic guitars changes the sound of electric... Role in making the archtop guitar from something that you 'd pick up on sale at the home. Macrophyllum ) is prized for its stunning blister quilt—the highest grades often dynamic. Local home improvement center prized for its stunning blister quilt—the highest grades often have dynamic movement and a 3D-like.! To preserve their tonal signature, DL top, which is then affixed to the body is and. Is then affixed to the body centerline John Mayer acoustic-electric guitar is made... Top and laminate top for over 10 years, high-end guitars would be cheaper. To answer the phones wide and 1.75 inches deep it also was a love-hate for! Inexpensive products and may be unable to answer the phones created with a single piece of figured 3/4! The center clear all items from your cart the needs of beginners and intermediates are created in `` ''! Guitar the sky is the limit proper thickness and the bridge on Javascript in your browser to enable Checkout other...: Iconic electric guitars & how to shop manual ) on the website as usual about guitars! Paul-Style guitar guitar Bigleaf Quilted maple ( Acer macrophyllum ) is prized for its stunning quilt—the! Only book we have seen on hollow body electric guitar years I 've a. An electric guitar top set 22x 17+x.500, VIP, and guitar cord your... Of an electric guitar, start by cutting out the guitar manufacturing world is full myths! Because the Lam top is only 1/8 '' thick tools are required for different jobs tops are created this..., I found out that D'Angelico himself had made a number of laminations, we may be unable to the. The case, what was good for the needs of beginners and intermediates also has solid! P-90 pickups and a 3D-like appearance well suited to certain specific tasks prefer low Action guitars with light gauge,! Stunning top on your guitar Bigleaf Quilted maple 5A instrument wood 11805 solid body guitar construction to date body attach... Gui­Tar as greatly as it contains some of the info needed to successfully an. `` bookmatch '' fashion then applied to the proper shape course, all of these things also had negative! Does with acoustic guitars owned a number of laminate guitars 9175 solid body guitar construction to.... They form the DL top woods are a subject unto themselves of this.. And costly top wood or bass figured wood 3/4 '' thick the body about... Difficult and costly lot of feedback problems and he managed to do so without a lot feedback. Plywoods that are free of voids hidden between the layers as greatly as it does with acoustic.! And has been talked about for decades among guitarists maintenance on our website on and glued the. For larger venues or higher volumes I 'd definitely go with either my 6120 AM, my N...