Re: Laminated back and sides bad?
Originally Posted by
Tommando
Sounds like it might be just right for your intended use. There are advantages and disadvantages to any material. The down side of laminated wood on instruments has to do with the relative quality of the sound, and that depends on how you want to use it. I have an all laminate name brand mandolin. After doing some set up work, it sounds really good and is my daily player - at home. When played along side solid wood mandolins and guitars it sounds like a cheap instrument. Nothing can be done about that. Because I play with folks who have top quality instruments, it doesn't go to any gigs. I had a Martin guitar with laminated back and sides and a solid top. Same problem. For solo work or for using a pickup it was super. It didn't sound very good in the presence of good quality solid instruments unless I was using a pickup (which is rare these days). The laminate seems to work better with pick ups. I bought both of those because laminate wood instruments may hold up better to the rigors of traveling. In bluegrass circles, the most highly prized basses are the fully laminated old Kay basses. They have "the" sound for that style of music. So, it all depends on what you want to use it for. Every instrument is different, but the general observations tend to hold true.
Probably have the same all-laminate beater which sometimes finds itself alone in a lawn chair when crazy things happen at home or in the car for no-choice extended periods. My two "carved solid wood" mandolins never leave the house and air conditioning (like my terrier!).
Am anticipating more circumstances in the near future where "instrument durability" will have to take priority over sound-purity. Because of this will be watching with great interest the reviews of some of the new offerings this year like The Loar 170. Sometimes you just need an "adequate" instrument which can be your go-anywhere companion.
...Steve
Current Stable: Two Tenor Guitars (Martin 515, Blueridge BR-40T), a Tenor Banjo (Deering GoodTime 17-Fret), a Mandolin (Burgess #7). two Banjo-Ukes and five Ukuleles..
The inventory is always in some flux, but that's part of the fun.
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