Poll - Laminated vs Pressed Tops

**Archie** · 08-12-2021, 07:38 PM

Which one do you prefer, Laminated or Pressed?

I prefer laminated because pressed tops in my experience sound a bit thin and bright.

**vinnyv1k** · 08-12-2021, 07:43 PM

Laminated maple like the Tal Farlow and 175 = the iconic thunk.

**Archie** · 08-12-2021, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by vinnyv1k

Laminated maple like the Tal Farlow and 175 = the iconic thunk.

Do you find pressed tops in general to be a bit thin and bright sounding Vinny?

**vinnyv1k** · 08-12-2021, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by ArchtopHeaven

Do you find pressed tops in general to be a bit thin and bright sounding Vinny?

Spruce yes. I have not played pressed solid maple tops.

**rsclosson** · 08-13-2021, 07:39 AM

At first, all I wanted was a solid top. After lots of different guitars, I finally realized that all my favorite archtop guitars were lams.

**Jonathan0996** · 08-13-2021, 10:26 PM

Laminated vs. solid are different sounds and have different characteristics. Each has its charms and drawbacks. I think the first decision is which of those two directions you want to go.

I have both and my solid top guitar is pressed. I love it, but I think it depends a lot on the individual guitar. I doubt that mine is as good as a top that's been carved by a master luthier, but that too depends on the individual guitar. Like any solid top guitar it feeds back a lot more easily than one with a laminated top.

**Gitterbug** · 08-15-2021, 10:02 AM

I've had one pressed, a Vestax D'A NYL-2. Not bright or thin, but very close to my Emperor Regent which has spruce veneer as the top layer of the plywood. Don't know what the other layers are. The same with a Benedetto Bravo. Once you have your pressing tools up and running, you should be able to try both ways. I have been intrigued by a two or three-layer predominantly pressed top with either a very thin cross-laminate layer or even model airplane covering silk or tissue sliced in the middle to prevent cracking. Also, the grain orientation of the lower sheets could be a little off-axis in opposite directions, again to avoid cracking. Again, pure thinking and no practical experience. BTW, the parallel braces of the NYL-2 did not run the entire length of the top; it might have held together even without them.

**gitman** · 08-15-2021, 10:42 AM

I have not owned a pressed solid-topped guitar but several lam-tops - my current no.1 is a 16" lam-top Trenier Jazz Special with a floater and I am totally happy with the way it speaks and sounds. So much so that I have decided to put it's predecessor , my Victor Baker 17" lam-top up for sale- it just doesn't get any playtime any more. I like the lam-top for it's reduced weight, inherent stiffness, very low tendency to sag/warp/move around and of course, that special "Thunk" it adds to the tone, a distinct attack and note-bloom which a solid-topped guitar does not achieve. Such models are also a less expensive since the manufacture of a laminated top+back is much less time-consuming compared to the labor-intensive carving of solid wood.

**entresz** · 08-16-2021, 07:40 PM

Depends on the guitar
I've had a Gretsch G400 that had a pressed solid spruce top (X Braced). It wasn't thin sounding at all. It had quite a rich acoustic sound. Not amazingly loud, but comparable to some carved top X braced guitars that were built more for a sweeter sustaining sound instead of volume.

That said for playing electric, my 17" laminated spruce top (1980s matsumoku Epiphone Emperor F) is hard to fault. It also has a better acoustic sound than most laminated guitars with set in pickups. As a gigging machine, it's hard to fault.

**coolvinny** · 08-16-2021, 08:09 PM

Carved top with laminate back!

**TedBPhx** · 08-17-2021, 12:34 PM

I have a Washburn J600k with a pressed spruce top and a Gibson 175 laminate maple. The Washburn feeds back if I look at it funny. Much prefer the 175. Not sure if the feed back is strictly due to the top construction.

**2bornot2bop** · 08-17-2021, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by Jonathan0996

Laminated vs. solid are different sounds and have different characteristics. Each has its charms and drawbacks. I think the first decision is which of those two directions you want to go.

I have both and my solid top guitar is pressed. I love it, but I think it depends a lot on the individual guitar. I doubt that mine is as good as a top that's been carved by a master luthier, but that too depends on the individual guitar. Like any solid top guitar it feeds back a lot more easily than one with a laminated top.

Exactly. In short, each are different tools. The only thing they have in common is they’re both guitars.

**2bornot2bop** · 08-17-2021, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by coolvinny

Carved top with laminate back!

Ala the Guild X700.

**RJVB** · 04-27-2022, 07:34 AM

Laminate arched tops are pressed too, correct? Would it be reasonable to assume that the pressing (mostly) preserves the sound difference between a solid and a laminate flattop?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 04-27-2022, 01:08 PM

The ES-175 is the canonical lammie. What is the canonical pressed top?

**Tal_175** · 04-27-2022, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by bigdaddylovehandles

the es-175 is the canonical lammie. What is the canonical pressed top?

es 150

**JohanAbrandt** · 04-27-2022, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

The ES-175 is the canonical lammie. What is the canonical pressed top?

Selmer Maccaferri?

Skickat från min iPad med Tapatalk

**icr** · 04-27-2022, 02:02 PM

Is there any guitar design offered with a choice of these tops? Or, how could one ever tell?
I know classical guitar makers that offer identical guitars with spruce or cedar tops, and these can be compared.