So I took my D15m into the shop to insert a pickup. The luthier showed me that the arched back is not solid mahogany but has a plywood back! Is this normal for arched back guitars? Would higher end guitars have SOLID wood arched backs?
D15m has a plywood back???
- Thread starter Sefton419
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West R Lee
Venerated Member
I believe it has a laminated mahogany back, not plywood. I think it's done in layers, like plywood, but in thin sheets of mahogany, unlike plywood...... in order to mold the arched back. I think all the arched back models were done the same way.
Hans....am I close here?
West
Hans....am I close here?
West
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
Bikerdoc
Senior Member
hansmoust said:
Yes he is!! When my Dad passed away his '15' needed some serious work. Had it been a plywood back instead of a layered mahogany laminate I believe it would have faired better over the years. O.K., I don't know that to be a scientific fact as much as I believe it to be a logical assumption. Once the bowed neck was taken care of and a bit of fret work done I fell in love with the sound of the D15M. But Gosh; any guitar of mahogany construction is blessed.
Peace
killdeer43
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Not to mention (but I'll mention it anyway) "laminated" sounds so much better than "plywood." But then.... :wink:
It's sort of like spaghetti and f**k: they're just words.
I have 3 arched-backs and they all sound great!
BTW, when I make cabinets, I spend time at a local joint that specializes in very fine hardwood plywood and it's nice stuff. I'm currently making a couple of filing cabinets using cherry plywood; it's easy to work with and looks great.
The key is that not ALL the layers are cherry--just the outer layers.
If it were solid cherry throughout the 3/4" thickness, no one could afford it. Well, maybe Bill Gates.
There's room in the world for plywood, but I would NOT want a guitar made of....particle board! We have to draw the line somewhere! :lol:
A rose is a rose is a rose....
Joe
It's sort of like spaghetti and f**k: they're just words.
I have 3 arched-backs and they all sound great!
BTW, when I make cabinets, I spend time at a local joint that specializes in very fine hardwood plywood and it's nice stuff. I'm currently making a couple of filing cabinets using cherry plywood; it's easy to work with and looks great.
The key is that not ALL the layers are cherry--just the outer layers.
If it were solid cherry throughout the 3/4" thickness, no one could afford it. Well, maybe Bill Gates.
There's room in the world for plywood, but I would NOT want a guitar made of....particle board! We have to draw the line somewhere! :lol:
A rose is a rose is a rose....
Joe
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Oddly enough, I have a little trashpicked Kadet where the the neckblock is particleboard.
killdeer43
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And there you go!Default said:
Joe
Yeah, what West said. It's important to note that the "plys" are all tonewood mahogany, no cheap "filler" woods for the inner layers. The reason they did it this way was to form the back into this bowed shape, my understanding is they would soak the wood then press it into shape, then dry it. These backs are very strong and require no internal bracing, and they produce a rich sound that is unique to these guitars. My friend has a DCE-5, it has a rosewood-ply arched back
killdeer43
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A countertop that I just made had solid cherry edge trim and we kerfed the back side and soaked the 1/2" cherry overnight to make it turn around two corners. Amazing what a little soaking will do!
Joe
Joe
Well technically he's right, but it's not cheap plywood covered with a razor-thin veneer of mahogany :roll:
Tony Burns
Member
I believe my D-25CH arched back to be mahogany laminate as well . Without the bracing (which it does'nt need or have ) it does have a unique and beautiful tone . Guild was so ahead of their time and sold them so cheap ! hoping someday to find a all hog D-25
bluesypicky
Enlightened Member
hansmoust said:
Was this done on the arched backs only? (meaning my flat back is solid.... 8) )
Dr. Spivey
Senior Member
bluesypicky said:
Yep, the flat backs are solid. Nothing else sounds like an arch back Guild dread. It's a pretty unique tone. Both are excellent guitars.
bluesypicky
Enlightened Member
Dr. Spivey said:
I agree.... and I will have them both one day! :twisted:
I'd like to do a comparison between mine (arched back & spruce top), and the rarest of the D-25's, the arched back with mahogany top...
I think someone here at LTG has one? We gotta get together
I think someone here at LTG has one? We gotta get together
killdeer43
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Wish I did have one. Would a D15 with an arched back suffice? We could meet somewhere in, say, eastern Montana! :wink:dreadnut said:I'd like to do a comparison between mine (arched back & spruce top), and the rarest of the D-25's, the arched back with mahogany top...
I think someone here at LTG has one? We gotta get together
Joe
bek
Junior Member
dreadnut said:I'd like to do a comparison between mine (arched back & spruce top), and the rarest of the D-25's, the arched back with mahogany top...
I think someone here at LTG has one? We gotta get together
I'm sure I'm not the only one with one of those, but California is a long way from you. There's got to be someone closer than me. I'm really a little fuzzy on the difference between plywood and laminate, though. Is the laminate just all-mahogany (in this case) and the grain all in one direction? Normally, plywood has the layers laid up in alternating-direction grain patterns, one layer one way, the next layer at right-angles, the top and back whatever is expected for the purpose of the plywood.
killdeer43
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There's not really a difference here. Plywood is made of layers of wood laminated together. For our mahogany arched-back guitars, layers of mahogany tonewood are laminated together. We'd have to get a tech onboard to tell us how thick the layers are. If you look inside the soundhole and on the back of your guitar, you'll see that the grain is going in the same direction. No matter how you slice it and what term you use, we're really splitting hairs here.bek said:
'Glulam' beams, for instance, are laminated, and Formica is also called 'laminate' in the trade because of the laminating process used to make it.
I hope I've helped with the "fuzzy."
Joe
bek
Junior Member
killdeer43 said:No matter how you slice it and what term you use, we're really splitting hairs here.bek said:
I hope I've helped with the "fuzzy."
Joe
Exactly as I expected. Just hoping there was not some bizarre secret I was missing. Thanks.