Solid top
An acoustic guitar whose soundboard is cut from a single piece of timber rather than made from laminated layers.
A solid top is the feature most closely associated with an instrument that improves with playing and that responds to a light touch: because the plate is continuous, it moves as one piece and its stiffness changes slowly over the years. It is also far more sensitive to humidity, which is why solid-topped instruments need care in dry seasons or they can crack and bellies form. Many mid-priced guitars pair one with laminated back and sides, which captures most of the response at modest cost.
Example: a solid spruce top on an otherwise ordinary acoustic is usually the difference between an instrument that sounds flat and one that sings.
See also
Related
- PageLaminate
- PageSoundboard
- PageAlder
- PageBasswood
- PageBracing
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock