How do you tell laminates from solid wood?

if it doesn't say, it's iffy. if you can look at the guitar in person, look at the edge around he soundhole. if you see grains, it's solid. if you see three layers, it's laminated.

on the net, chances are if it doesnt say "solid spruce," it's not. "select spruce" generally means laminated as well

Without inspecting personally it's hard to tell. Even with the inspection I've been fooled twice. If your looking for a solid top stick with manufacturers specs via their website. Otherwise buyer beware!

As a rule of thumb, if it doesn't say it's a solid top, then it probably isn't.

Online it's going to be hard to tell. In person, you can take a small mirror and look inside the guitar with a small light. Try and match up a noticable figure in the grain with the top of the guitar, and underneath.

*Dons devil's advocate hat* If you can't tell any other way than inspecting it with mirrors, does it actually matter?

Mahogany and rosewood - mahogany has a very tight grain and gets used on necks, rosewood has a wider grain and is used a lot on bodies.

A :-)

*Dons devil's advocate hat* If you can't tell any other way than inspecting it with mirrors, does it actually matter?

Well it matters because of the better quality of sound that the solid top will produce. If there is any kind of unique finish on the guitar, then it's going to make it harder to tell by just looking at it.

*Dons devil's advocate hat* If you can't tell any other way than inspecting it with mirrors, does it actually matter?
Well it matters because of the better quality of sound that the solid top will produce.
That's why I'm asking - if you're using a mirror to distinguish, then surely you can't tell by listening to it... and if you can't tell by listening to it, then surely it's passed the only test that matters?

That's why I'm asking - if you're using a mirror to distinguish, then surely you can't tell by listening to it... and if you can't tell by listening to it, then surely it's passed the only test that matters?
A new solid top will develop it's tone as it gets older, whereas a laminate won't. So, the difference, in a new guitar, may be minimal, compared to the same guitars in, say, 20 years.

Thanks for all the great replies ...
Most of you think it's difficult to tell laminates from solids, which makes me feel normal since I couldn't really tell on my own guitars.

As a rule of thumb, if it doesn't say it's a solid top, then it probably isn't.

Online it's going to be hard to tell. In person, you can take a small mirror and look inside the guitar with a small light. Try and match up a noticable figure in the grain with the top of the guitar, and underneath.

It's possible to do the same by looking at the edge of the sound hole. I've observed that solid tops are usually pretty obvious, as the grain runs continuously from top to bottom right around the edge, and the edge is usually clean, smooth and well rounded in cross section. If it is difficult to tell -- especially if the soundhole edge is rough or sharply shaped, it's probably a laminate.

That's why I'm asking - if you're using a mirror to distinguish, then surely you can't tell by listening to it... and if you can't tell by listening to it, then surely it's passed the only test that matters?
A new solid top will develop it's tone as it gets older, whereas a laminate won't. So, the difference, in a new guitar, may be minimal, compared to the same guitars in, say, 20 years.
Ahhh, that makes sense, ta! :)

ive seen some laminates that just look bad. Fender acoustics come to mind. they look like plastic wood sometimes.

ive seen some laminates that just look bad. Fender acoustics come to mind. they look like plastic wood sometimes.

Probably more attributable to finishing than lamination. Veneer of any type is pretty much lamination. Plenty of beautiful veneers out there...

ive seen some laminates that just look bad. Fender acoustics come to mind. they look like plastic wood sometimes.

Montana acoustics are like that too. It looks like someone printed off a flame maple finsih and clear coated it ontot he guitar. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MONTANA-EMI-45C-ACOUSTIC-CUTAWAY-ELECTRIC-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ270014049035QQihZ017QQcategoryZ2385QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

My new Washburn is a solid top, but has a sort of gloss finish. It sounds great now, I can't imagine how nice it'll sound years from now.