View Full Version : Plywood tops
Are there any cues which might betray the presence of a plywood top, that I could look for in a photo of something being sold on ebay?
How can you tell, besides getting up close and looking at he edges of the soundhole?
Bob DeVellis
Nov-05-2004, 5:50am
It's usually pretty hard to tell from afar. If the price is really low and it looks like the edge of the soundhole isn't bare (e.g., has been painted or bound), I'd be a bit suspicious. But there's really no sure-fire way to tell from a picture.
Strado Len
Nov-05-2004, 7:32am
On some plywood topped instruments, the top layer is some other wood than spruce - usually maple or mahogany. These woods do not display the characteristic parallel vertical grain lines of spruce. If you can not identify these grain lines in the top, it is probably plywood.
On spruce-topped instruments, sometimes you can check inside the sound holes to see if the grain lines of the spruce are continuous from the top side to the inside of the instrument, and not interrupted by a layer of some mystery wood. On instruments with painted bindings (i.e., Strad-o-Lins), the "binding" paint is often worn and you can see grain lines at the edges of the instrument.
If you are looking at a picture of an F-5, sometimes you can get a clue from the light reflecting off of the scroll. If it's a "flat" scroll, chances are it's laminate or steam pressed. If you see a ridge in the middle of the scroll, there's a better chance that it's solid.
Dosen't help if you're looking at an "A" style of course.
Bob DeVellis
Nov-05-2004, 12:57pm
Ah, a perfectly bookmatched top from the famous cyclone tree.
Where can I get a bridge like that? Oh wait, never mind. I'm going to the hardward store tomorrow.
Phantoj
Nov-05-2004, 2:03pm
If it's a cheapy no-name archtop, it's probably ply.
There are some solid-top cheapies, but the list of brands and models is short enough to get a handle on. An "S" in the model number of an import mandolin usually indicates at least a solid top.
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Where can I get a bridge like that? Oh wait, never mind. I'm going to the hardward store tomorrow
I particularly like the nontraditional " 1-3-2-2 " string spacing http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
B.Pat
I don't know if this helps, but when I bought my Goya guitar at a thrift store it screamed "solid top" from across the room. This is because I could tell the top was separated at the bookmatch joint... something a plywood top would obviously not do. $25 and a little bit of Titebond later I had a decent sounding beater guitar.
Paul Doubek