magentaplacenta said:
I just wanted to say you got an awesome top regardless of what it is. Looks killer to me, I wouldn't give 2 sheets.
I think I agree.
All right, I've been remiss, but I think the onus is on me to put a stake in this thing once and for all (if that's possible).
Anyway,
Before we start, here's what all the fuss is about. I got a great pic of the top in natural light:
I originally intended to work up a treatise on why I thought this top was solid, but then I did what ochay suggested. There's an area in the bridge pickup cavity that's kind of gaffed anyway so I figured I could take a low angle cross-section without affecting the integrity too much...but I'm getting ahead of myself. :wink:
First, here's a shot of the pickup cavity, including the area in dispute:
The "layer" really seems to disappear going around the corner.
Now, here is a pic of the seams in both cavities:
No strong visual evidence of a laminate there either. The seam also appears to be perfectly aligned with the top and continuous in both cavities.
Here's a shot of some pretty strong flame-action in the neck cavity. This is the same angle as the disputed pic:
Here's the other side of the cavity showing less prominent, but still clearly visible, continuous flame.
Also note that the position, thickness and periodicity of the flame really does appear to be continuous from the top through the cross section in both these pics. If you look close you can note this in the earlier pics as well. This was the most compelling evidence for me, really. I can't see a spot where it DOESN'T look continuous, anywhere on the top. Of course this stuff is very difficult to photograph.
Here's another shot in B&W where you can see it from a different angle. Note that this is not due to curvature. It's in the wood.
So back to the low angle section. Drum roll, please:
It does look like a laminate. :evil: I can't get it to photograph, and that is part of the reason why I haven't posted here in a while. I really wanted a picture, coupled with my all too human desire not to want to eat crow.
So, I don't know. At this point, I guess I'd have to say that I can't maintain that it is a solid top.
But still I'm confused. It's an outstanding example of craftsmanship on the laminate at the very least. And I do think that the bulk of the top is flamed maple, and I'd even go so far as to say that it looks like the same piece of wood. Why use a laminate from the same piece of wood?
The world may never know.
In the interest of true scientific discourse:
Here is a link to the gallery with all of the original and doctored photos from my follow up investigation. Feel free to use them at will (except for unscrupulous purposes!)
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLa...post_signin=Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Ux=0
Here's and updated link to the first gallery, too. It has some additional pics:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLa...post_signin=Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Ux=0
