I am not interested in selling it. It was given to me. I'm going to use it as my learning guitar. When I upgrade it will be a Guild ;-)
Got it, you could certainly do worse for a learning guitar, nice gift! And you're definitely in the right place to see buying opportunities when the time comes.
Maybe it's possible to narrow it down by the color of the grain? The grain color looks like it matches the color of the spruce grain.
Does the poplar, larch, alder or soft maple part of the laminate "age" like tone wood?
Can't recall those questions ever coming up while I've been here.
Not sure the identity of the center wood is ever deemed to be "relevant" to tone.
The aging thing has multiple components, and not everybody agrees on all elements.
For the top specifically, the wood fibers themselves get mechanically "stretched" or "loosened" on a microscopic level over time, and the resins that were present gradually break down and dry up too, but that pocess is influenced by humidity, and the finish also plays a role.
A lot of us favor traditional Nitrocellulose lacquer ("NCL") because it becomes drier and more resonant with age.
Along with gradual loosening of glue bonds around top edges all these elements are thought to contribute to o the "opening up" process.
Is the change audible?
It's been the subject of debate, but I'm a believer.
Still ,the primary purpose of a finish is to seal the wood against contaminants which would negatively impact tone, like oils or other liquids that would dampen top motion.
Essentially the top's like drum head, its vibration bounces inside the body of the guitar and comes out through the soundhole. In general anything that helps that top movement (in an acoustic guitar) is regarded as "good", it helps with tone and volume. So a too-thick finish can inhibit that, and is seen as "bad".
The "poly" finishes are extremely durable, whereas NCL is relatively fragile in comparison.
Guitars are happiest between 45-55% relative humidity.
In general, the drier the top, the better it should sound, although there's a limit.
Too dry, they're prone to cracking, or warping problems as the wood shrinks, too wet, warping as the wood expands and possible weakening of glue joints if it's made with hide glue, which all Guilds up through Westerly were, for sure.**
By definition, a laminated top is restricted in its ability to vibrate, it's the
purpose of lamination, it increases the overall stiffness of the single layers to a degree greater than the sum of the parts, and they're all glued together besides.
And it's also why laminated tops are common in archtop electric designs, they're less prone to feedback because they resonate less.
So does the center mass "age"? Undoubtedly, but probably not to the degree or in the same way the spruce layers would. It doesn't have any exposed area to lose or gain humidity through, for one thing.
Also, the wood itself probably isn't ideal for top use by itself or it'd already be one of the popular top woods.
The spruce layers are probably doing all the real work.
BUT: Laminated tops (and sides and backs) are immune to cracking from drying out.
And some guitars have a real reputation for yielding great sound in spite of having laminated tops.
"Red Label" Yamahas from the '70's are one frequently cited example.
Madeira fans can probably offer more insights from experience..
So it appears that if the laminate is properly constructed it can still yield good sound, but in general a solid top's probably always going to have an advantage, given similar thickness and bracing. (yet another part of the top that influences resonating ability)
**Can't recall concrete confirmation that it was used after that, but it's probable Coronas ('02-'04) and Tacomas ('05-'08) did too. In New Hartford they started using Titebond for neck joints at least, in case this becomes relevant to you in future. Some of us are hide glue as well as NCL purists too. :friendly_wink: