Ok really, just how important are solid back and sides?

Solid woods reverberate nicely, with that being said it depends on the quality of lamination. Low end factory guitars use two veneers of wood to sandwich a cheap wood to save money, high end lamination to be found in the likes of Greg Smallmans guitars ($20,000) are done so in a manner to produce a stiffer body & greater sound. All comes down to the quality of the build & price range. A $2000 all solid wood guitar is no where near as good as a $10,000 luthier made guitar with laminated back & sides. Get the best guitar you can afford that sounds good to you (Second hand is always a good idea), use decent strings & have a luthier set up the action. The years go by & as your technique progresses you come to realize what sound you're looking for from an instrument, you place a value on that experience & appreciation for a particular tone. A greater tone can motivate you to progress.

/r/classicalguitar Thread