1 Topic by Tenement Funster (edited by Tenement Funster 2015-02-09 11:24:27)

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
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Topic: Mahogany VS Rosewood

I expect we're all agreed that an all-solid-wood guitar delivers better tone than ones made of laminates. That said, the two primary tonewoods for the sides and back of a guitar are either of Rosewood or Mahogany. My Larrivee and LaPatrie are solid mahogany back and sides, but I find it a bit "boomy" compared to rosewood ones I've tried. Mahogany makes for a big voice, lots of low end, etc., but I'm wondering how and why rosewood has such a different sound? Are there certain musical styles which would create a preference?

Would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this.

  • Zurf
  • Zurf
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Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

I've got one of each and love each of them. The one with mahogany is meant for blugrass picking. The highs are clear and sharp, the bass is boomy, and it's LOUD. The one with rosewood has very good mid and high and responds well to hard attacks on the strings. I'm now looking at a Martin with their high pressure laminate (HPL), and it has very clear high and mid clarity, but not so much volume.

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

3 Reply by NELA (edited by NELA 2015-02-09 14:55:21)

  • NELA
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  • From: West Monroe, La. 71292
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Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

Acoustic guitars and which tone woods are best is a problem that will never be settled. Tone woods run from Cedar's, Rosewood's, Mahogany's, Fir's to anything a builder can imagine and the sound they are looking for. The way the woods are sawn, quarter sawn, half sawn, etc. will make a difference. Hardness or softness of the wood makes a difference. The best tone wood ever used in building a guitar is only as good as the bracing and the quality / love the builder put's into the instrument. Some tone woods like Rosewood, and others, are on the "endangered" list and when "stocked" materials are used up they will not be available anymore. There are even travel restrictions on woods, ivory, tortose and other materials used in building guitars. I would never throw a lamanite guitar out with the dishwater as some are VERY good / well made instruments. So, to me, try them all, find which one has the sound / projection you are looking for and go from there.

Nela

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  • From: Chillicothe, Ohio
  • Registered: 2010-08-16
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Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

I currently own acoustics that have rosewood/spruce, mahogany/spruce and mahogany/cedar combinations.  The rosewoood/spruce tends to accent the bass and treble while the mahogany/spruce accents the mid-range. (This based on two identical body shapes/types)  The combo of mahogany and cedar top seems better balanced. Of course all of this is my opinion. The tone is also affected by the different body shapes of the guitars. For instance my hog/cedar dreadnaught is much boomier than my hog/cedar auditorium.

I'd like to try a rosewood/cedar combo sometime. 

DE

I want to read my own water, choose my own path, write my own songs
  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

Great feedback (as always) guys ... many thanks! I'm hoping to try out a Yamaha A3R this coming weekend, which is an all-solid spruce/rosewood.

http://ca.yamaha.com/en/products/musica … uct_lineup

My Larrivee doesn't have any electronics, and as much as I love it, this is a limitation. As Zurf points out, it has lots of low-end and volume, but too boomy to mic properly as I've discovered. We'll see what the Yamaha sounds like.

Thanks again!

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Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

Embrace the boom.

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

7 Reply by Tenement Funster (edited by Tenement Funster 2015-02-19 12:31:01)

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

Having a major G.A.S. attack!!!

I got to play that Yamaha A3R on Monday, and it sounded amazing. I had a preconceived notion of most Yamaha's being entry-price-point guitars, so my expectations were demolished by how great it sounded. There's no doubt that the all-solid mahogany / rosewood blend produces the sound I like best from an acoustic. The guitar sounds, feels and looks like a top end instrument ... period.

http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/18/001/599/135/DV016_Jpg_Large_H75319.001_rosewood_back_and_sides_V.jpg

Their proprietary SRT pickup system is also worth mentioning. I plugged it into Peavey Valveking 112 (a 50-watt, single speaker version of what I have) and the sound was pure acoustic tone with all the warmth and ambience of a high-end mic system. I also like that the pickguard wraps around the soundhole to the base of the neck. I like to pick a lot of Jethro Tull material there, and most pickguards don't protect that part of the instrument. A minor detail, that I can only recall seeing on some Guild guitars.

So ... at under $1,000, this is definitely worth saving for. Any Chordians own a Yamaha A3R? What do you think of it?

  • From: Chillicothe, Ohio
  • Registered: 2010-08-16
  • Posts: 1,013

Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

The A3R sounds pretty interesting.  I checked out a review from Acoustic Guitar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8b0OhEcnXI

I want to read my own water, choose my own path, write my own songs

9 Reply by Tenement Funster (edited by Tenement Funster 2015-02-20 12:16:00)

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

Thanks, DE!

That's a good review, and there are several others which were helpful. The first priority was that it had to sound good unplugged, which it certainly did. I found (to my ear) that the rosewood body gives it a bit more tightness at the bottom end with not quite as much boom (which Zurf says I should embrace ... great comment!). The other contender for a spruce/rosewood, with cutaway + pickup is this beauty from Eastman:

http://www.eastmanguitars.com/acoustic- … um-ac422ce

http://www.fishman.com/img/gallery_images/1908_medium.jpg

The upside is that the Eastman has a 1 3/4" nut, which is the wider neck that I prefer, it sounded very good and seemed to "fit me" a bit better. The downside is that I'll need to add a pickguard (piece of cake) and the Fishman Matrix V wasn't quite as good sounding pickup system as a the Yamaha SRT. Nice to find a couple of good all-solid-wood guitars in the sub $1,000 price range. It's going to take a while to save the dough, so I'll waffle back and forth a lot. It's a wonderful torment!!!

  • From: NY
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Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

I personally went after all mahogany specifically looking for that "boomy" sound.  It's more than "boomy" in my opinion though.  It's... well... from a woman's point of view, equal to chocolate and coffee.  LOL!  I've got K&K pickups and don't have issues, but I can see how mic'ing it could be an issue. 

Like NELA said, everyone has an opinion and a certain sound they're looking for.  I hope you find what you love, or rather, it finds you!

Art and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder.
What constitutes excellent music is in the ears of the listener.

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  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
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Re: Mahogany VS Rosewood

Thanks, Amy!

My Larrivee gives me lots of "boom for the buck", and even moreso since I bought it a few years ago and the wood has opened up a bit. It's great for open playing, but when mic'd it's just too overwhelming and hard to manage. I'm gradually learning more finger-style music (got a long ways to go) so the slightly sharper tone of the rosewood seems to favor this a bit more.