Tonewood that sounds close to rosewood but with more mediums

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by Cameleye

I like the cocobolo (with adi top) tone of my recent SCGC 00 Skye.

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Cocobolo is what you're looking for.

Originally Posted by islandguitar

I don't have expansive knowledge with your question, but you've got two early Cocobolo recommendations, .....and I'll add a third vote. Paring this with a nice old growth Redwood with very stiff build properties could be a great combo with the right sets of wood.

Here's another vote for cocobolo. Love the tone of my Yamamoto Talus VS-12 with a paulownia top and cocobolo B&S.

[Wade Hampton]

Johan, I'm not going to try to talk you into reconsidering rosewood. The first wood I'd suggest you investigate is Macassar ebony. Admittedly, I haven't played a huge number of guitars made out of it: ten or twelve, at most. But all of them have had the sort of tone you say you're looking for. It's a superb tonewood.

Pandaroo made another excellent suggestion: Australian/Tasmanian blackwood. It's in the acacia family, like koa, and even looks a lot like koa, but the Australian blackwood instruments I've owned (two) and played (ten times that) have sounded more like a cross between koa and rosewood than koa alone.

So look into those two woods: Macassar ebony and Australian (sometimes marketed as Tasmanian) blackwood. As an added benefit, both are exceptionally attractive woods, as well - at least in my opinion.

Macassar ebony:

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and Australian blackwood:

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Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Chipotle]

I posted essentially the same question in the Custom Shop section a while back. It went 5 pages and got heavily into the physics of how guitars make sound. And there was no real resolution after all that.

You can check it out here.

tl;dr: While a few woods generally qualify, the luthier and specific piece of tree are probably more important.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

I posted essentially the same question in the Custom Shop section a while back. It went 5 pages and got heavily into the physics of how guitars make sound. And there was no real resolution after all that.

You can check it out here.

tl;dr: While a few woods generally qualify, the luthier and specific piece of tree are probably more important.

Agreed. Threads like this typically end up with the same result as if you asked a group of people what car you should buy. You get a lot of people recommending what they happen to own.

If the OP is looking for a specific sound, he'd be best served finding a builder that features that type of tone. Then, pick the body style. Then the top wood. Back wood should be one of the last things on the priority list.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by Johan Madsen

I am not really a rosewood guy as I usually prefer dryer sounding woods, but I admit that its tonal properties can work in a great way for slow arpeggiated fingerstyle stuffs. Having said that I still have trouble to bond with rosewood's often metallic kind of trebles and scooped mids, so here's my question, what tonewood in your opinion shares rosewood's strong bass register and overtones but with more mids and without those glassy metallic or whatever treble properties ?

Try some different luthiers' instruments than the ones you have already sampled.

[vintageom]

NOT IN ORDER, just what I hear compared to what you want in your OP:


Macassar Ebony

Tasmanian Blackwood

Koa

Cocobolo

Guatemalan Rosewood

[westman]

wow johan u really have u'r mind made up re what rosewood can 'n cant do but u'r not alone - seems to be a prevalent preconception overlooking soundboard system and 'build'.
Short answer - Cuban Mahogany or possibly Sapele.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by westman

wow johan u really have u'r mind made up re what rosewood can 'n cant do but u'r not alone - seems to be a prevalent preconception overlooking soundboard system and 'build'.
Short answer - Cuban Mahogany or possibly Sapele.

Short answer to what question?

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Originally Posted by Johan Madsen

I am not really a rosewood guy as I usually prefer dryer sounding woods, but I admit that its tonal properties can work in a great way for slow arpeggiated fingerstyle stuffs. Having said that I still have trouble to bond with rosewood's often metallic kind of trebles and scooped mids, so here's my question, what tonewood in your opinion shares rosewood's strong bass register and overtones but with more mids and without those glassy metallic or whatever treble properties ?

Originally Posted by Authentic

You'll probably get a few Ovangkols here ...snip...

Taylor Guitars seems to believe Ovangkol is exactly what you are looking for...

[Orfeas]

I went with cocobolo because I found the sound to be the answer to my same exact question, while I was searching to buy a new OM. I've had no idea what cocobolo was until I tried the OM that I currently own. I was searching for nice balanced tone with mids included, something that rosewoods that I've tried did not have.

[rokdog49]

I'll through a big monkey wrench into this.
Jean Larrivee's guitars are known for tonal balance no matter what the backing woods or top woods.
I have played my share of them and many body styles.
If you want MORE pronounced mids, by a guitar designed to produce that.

[jpd]

what tonewood in your opinion shares rosewood's strong bass register and overtones but with more mids and without those glassy metallic or whatever treble properties ?


Bubinga....in spades

[Truckjohn]

I get the whole metallic zing thing.

If you still want plenty of bass but not the metallic zing... Here would be my recipe...

Dense but not low damping woods. Oak, Ebony family, Cuban mahogany, ovangkol, shedua, mesquite, hickory.. Maybe even rock maple. Stuff along those lines. Stay away from rosewood and rosewood like stuff like Hormigo, Granadillo, maca, paduak and also Osage orange and black locust.

Heavy sides - helps bring out the bass... Weight is the thing. Double sides or extra thick sides are a way to get this - even with normal range woods. So like a mahogany back with mahogany double sides.

So.. Here's a guitar recipe.. Quartersawn white oak B/S. Leave the sides thick (>0.10") - oak bends easy. Lutz spruce top. Tapered bracing.

Thanks

[Wade Hampton]

Johan, another thought occurred to me, and that is that you might look for a Martin Norman Blake model Triple O. These have a 14 fret Triple O/OM body but the neck joins the body at the 12th fret.

I've played several, both Martins and the Blueridge imitation of the same design, in rosewood, mahogany and sapele, and all of them had prominent midrange responses. It seems to be a characteristic of that design.

Just a thought...


whm

[Olli Dangendorf]

If you do not like glassy treble I would stay away from Cocobolo.

As Wade mentioned Australian Blackwood is a great option. Depending on the builder Ovangkol is great alternative, too - maybe paired with cedar . I absolutely love that combination on my BSG Parlor guitar.