Martin - Rosewood Superior to Mahogany?

[smiths]

Kinda prefer the rosewood tone specially on an old guitar, and I agree that rosewood can get pretty dull with a rise in humidity.

[Nate the Skate]

I can't speak for Martin guitars much although I've played a D-28 and it was quite nice. But I think when it comes to Larrivees the Indian Rosewood is of such a high grade that it is a step above the khaya or African mahogany that Larrivee offers. I like my Larrivee P-05, which is sitka over khaya b/s, but I almost wished I had waited to get the P-09 rosewood model, as the P-09 seems to take a heavier pick attack when that's desired. The P-05 is still a fine guitar, though, so it is working out. It just has to be played differently than my Larrivee L-04, which is like an L-03R except with gloss top, upgraded tuners and MOP inlaid logo. I can really wail on the L-04 when I want to. I noticed players of the rosewood b/s P-09s can employ a heavier attack, too. The P-05 is good for mellow playing and it has a sweet voice.

[Chemo]

If I remember right, rosewood(s) tend to be quite oily woods, and therefore harder to work with? This might have a lot more to do with manufacturing cost than the cost of wood materials.

[Brucebubs]

I love them both but here are some interesting thoughts from Martin guitar clinician Diane Ponzio and why she chose Mahogany for her signature model.

“Recently, I learned firsthand that dwindling natural
resources and increased demand from other industries has
cast a threatening shadow over the future supply of
genuine mahogany.”
“I am convinced that genuine mahogany will one day
approximate the rarity of Brazilian rosewood.
Mahogany instruments sound much brighter
than their rosewood counterparts, and the
clarity is rich and distinct. It is for these
reasons that I chose genuine mahogany
for the back and sides.”

Don't forget this is a person not only with access to the entire Martin range but also gets to travel the world demonstrating them.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by zabdart

Rosewood has more resonance and lends more color to your sound. It's also more attractive visually... scarcer, too. That's why it's always been more expensive than mahogany, which has a drier, crisper sound. However, the sound any individual guitar player prefers is a matter of personal taste.

Unless it's "quilted" mahogany in which case, I disagree that Rosewood is more attractive. Rosewood is definitely a warmer type of resonance with less bite than mahogany. I can testify to that as my buddy and I own identical guitar bodies and bracing with identical tops. His is rosewood back and sides, mine mahogany and you can hear a difference.

[Warrenaines]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I love them both but here are some interesting thoughts from Martin guitar clinician Diane Ponzio and why she chose Mahogany for her signature model.

“Recently, I learned firsthand that dwindling natural
resources and increased demand from other industries has
cast a threatening shadow over the future supply of
genuine mahogany.”
“I am convinced that genuine mahogany will one day
approximate the rarity of Brazilian rosewood.
Mahogany instruments sound much brighter
than their rosewood counterparts, and the
clarity is rich and distinct. It is for these
reasons that I chose genuine mahogany
for the back and sides.”

Don't forget this is a person not only with access to the entire Martin range but also gets to travel the world demonstrating them.

I'm sure her pinky finger generally knows more about Martins and genuine mahogany b/s than I ever will, but this doesn't make sense to me for multiple reasons, feel free to correct me:

(1) Tone: Mahogany is "much brighter than rosewood"?? If anything, the opposite is true. I like mahogany, but never heard this. Has anyone bought a J-45 w/ Mahogany because of its brightness (even compared to a rosewood J45)?

Tone Pt. 2: Because 'genuine mahogany' was traditionally a cheaper tone wood, do we even know if (solid) mahogany from other regions is inferior? Seems like it hasn't really been tested because genuine mahogany has been relatively cheap.

(2) Scarcity/Value: It does seem like 'genuine Mahogany' is getting relatively scarce, but why then aren't companies capitalizing on this? There's a million marketing schemes, but this seems like a legit incentive. While I can kind of see a company with the offerings that Martin has not wanting to cannabalize itself, why aren't smaller companies advertising 'get it while you can'? Why is Martin using genuine mahogany on less expensive standard models but whatever other kind of Mahogany on slightly more expensive models like the CEO-7?

Scarcity/Value Pt. 2: Even if 'genuine Mahogany' itself becomes as scarce as Brazillian Rosewood for new guitars, there's thousands upon thousands of excellent condition used mahogany guitars around (that were bought cheaper than their rosewood counterparts), it's really a stretch to make any comparison to Brazillian Rosewood.