D16 or SWD-GT (Cherry)- which is more bright sounding?

[Alathea]

I'm looking for the 'brighter' sounding of the two. Other than using sustainable woods rather than 'traditional' woods, is there anything about the SWD-GT that would be a put off, sound-wise, vs. a D-16, or might cause more concern construction-wise down the road? Both are priced the same, at least where Im looking, and are used, so no warranty. I cannot, however, play the Cherry one since our local store does not have one.

Im more of a strummer than a finger picker, and I really gravitate towards 'rootsy folk' or some of the newer 'neo-folk' (Mumford and Sons, Fun, etc) and acoustic rock and country (Neil, Springsteen, Cash)

[rmyAddison]

I've only played a few Cherry Martins, to my ears they are brighter than EIR, but better is up to the individual.

DIfferent tonewoods is why I have more than one Martin, I love the differences...........

[Alathea]

While id love to have that, I have a hog GS mini and a Breedlove, so about 1 more is all I can swing by my wife.

[DesertTwang]

I own the SWDGT and couldn't be happier with it. I can't quite remember whether I compared it to a D-16, but I did compare it to a D-18, -28, HD-28, D-35, D-41 and a whole bunch of others, including Taylors, Guilds and Collings. Of all, I preferred the SWDGT. It's a cannon of a dreadnought and a beauty to look at. It is loud and has a strong presence. IMHO, perfect for the music you have in mind.

Tonewise, I'm not sure if this helps you, but the SWDGT is close to a spruce/mahogany guitar like the D-18, but a little brighter and more defined. Very punchy bass, too. It definitely has that woody growl that makes your chest vibrate when you strum it hard. It is much farther away from rosewood in sound than from mahogany. If mahogany were on the left end of a scale from 1 to 10, and rosewood on the right side, I'd say the SWDGT would sit somewhere around the 3 mark.

Does that help at all? I could send you a few sound clips if you're interested. Nothing fancy, just some strumming and single-note picking I recorded to keep track of how different strings sound on this guitar. But it might give you a rough idea of what to expect.

[actaylor]

I played an SWOMGT a couple of years ago and was really impressed. I love the sustainable woods aspect, but the guitar sounded great regardless. I haven't had the chance to A/B one against a spruce/mahogany guitar.

[Alathea]

Sound clips would be awesome, thanks!

[email protected] is my email address.

So, it would sound more like an all mahogany guitar?

[DesertTwang]

Originally Posted by Alathea_Squared

Sound clips would be awesome, thanks!

[email protected] is my email address.

So, it would sound more like an all mahogany guitar?

I think it's quite a bit brighter than an all-mahogany guitar. But definitely closer to mahogany than to rosewood. I play mostly bluegrass and consider the SWDGT perfect for that.

I'll email you some clips, but probably won't be able to until tomorrow. Hope that's ok.

[hawk]

I sent you a pm but I,ll add mine sounds somewhere between a 18 and a 28. I would say it is brighter than the 16 and for sure has better mids.

[Alathea]

Lol- tomorrow is great. Thanks for the comparison. That's the style of music I'd love to get into. That, and delta/slide, but I can do that with the GS. The Breedlove is so mellow sounding for that style.

Hawk- I think you are psychic....

[DesertTwang]

Originally Posted by hawk

I sent you a pm but I,ll add mine sounds somewhere between a 18 and a 28. I would say it is brighter than the 16 and for sure has better mids.

Yup - the mids are where it shines for sure.

[woodstock64]

I haven't played a D16 but every SWDGT I've payed have been really sweet sounding guitars.

[Alathea]

The listing price of the SWDGT is more than the D16 GT. Is there something inherent in the construction of the SWDGT that makes it cost more (according to Martin), or is it just because of it being part of a more limited model run?