Solid Mahogany Tops?

[FingahPickah]

Originally Posted by SalFromChatham

I still have my D15 after 12 years. Warm, and ... home. Just a fantastic guitar. Tone can vary quite a bit with string choice too!. Nickel... PB... 80/20 choose your sound.

Interesting point about string choice > tone... I agree.

BIG tone difference PB vs 80/20 on my Taylor. I wonder if the mahogany top accentuates the difference (more so than on my spruce tops).

I haven't tried Nickel (Monel) on it yet, but plan to out of curiosity... A third tone choice on the same guitar would be nice.

[emtsteve]

I've owned most of the Martin 15 series guitars and have settled on a newer 00-15. It just fits me. It is surprisingly loud and yet can be sweet too, strums and fingerpicks equally well. My only gripe is the neck, a bit wider and fuller would be nice, but I can adjust. I'd love to try the Santa Cruz 1929 sometime, sure sounds and looks good in videos. So is my 00-15M an "only" guitar? Probably not, but I wouldn't want to be without it.

[vashondan2018]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

I bought the Faith 'Mars' after one strum. For years I was wedded to spruce/rosewood/mahogany combinations probably more from habit than anything else, but the all-mahogany build changed my attitude completely.
Demo...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkzFzBa_nfY
Many describe mahogany tone as 'warm' or 'subdued', but in the Mars I found brightness aplenty, albeit without the 'edge' of spruce, with a 'roundness' to the trebles, great balance, long sustain and good note separation. Harmonics are also present to enhance sustained notes and chords, but are much less front and centre than your typical spruce/rosewood combination, for example.

That's a great sounding guitar. "Mars" is the model name?

[MrBJones]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

My own attitude towards hardwood-topped guitars is that they tend to have a very specific, somewhat limited tone, and they’re often quieter than their spruce-topped equivalents. The ones I’ve had that I liked a lot were Guild D-25M’s: they were very balanced sounding and louder than a lot of mahogany-topped guitars.

Good instruments.


Wade Hampton Miller

In my somewhat limited experience, I agree completely. Mahogany tops can produce a very nice - often beautiful - tone, but in a way that doesn't completely lend itself to particular songs or whole genres. I might even go as far as to say that they're niche guitars. And not particularly loud, which is something for one to consider based on his/her own playing technique.

On the other hand, the distinctive tone is spot on for some pieces. And mahogany tops really sing in DADGAD and open G. The "right" strings can enhance it even more.

My OM-15 is my everyday guitar, as a result of buying before I considered all the angles. I really do like it, but I wish I had a spruce/mahogany, and someday will when the time is right...not gassing; I can wait.

There's a lot of tone to be had with a mahogany top but you have to "work" a bit to get to it. In the last 8 years, my own style/technique has naturally evolved to get as much of it as possible (for me anyway). Friends have complimented it, but sometimes as a "novelty" (to use another poster's term). I'm happy with it, but if I had it to do over, my everyday would be spruce topped.

[Rosewood99]

Not sure I understand all this talk of mahogany being a novelty top. I’ve had my Martin OMC15 for about 10 years and I can play just about every kind of style with it. Would I want it be my only guitar? No, but I wouldn’t want my Spruce and Rosewood or my Cedar and walnut to be my only guitar either.

[brandall10]

I have a Pre*War 000-28, basically a recreation of a late 30s Martin 000. Wonderful guitar, got me interested in hunting down actually prewar Martins.

I was able to try 4, including a '36 D-18, a '44 000-21, and a '08 00-21 (not considered golden period, but still was quite nice)... and a '34 0-17.

Out of those 4, the 0-17 was my favorite, and of course was the least expensive. That guitar just 'had it'. It was a local shop and I felt the price was a tad high, but it haunted me and I went back to purchase it was gone. Oddly enough it was the only one that I felt was on the level of my Pre*War despite being a much smaller body and all hog... even the neck was dang near identical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fVWNUPHJe8

[KenL]

I've had a couple. One was a Santa Cruz 00 1929 that was spectacular in every respect, but the neck didn't work for me so I let it go.

Another was a rare Eastman AC508 with a slothead. Cool guitar, wish I had kept it.

I loved the tone of both, very uncomplicated and fundamental. But I'd have to have a couple other guitars to complement it.

[Lillis]

Originally Posted by Guitar JlM

A lot of acoustic guitarists hear with their eyes.
In other words, in a genuine blind sound test I bet a big percentage of players would often struggle to accurately pick the type of wood used for the top/back/sides ..... but if they could SEE the test guitars they would say that's a nice "spruce tone" or that's a nice "mahogany tone" or that's a nice "rosewood tone" or that's a nice "Koa tone" or that's a terrible "laminated wood tone" etc etc etc.

This I agree with. I’m also guilty of it. I tend to go for variety though.

[gr81dorn]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

My own attitude towards hardwood-topped guitars is that they tend to have a very specific, somewhat limited tone, and they’re often quieter than their spruce-topped equivalents. The ones I’ve had that I liked a lot were Guild D-25M’s: they were very balanced sounding and louder than a lot of mahogany-topped guitars.

Good instruments.


Wade Hampton Miller

You'd probably have really loved the D25s that actually had Spruce tops and were just painted to match everything else. Those are/were amazing guitars.

[gr81dorn]

My favorite guitars have always been all hog. 15 series martins are unbeatable values. My signature model Iris Guitar is insanely loud and balanced for a small body instrument. I think all hog shines at a lot of sizes, but really is its strongest on 000 and smaller. It has a magic quality to have a lot of volume and presence at a smaller size without getting to overly bright and still maintaining some noticeable bottom end. I love my hog tops more than anything else for sure.

[Photojeep]

I used to own an Ibanez AC240 which had a solid mahogany top and it was a joy to play and had incredible volume. I like the finger picking tone from it more than using a pick. Its warmth was wonderful. I really wish I hadn't sold it!

Best,
PJ

[rollypolly]

Another mahogany top fan here. I got the GPC-15me a few months ago and love it. Very tasteful aesthetics, very musical tone, plenty of mojo. Currently eyeing other 15 series boxes and Taylor AD27 looks sweet. They're great guitars.

[FrankHudson]

I've always liked my Martin 00-15's sound. Like one poster up-thread, I'm not in love with the neck and dimensions at the nut (beefier and wider would please me) -- but the sound makes up for that. My favorite non-resonator slide guitar by far, my "fingerpick-like sound with flatpicking" crosspicking suits it fine, and I've even been surprised by its strumming response recently.

Do I think it's less versatile? Not really, though I'd play it more if I liked the neck better. Probably not the loudest guitar in my accumulation, but volume has little value to me most of the time.

I suspect the AGF has more mahogany topped guitars proportional to the general guitar owner population, and we're not shy here talking about them, but it is good to have an excuse to mention how nice they sound.

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

I could be remiss but I haven't seen much AGF thread focus on Solid Mahogany top acoustic guitars.

Over the years I've played a few (Guild D15, Martin 000-15, etc.) and liked them but never really connected with the sound until a couple of years ago - I was taken by surprise by a Taylor 324e (X Braced). The only mahogany top and the only Taylor I own. I believe there's something a bit special about the pairing with Tasmanian Blackwood and the X Braced GA body style.

I was also recently impressed with a Martin D-15M StreetMaster's "voice" at a local shop.

I've seen some (mostly moderately priced) Breedloves, Eastmans, Guilds, Washburns, etc ... It occurred to me I don't seem to see or hear of private custom mahogany top builds.

I'm curious what AGF members own and/or think about Mahogany tops.

The warmth, smoothness and natural compression from a mahogany top is the thing that made me own the 322ce. It didn't hurt that it's also a 12-fretter.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

If the Martin 000-15 had a 1.75 nut I would likely own one. Not sure why they decided to put neck with dread dimensions on that model?

The Martin 000-15sm has a 1.75 nut.