Mahogany vs. Rosewood: THE FINAL BATTLE

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Well, putting aside my sarcastic title, this is more about which wood is really the "king" of woods for acoustic guitars, if you think that one or the other deserves that "title." But I'm not talking about their respective tones, but also about everything else. We can see mahogany as a top, as a back & sides wood, as a neck, etc. On the other hand, we see rosewood as a back and sides wood, but also as a wood for fretboards and bridges. If you'd have the power to crown one or the other, which wood would win in the overall sense for acoustic guitars?

[beatcomber]

The way I see it, there is no "king," because it's depends entirely on what one's preferences are, assuming one even has a preference.

I recently acquired my first rosewood guitar, an OM-28, and I'm still getting familiar with its character. I'm enjoy the lush, layered overtones and ringing sustain, but it sounds less "woody" and warm than mahogany-backed guitars, which typically have a richer, fuller midrange and a stronger fundamental tone.

[J Patrick]

...I reckon it’s just a thread about which wood we prefer..and why?

...I prefer mahogany for the open clear and less compressed tone it has....the notes pop better and generally speaking decay quicker....

....interestingly I have found that a really fine set of mahogany is closer in tone to Brazilian rosewood than EIR is...


...all the caveats apply..I.e. depends on builder and such...

[Brucebubs]

Rosewood and Mahogany are both fantastic ... but I prefer the tone, volume, responsiveness and balance of maple ... especially in a large body guitar.

[llew]

If I could only have one it would be mahogany. Covers a lot of bases. But I like chocolate and vanilla and maple!

[Lillis]

I like both but I love hog back/sides to the point that i’m selling my rosewood 00 and buying a Larrivee 00 Sitka/hog.

[tommieboy]

I grew up on and much preferred the sound of mahogany over rosewood. But now that I have pretty much transitioned over to smaller body guitars (smaller than an OM) I find that I now much prefer rosewood over mahogany.

Tommy

[EZYPIKINS]

Hog back and sides is ok. As long as it has a spruce top. My Guild D25M suits me just fine. But the Martin 000-15 is fast loosing it's appeal. I can make a bright guitar mellow by how I attack it. But a guitar that is mellow to begin with, can only go so far to brighten up.

[scriv58]

My vote is for chocolatey vanilla

[Guitarplayer_PR]

It seems like everyone missed the point. This thread is NOT just about the tone, but by the actual use of each wood in an acoustic guitar. And everyone went through the tone route.

[kizz]

Mahogany/spruce for that punch, mids and more in your face sound..

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR

It seems like everyone missed the point. This thread is NOT just about the tone, but by the actual use of each wood in an acoustic guitar. And everyone went through the tone route.

Since I don't believe there is such thing as "the one" guitar, I also don't believe in "the one" wood. Different guitars/woods/strings/etc. for different purposes. I'll sit this one out.

[Tnfiddler]

Count me firmly in the Rosewood camp! My Hog Bourgeois was the best looking back/sides guitar I’ve ever owned, but was lacking that one tonal quality I found in my rosewood Bourgeois! DEPTH! It cut through a mix like a scalpel, but I prefer to use a sledgehammer, which is what my Rosewood guitar does!

[mawmow]

First of all, the wood is just a part of the sound equation.

For two identical guitars, the back wood is a pure preference choice.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I personally lean mahogany but manufacturer is just as important an element as anything.