#1
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Rosewood vs. Mahogany for Vocalists
After years of buying guitars and A/B'ing what seem like an endless parade of fine instruments, I'm clearly a Rosewood guy. I have heard Mahogany guitars that I thought sounded great, but have ultimately compared them to Rosewood and they (to my ear) pale in comparison.
But I'm not an instrumentalist, I'm really an accompanist to my own voice. I read a lot about folks who prefer Hog to Rosewood because it doesn't compete with the vocals. I have never run into that problem for whatever reason. But am I missing something here? Is Hog really better for vocals? Does this mean that Rosewood is somehow not good for vocals? I know, I know...buy what you like, play what you like and trust me, I have. In spades (my poor wife will tell you). But I'd be interested in hearing from folks who sing and play Rosewood...if there are any out there? I know you're out there...Bueller?
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Collings CJ35 Martin OM-28V Martin D-18 Gibson Jackson Browne Model 1 Gibson J-45 Studio Taylor 714CE Takamine Glenn Frey Signature |
#2
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Popper,
I agree with your observations. It doesn't matter much to me what the tonewoods are. Any decent guitar will do the job.
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"Dreams are the answers to questions that we haven't figured out how to ask." - Mulder |
#3
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I'm with you, Powerpopper. I'm a singer and guitar player and I have always used rosewood guitars until the last few years when I have picked up a couple of mahogany versions. They all work for me. I can't figure out why some people think mahogany works better as an accompanying guitar for voice, but many do.
I can only guess that people feel that the bassier tones from rosewood muddy up the sound and mask the voice. For me, I have always EQ'd the mixer board to accommodate the proximity effect of a typical cardioid mic. In an open room with no amplification, I simply don't hear any masking issues at all. While in recent years I have really begun to appreciate mahogany as well as rosewood, I still don't see one over the other as an advantage for voice accompaniment. But I'm sure there are plenty who do. Maybe it depends on the the voice??? Regards, Glenn |
#4
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Rather than tonewoods being the determining factor in vocal accompaniment I would seek bracing that would scoop the mids thus permiting a platform for your voice. In that regard and in general, heavily scalloped braces provide a deeper bass and scooped mids.
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#5
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I play to accompany my voice too and wouldn't play anything else but rosewood(s) most of the time. Mahogany has never been my cup of tea...
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No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is. CG Jung |
#6
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It may depend on how a person plays, too. I also agree that a scooped midrange could help. For 35 years my only guitar was a D-35, known for its scooped midrange, and it worked well for me.
Thanks, Glenn |
#7
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My voice is in the tenor range, second tenor being my power range (think of where Johnny Rivers' voice is: mine's in exactly the same register.) So I like having the fatness of tone and richness of low end response of a rosewood guitar to sing against.
But what I've inadvertently discovered over the years is that tonewoods with simpler, cleaner profiles tend to work a bit better when playing in a group. In my case it's been walnut and maple guitars I've gravitated towards for these uses, but the principle is the same: it could have just as easily been mahogany. It's not like I've had any great "Master Plan" where I deliberately selected these guitars for their qualities when played in a group, I simply bought guitars that I liked the sound of and then discovered that they worked well for this purpose. Anyway, it all comes down to personal taste, right hand attack and the situations we find ourselves in: had I remained essentially a solo performer, I doubt I would have delved as much into guitars with cleaner tone profiles. A lot just depends in the choices made along the way. Hope that makes sense. Wade Hampton Miller |
#8
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I typically take two guitars to gigs, a rosewood and my D-18GE, I don't think it matters at least to me, I have no preference by wood. Thinking about I match the guitars to the songs not my voice, to me the vocal is a separate component.
My only consideration is miking, it's hard to sing above a dread with only one mike, I try to always use two or three. In general I find it eaiser to sing/play with an OM/000's, but that's body size not wood type. I think I'm wood neutral as far as vocals, more match the guitar to the type of music. What do I know...............
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Rich - rmyAddison Rich Macklin Soundclick Website http://www.youtube.com/rmyaddison Martin OM-18 Authentic '33 Adirondack/Mahogany Martin CS OM-28 Alpine/Madagascar Martin CS 00-42 Adirondack/Madagascar Martin OM-45TB (2005) Engelmann/Tasmanian Blackwood (#23 of 29) |
#9
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I think it probably makes more of a difference when singing without a mic and you are then competing on both volume and tone. With a mic and sound board you can adjust and make the vocals louder. I am finding that my Sitka/Mahogany 000-17SM really competes with my voice when I use a pick and it's volume is up versus strumming with my thumb. I am thinking of trying a rosewood guitar.
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#10
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When it comes down to one singer with one guitar the possibilities are endless...there are so many variables regarding style...guitar and vocal....and how one pairs their own unique voice with a single instrument has taken so many directions already....
...then add plain ol personal preference to the mix..... ....now if you’re going to narrow it down to a specific style and a vocal register one might be able to reach some consensus on what kind of guitar would work well....even then..when it comes to music...nothing is set in stone and sometimes going against norms stimulates creativity.... . |
#11
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What I understand is that RW will have a little natural scoop in the mids which gives some space for the typical male vocal range to sit. Seems logical to me, this is what I've read.
In practice I do prefer singing with a J45 (hog) for example, over a Collings Dread. The J45 just accompanies better for me, it sits a little in the back seat. The Collings would be what I grab if it's an instrumental tune. |
#12
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Because of my natural vibrato, my voice tends to sound better with a guitar with more fundamental and less overtones. That said, I have both rosewood and mahogany backed guitars and I have songs that I like better on one and other songs where I prefer the other. Lots of variables for sure.
Best, Jayne |
#13
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We do not all sing the same way. I take "cues" from what I hear in the guitar and have noticed when using a 12 string or a guitar with heavy overtones my ear hears competition and I have to listen less closely to the guitar to sing each note on key. Though I have not examined it with regards to myself, the thought of a more fundamental sound with greater emphasis on the mids makes sense.
These are not big enough differences that I would reject a guitar I otherwise loved because it lacked mids or had too many overtones. But it's something to consider for some of us.
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The Bard Rocks Fay OM Sinker Redwood/Tiger Myrtle Sexauer L00 Adk/Magnolia For Sale Hatcher Jumbo Bearclaw/"Bacon" Padauk Goodall Jumbo POC/flamed Mahogany Appollonio 12 POC/Myrtle MJ Franks Resonator, all Australian Blackwood Goodman J45 Lutz/fiddleback Mahogany Blackbird "Lucky 13" - carbon fiber '31 National Duolian + many other stringed instruments. |
#14
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And we don't accompany vocals the same way. I combine strumming with a lot of hybrid picking and brief instrumental breaks. The guitar I use most of the time for accompaniment is a Collings rosewood OM, an OM2GSS. It has both richness without muddiness and clean clear highs. It's sort of a duet partner. No scoop. But I also will sing with three mahogany guitars with fairly similar characteristics; and will take my mahogany Collings OM, an OM1A, with a little drier sound a third of the time I sang with a Martin HD28 for years, but I became uncomfortable with the relatively thick upper bass/low midrange; and began looking for a little more expressive, cleaner, sound in the accompaniment. And, of course, we really can sing with anything. From my experience, my preference isn't so much what technically complements a voice, but what makes it most comfortable to sing with and express best the musical story. |
#15
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Most of the gigging I did in the 70's and 80's was without amplification, and in that format I'd rather not have the guitar stealing my thunder, which a rosewood guitar might do. It's similar to the reason I don't want to sing with a 12-string--there's just too much competition there between voice and guitar.
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1 dreadnought, 1 auditorium, 1 concert, and 2 travel guitars. |