Murph Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Sides and back? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J185-4Me Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Different! Must play. Listen close. Then decide. Plus, rosewood = "smells pretty". Otherwise, all of us = :D Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanC Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I do love the Rosewood but each guitar is different and Mahogany is very attractive in its own right. But for me, I love my rosewood acoustics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 It depends on what sound you want. Those are two completely different tonewoods with two completely different sounds. RW is a bit more "shimmery" as opposed to "Hog" which is "darker and mellower". Why don't you just get one of each!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 "Must play. Listen close." Listen to Fred. RW=deep low end, bright top. Ring. Ovetones. Sustain. Immediate gratification. Maha=more even across the spectrum, clear, sparking top end. Subtle colors. Much depends on your style. Thrash out bluegrass/neil young, sensitive new age noodling, tricky blues fingerpicking, Watson-style flatpicking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Since my ear learned the differences, I have a preference for the "snap" of mahogany. Generally a dryer sound (read "fewer overtones"), mahogany has a presence and clarity that rosewood does not. Rosewood is fatter with a lot of overtones, mellow and smooth. Mahogany is biting and sharp. That said, I am the proud owner of a rosewood guitar, my only guitar, and I do enjoy it's sound. Given a choice though, I would go with mahogany for that in-your-face, lively snap sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G McBride Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I love the RW on my Songwriter. The only Mahogany Gibson guitars I have are a Les Paul and SG so I can not compare the Mahogany to the RW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsc Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 It depends on what sound you want. Those are two completely different tonewoods with two completely different sounds. RW is a bit more "shimmery" as opposed to "Hog" which is "darker and mellower". Why don't you just get one of each!!! Amen!! Then you will need to start saving for a Maple one too!! The 3 basic food groups!! :D/ :D/ :D/ :D/ :D/ :D/ :D/ :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooboo Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I'm not sure if this is a good comparison but my guitar is Bubinga which is "African Rosewood".. I played a few other mahogany Gibsons before this one and it just stood out more to be than the others. Like McBride my main play time with mahogany is on my Les Paul so I can't really say for certain I could tell the immediate difference between the two types of wood on an acoustic. Play without looking at wood characteristics. Find the one that speaks to you and make a decision that way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 IT also depends on what size the sound box is on your guitar......I find the larger the body, the more overtones with Rosewood, to the point of getting muddy. Smaller parlors with Rosewood are GREAT!!! I was playing my Gibson Firebird last night.....maple b&s......What a great guitar......strum and you hear all the notes!!! Nothing muddy. Big bass. nice highs......this guitar can do it all.....So don't leave Maple out of the mix!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aymeric22 Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I had a Songwriter (RW), I have a J45 RW that I find more efficient and more precise for bluegrass even it has less bass the the Songwriter. But actually I'm about to sell my J45 RW to buy..... an Hummingbird. Now I know that my play is more done for mahogany and the sweet, muffled, and airy sound of the Hummingbird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 I had a Songwriter (RW)' date=' I have a J45 RW that I find more efficient and more precise for bluegrass[/quote'] Bluegrass in France....... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 IMO back & side tonewoods - ....rosewood - better low end, but pretty even response low to high ....maple - stronger on the high end, bright, loud, projects very well ....mahogany - mellow, brighter than rosewood, still fairly even low to high my preference: 1 to 3 - rosewood, maple, mahogany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdogg Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I just was wondering about this topic the other day after I played a very nice J-45rw standard. At first I was wow maybe should have bought a rosewood guitar like I originally planned, but after playing mine afterwards realized there both great, just different in good ways. I noticed that both smell wonderful. rw spicier, mahogany more vanilla like. The J45 noticible louder,the mahogany not as "ringing" but sweeter in tone, more balance bass, mid and treble. Damn feeling GAS pains! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDWags Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Nobody can deny rosewood's lush base sounds that grab hold of you from the get go. But those ringing/metallic trebles out of most rosewood guitars force me to hang it back up and go back to mahogany. My irritation with the trebles are far more pronounced with a pick than with fingerstyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanishoaknc Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 My Hummingbird Custom is a '63' and the Mahogany is a wonderful sound as it has aged very well / I got an '08' L4-A with Rosewood and it is starting to sound even better now, as it ages with time I know she will be Sweet / And I have a 12 string Maple that sounds bright / The tones are as our other members of the Forum Describe. But that old Hummingbird { She is my sweet heart} /=D> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klugg Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I just got a J45 hog, having played my J45RW for some years. My guitar duet partner also has a J45RW. We both grew a dissatisfaction about the RW j45s, that has to do with how they support the vocals. I have also read several forum posts that says the hog (mahogany) supports around the vocal in a better way than the RW (that kind of fills the whole sound spectre). This is what we're trying to experience the difference on with this hog. My RW sounds amazing, though. I use medium gauge flat tops on it. The mediums really makes this instrument more responsive and defined imo. The RW weighs around 400 grams more than the hog. Anyway, the hog has just arrived (bought new, but produced june 07!?). And as expected, it sounds weak and dull compared to the now really opened RW. I hope in some months the hog will start opening up and show it's true self. The hbird I've got (in fact my wife's) sounded amazing straight out of the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Ferguson Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I often hear that one wood supports vocals better than another wood. That might be the case for some vocalists, but in my case I find that not to be true. I find each guitar, and not just the wood, has its place for me. Most of the songs I write and play sound best on a certain guitar, be it rosewood, mahogany, maple, Gibson, Martin, round shoulder, square shoulder, etc. I think it depends on so many factors (voice, guitar, wood, bracing, scale length, playing style, strings, etc.). Just my two coppers worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cradlehall Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I'm a traditionalist - mahogany for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDC Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 mahogany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderful remark Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 very good comparison here.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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