12 fret D size - Mahogany, or Rosewood?

[hat]

I am thinking along the lines of a 12 fret dread - so which would you go with and why? Mahogany, or rosewood?

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, I have four 12 fret dreads - all by Collings. Two are rose and two are hogs.

It really doesn't matter that much, as both sound good but it depends more on what your music style is.

This is entirely personal but I prefer rose for solo work, and hog for group, bluegrass etc.

The old fashioned wisdom is that when you play a chord on a rose guitar you hear a chord, but on a hog you get six separate notes.

The real benefit of 12 fretters is the neck - so, I suggest a 1 & 13/16" nut width to 2 & 3/8" string spacing over a 25.5" scale.

All my guitars are on various videos on my YouTube channel.

Hope that helps.

[KenL]

I have a D-18VS that blows me away every time I pick it up. They're pretty scarce, though.

It's got a pretty fat neck on it, the Modified V. Love it.

[Denis]

Well, I would always go with mahogany but that's me.

[zmf]

Rosewood or mahogany dread? The eternal question. Nobody can answer it for you.

But if I could have any new guitar right now, it would be the Santa Cruz D 12 fret (mahogany).

On the other hand, I need my Bourgeois Signature D (Adi/Madi) when a deep rich tone is absolutely required.

Get mahogany. A good mahogany dread with with 12 frets will have an added depth/richness to it.

[Jim]

So your choice would be either a D-18 Authentic for mahogany or a HD-28VS for rosewood. I don't see how you could go wrong with either, though it might depend if you already had a mahogany or rosewood dread. If not, then my slight preference might be the D-18 Authentic but that is only because of prefer playing blues and rock and mahogany to my ear is a tiny bit better for that kind of music.

[StephenHD35]

I have 5 Martin 12 fret dreads, 4 of which are mahogany. The one Rosewood (D-28A '31) is very impressive. I also have a D-1A '31 and a CS-D18-12, which are just as impressive in their own ways. If you asked me which of the three is my favorite, the answer would likely change depending on which was the last one I had played.

[Tony Burns]

my advice - play any guitar first hand that your not familiar with ,take the drive or dont buy . What my description of hog is is probably different than yours -
My 12 fretter Colby Horton long body is a fantastic guitar and its Rosewood .
but it may not be your cup of tea -good luck !!

[llew]

Gruhn usually has a good stock of custom Martin rosewood 12 fret dreads. Mahogany might be a little more difficult to find.

[NewPicker]

I've had a few 12 fret dreads, both Sitka/Rosewood, Mahogany/Mahogany, and Adirondack/Mahogany. I currently have a Martin CSD1812 and absolutely love it. Not just because of the tonewood, but the CSD1812 is a little more responsive than the HD28VS I had.

If you can manage to find a Martin D15S or D15SM (all Mahogany), they are tremendous guitars. They also happen to be a tremendous value.

Originally Posted by NewPicker

...I currently have a Martin CSD1812 and absolutely love it...

This is one of the best modern Martins I own. I had this and a Ditson 333 for several years, but I later sold the 333 because my preference for this one.

[llew]

I'd sure like to run across a CS D-18 12. I do have a D-15SM and it's a great guitar...especially for the $!

[lt20dbl]

My first 12 fret D was a used, 1986, Martin D-28S. I sold it after seven years of hard use and bought a new Collings DS2H that I have now owned for 20 years. Last year, I bought a used 2013 Martin D-28 Authentic 1931. All three of these guitars sound very different, yet all are rosewood. Of the two that remain with me, I honestly couldn't say which is better. They both sound great in their own voices. So wood choice probably won't help you. You are going to have to play them to make an informed decision. I still couldn't decide between the Collings and the Martin Authentic but I am happy to own both.

[SuperB23]

For me it would depend on what I have in my collection already. Its hard to go wrong. Steve Swan you used to say its hard to mess up a 12 Fret Dreadnought and I completely agree with that statement. I currently have a Santa Cruz RS in Mahogany and it fits in really well tonally with the other guitars I own. I love it, its a great sounding instrument that is super easy to play. Its on par tonally with the 1937 Martin D-18 I had.

[rmyAddison]

Over the decades my changing Martin collection has always run about 50/50 mahogany/rosewood, neither is better, they are complementary.

If more a strummer/rhythm player perhaps lean towards rosewood, if more a flatpicker/lead player then mahogany, but if it's a fine instrument either can be wonderful........