Maple vs MahogonyB/S diff.

vertical51 · #1 07-08-2003, 09:49 AM

I was wondering if someone could describe the tonal difference between a maple B/S and a mahogony B/S. Assuming both have the same tops (sitka)

thanks

gjatkins · #2 07-08-2003, 01:13 PM

My personal experience has been that maple is a little more bright and punchy than mahogany. The mahogany guitars I've played have a warmer tone to them and great sounding bass, accentuated even more with a cedar top. I have a 310 with maple that projects really well, with a nice tight mid range tone. The 510 I've played had a better (subjective term) overall tone. If you think of tone in the terms of art, mahogany has a watercolor effect (not muddy, but a nice blending effect) where maple has the tendency to stay within the lines. If I were to get a mahogany guitar I would prefer a cedar or mahogany top to accentuate the richness. I really like the sound of the 514 (cedar top), and was completely blown away by a Larrivee LV-05MT (Mahogany top) that had volume and richness.

Just my $0.02.

pollajak · #3 07-08-2003, 01:21 PM

I agree with George and I'd like to add that Maple makes the sound of each note decay faster than Mahogany does. As a result, the sound of is so bright and clear. But I can't go wrong with Mahogany. It produces a more balance tone over 6 strings. And it is so warm with Cedar.

Roman · #4 07-08-2003, 01:57 PM

I agree. But, I must also say, the more my 614 gets played, the mellower and sweeter the sound . . .

Mo-Taylors · #5 07-08-2003, 02:33 PM

Concerning Small Bodied Fingerstyle guitars:

Maple, because of its damping qualities, will give more single note definition to your sound.......
some would describe Maple's tone as "midrange punch".

Mahogany's bright and balanced sound will offer less individual note projection, so chords will be perceived audibly to Ring as a cohesive UNIT much sweeter then Maple if the instruments are identical......(as a general rule).

i look for Maple when i want note definition,
i look for Mahogany when i want evenly defined chordal *chime*, longer sustain, and a increased perception of Natural reverb in the sound.

I look for Rosewood/A Dreads when i want to be heard in a bluegrass pickup band.

MT

mauricioduque · #6 07-08-2003, 03:58 PM

If you want an "almost mahogany(not mahogany)" try sapele, it sounds amazing, IMHO really close to maple in brightness, but with more depth, if Taylor made a 314 gloss finish and with some nice inlays it would be the end of my search forever!, well sort of...

Good luck in your search
See ya!
Mauricio

orsino · #7 07-08-2003, 05:38 PM

Switching back and forth between my spruce/maple Gibby J-100Xtra and my Martin OM-15 Mahog. b/s/t is a lot of fun. My LKSM6 adding a spruce/mahog to the stable. Agree with all the tone descriptions above by the way.

ky224 · #8 07-09-2003, 01:11 AM

Maple over mahogany...hmmm...

Comparing a 2001 614ce to a 1997 Taylor 412ce. Granted, the body sizes are different.

They're both balanced. Wonderfully smooth players.

But here's the reason why I prefer maple. The sound decays sooner, so as a strummer, maple will always be better in my opinion because it's a straight sound.