What's the "best sounding" tonewood for a 14 fet dread?

drbluegrass · #1 12-20-2009, 04:25 PM

Is it Brazilian or are there woods that sound as sweet and balanced? Some people like plain ol' mahogany as well as anything. I'm primarily referring to the back and sides, however, if you have a really nice sounding back, sides and top combination let me know. Keep in mind I'm mainly a bluegrass flat picker and a finger picker a close second to that. OK, have at it.

Tom

Brackett Instruments · #2 12-20-2009, 04:33 PM

"Best sounding" is relative to the person listening. For Bluegrass I believe an Adi topped Dread with Honduran Rosewood back and sides is the bees knees. It's got the rumble most Rosewoods have, that's necessary for rhythm work, and it's got alot of......sparkle for cutting through with leads.

You've got a nice bluegrass guitar listed in your signature.

247hoopsfan · #3 12-20-2009, 05:12 PM

My Larrivee D10 has got some great mojo. Mastergrade East Indian Rosewood. I would like to try Madagascar Rosewood. Someone had a Larrivee D60 Madagascar for sale here a while back. Bet that was the bomb.

drbluegrass · #4 12-20-2009, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woody b

"Best sounding" is relative to the person listening. For Bluegrass I believe an Adi topped Dread with Honduran Rosewood back and sides is the bees knees. It's got the rumble most Rosewoods have, that's necessary for rhythm work, and it's got alot of......sparkle for cutting through with leads.

You've got a nice bluegrass guitar listed in your signature.

Hey Woody,

Thanks. Yeah, I'm really loving my D-1A...hugely. Fabulous guitar. I'm kind of thinking I'd like to have a rosewood guitar to complement it (and the Collings DS3MhAS I have on order). Funny you should mention Honduran rosewood...I was thinking the very same thing. I've read some very good things about it lately. Some folks are liking it as well as, or even more than, Brazilian. I've also thought about Madagascar. My plans are to use the D-1A as my main live gig guitar due to its superb tone and volume, the rosewood guitar primarily as a recording guitar due to its complexity, and the DS3MhAS as a solo and finger picking guitar. I do a lot of finger picking and use different rolls when I play solo. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.

Tom

JimR · #5 12-20-2009, 05:45 PM

The one I prefer most, of those I"ve owned and/or had the opportunity to hear up close and unamplified, is Madagascar and Adirondack, although my
D1A is a very close second.

TaylorKoaFan · #6 12-20-2009, 05:57 PM

I'm more of an OM kind of guy... but if I had to choose a dread, it would definitely be an Adi/Braz D. If cost was a factor, I'd go Adi/Mad.

Or, if I wanted a strong but sweet tone, I'd go with the Euro spruce top. Overall, I'm definitely a spruce/rosewood type.

HHP · #7 12-20-2009, 06:02 PM

Probably more a matter of who makes it as much as what it's made out of. Everybody offers red paint but only Enzo puts a Ferrari under it.

JimR · #8 12-20-2009, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HHP

Probably more a matter of who makes it as much as what it's made out of. Everybody offers red paint but only Enzo puts a Ferrari under it.

I don't think there is any doubt that the builder and the specific piece(s) of wood used to build a guitar make all the difference. As does the ear of the individual playing or hearing a guitar. I've owned Brazilian guitars that I thought were ordinary and EIR guitars that I considered magnificent. Someone else may have heard them differently.

Bltprf502 · #9 12-20-2009, 06:28 PM

There is NO way to answer this question unless your going to take MY word for it...

drbluegrass · #10 12-20-2009, 06:32 PM

BTW, Woody, you make some really nice sounding guitars. I especially like the clips of your Braz and Honduran rose guitars. Beautiful balance and tone.

And, Jim, I've heard those Bourgeois Sig D's just fall apart after a few years. It's especially a phenomenon with the Madi/Adi ones. Oh! I just noticed yours is one of those. It's sure to be of no worth whatsoever to you now. If you want me to take it off your hands, I'm sure you'll not want it taking up space in your home. Ahem, sniff.

Tom

Well, it never hurts to try.

handers · #11 12-20-2009, 07:50 PM

There is no answer to this question as there is no answer to the question who is the best of the fauvist painters.

There can be many woods which are equally good in different ways. Complicating matters is the fact that each piece of wood is unique and cannot be evaluated by it's genus or appearance alone. Some ind. RW may be superior to some brazilian RW, the latter being revered as the best wood for generations. But some top guitars makers will not use brazilian and use ind. RW routinely in their best instruments.

Some folks love mahogany over rosewoood, personal preference. Great quality old Koa is as rare and desireable as the best braz RW. African blackwood is also very rare and highly prized.

Play as many guitars as you can, talk to as many makers as you can and come to your own conclusion.

hans

drbluegrass · #12 12-20-2009, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by handers

There is no answer to this question as there is no answer to the question who is the best of the fauvist painters.

There can be many woods which are equally good in different ways. Complicating matters is the fact that each piece of wood is unique and cannot be evaluated by it's genus or appearance alone. Some ind. RW may be superior to some brazilian RW, the latter being revered as the best wood for generations. But some top guitars makers will not use brazilian and use ind. RW routinely in their best instruments.

Some folks love mahogany over rosewoood, personal preference. Great quality old Koa is as rare and desireable as the best braz RW. African blackwood is also very rare and highly prized.

Play as many guitars as you can, talk to as many makers as you can and come to your own conclusion.

hans

Ya' know, I asked for it and I appreciate your response. But this is the kind of answer you get when you don't ask the right question. It's kind of the standard..."some people like this, some people like that, some like red, some like blue, and tone is all subjective, yadda, yadda, yadda." I've been playing guitar for a lonnngggg time and I know all that. And I accept full responsibility for asking the kind of question that begs this type of an answer.
So, let me rephrase my question...If you were to order a rosewood dread that will be used for bluegrass, flat picking, and (to a lesser extent) finger picking, primarily in a recording context, what tone woods would you order? Remember, I already have 2 mahogany dreads. Thank you so much for your responses.

Tom

D.Kwasnycia · #13 12-20-2009, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drbluegrass

Ya' know, I asked for it and I appreciate your response. But this is the kind of answer you get when you don't ask the right question. It's kind of the standard..."some people like this, some people like that, some like red, some like blue, and tone is all subjective, yadda, yadda, yadda." I've been playing guitar for a lonnngggg time and I know all that. And I accept full responsibility for asking the kind of question that begs this type of an answer.
So, let me rephrase my question...If you were to order a rosewood dread that will be used for bluegrass, flat picking, and (to a lesser extent) finger picking, primarily in a recording context, what tone woods would you order? Remember, I already have 2 mahogany dreads. Thank you so much for your responses.

Tom

Tom,
Of the two mahogany dreads that you have, what is it that you want to hear that is different, than what you have? In other words, what is it you want to hear and get out of a guitar? Im sure that you have a particular tone or sound that you have heard that turns your crank.

j45dale · #14 12-20-2009, 09:59 PM

I feel most players vote with their money. And this vote is based on each of our opinions of tone.
Our herd consists of six Mahoganys, of different brands and sizes, and one Rosewood. So I mostly voted for the basic clarity of Mahogany.
I like their sound for picking. Some have Sitka tops, one has Red Spruce and one is even Mahogany. They all sound different.
To my ear,a EIR Rosewood Dred, delivers a warmer,and bass rich sound, which is good for strumming or a back up role. Here also my ear favors a Sitka Spruce top, over a Red Spruce. To me, Sitka delivers a rich and mellow tone vs. the sharper attack of a Red Spruce. EXP. I own a Guild D-55. which is rich and mellow, and I also love the sound of the new Martin D-21 Special.
Many will disagree, as there are a load of great Rosewood Dred/Red Spruce top, lead guitar pickers... its just for that purpose, I would use a Mahogany tone wood guitar. Although I would never turn down a Martin D-28 Marquis, and would find some way to use it

Dale.

drbluegrass · #15 12-21-2009, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.Kwasnycia

Tom,
Of the two mahogany dreads that you have, what is it that you want to hear that is different, than what you have? In other words, what is it you want to hear and get out of a guitar? Im sure that you have a particular tone or sound that you have heard that turns your crank.

OK, how about some rosewood "shinnnggg" on top? But not too much. And it needs to be balanced with rich mids and nice, tight, lows. Now you know exactly what I want, LOL!!
Actually, I really like the sound of Bryan Sutton's Bourgeois D-150 that he uses on his instructional DVD and various recordings. It's a Braz/adi dread. Beautiful, rich, balanced tone. Maybe he'll sell it to me? Ha, ha.

Tom