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  #16  
Old 03-11-2015, 04:35 PM
Wengr Wengr is offline
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When I think about tonewood comparisons I always think of Lowden. And the reason is that you can experience spruce or cedar, and a good variety of back/side woods on very similar guitars. I think it makes for a good ability to compare.
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  #17  
Old 03-11-2015, 04:46 PM
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fazool fazool is offline
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That was a little like the 1 am phonecall from a drunk friend.....you listen to it but you really don't care.
Close, but I think of it as the type of small talk casual conversation you have with a friend over a beer or while sitting on the beach. And it sparks small conversations between friends with like-minded interests.
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  #18  
Old 03-11-2015, 05:01 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Hey, I really enjoyed your post, Fazool. And while your musings on these woods aren't what my musings on them would be, that's precisely what made it interesting to read.

If you ever make up here to Darkest Alaska, Fazool, stop by my house here in Chugiak and I'll hand you a number of instruments with backs and sides of koa or walnut to play. Koa's one of the greatest tonewoods that there is when you get the good-sounding stuff, and black walnut's not too shabby, either.


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  #19  
Old 03-11-2015, 05:10 PM
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I enjoyed your musings; it was coherent and concise. My present tonewood musings are:

I don't like to have more than 2 or 3 guitars at any one time, so I have to stick with the tried and true. For me that means it must have a spruce top, sitka or adi, I like 'em both.

As far as b&s, mahogany won't lead me astray. I'm not really into rosewood, it sounds too predictable and ho-hum; not a lot of cut in it. In the right guitar, though, it can be pretty smooth, like in a J-45, whose short scale and body size lends itself to adding the extra cut needed for rosewood.

I also like maple, but it's trickier. I like maple that sounds really dry, like it's a 50 year old guitar. I don't want it to sound shrill and tinny.

Next up would be walnut, but I'm still coming around to figuring out whether I like it or not.
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  #20  
Old 03-11-2015, 05:17 PM
zmf zmf is offline
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Originally Posted by Wengr View Post
When I think about tonewood comparisons I always think of Lowden. And the reason is that you can experience spruce or cedar, and a good variety of back/side woods on very similar guitars. I think it makes for a good ability to compare.
Good musing.

I also think of Lowden when I think of tonewoods, but Lowdens have their distinctive sounds. I'd like to say I think they've made me like walnut, but I need to play walnut guitars by other makers. Bet I'd still like it.

I do think I understand rosewood, but beyond that, I can't separate tonewood from who made the guitar, or the shape and bracing.
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  #21  
Old 03-11-2015, 07:39 PM
BadLiver BadLiver is offline
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Originally Posted by fazool View Post
No agenda. No ulterior motive. No argumentation intent. Just some random musings on tone woods. There are no facts or science behind these. There is no "prove me wrong" data set. It's just purely my opinionated feelings without qualification.

When I think of the word "guitar" I automatically "see" a rosewood body with a spruce top. For some reason that is always my visualization of the definition of a guitar. And it's not even my favorite combination.

My favorite tonewood is cedar. I simply love the delicate-ness, the sound, the responsiveness, the complementary overtone chorus, the look and even the smell. I only play with my fingers (and almost never use a pick) so headroom is not an issue for me.

I always thought I would prefer cedar over mahogany (I have one) but I like the sound of cedar over rosewood best.

I'm a "Taylor guy" but I really don't care for their full-size mahogany guitars. I love a GS Mini in mahogany (even more than the spruce-topped version), but in their full-size guitars I simply don't like the sound. It doesn't sound like "mahogany" - it's where that notorious Taylor brightness is a problem.

Now a Martin in all mahogany has that chest rumbling growl that I simply crave. That's my definition of a mahogany guitar. I don't eschew the slang term "hog" either, although I cringe at the word "axe".

Speaking of Martin mahoganies: I really don't care for sapele used interchangeably with mahogany (on their older D-15 line). I like sapele as a body wood. I don't like sapele as a top wood and I do not think it's "the same" as mahogany on a soundboard. I have one of each and there is no comparison.

And speaking of sapele, I know it's a cheap wood but think it's a great body wood. I like it much better than ovangkol - which is my least favorite body wood. I had a Taylor 410 and 412 and disliked both. Not sure why but I really didn't like them. I blame the ovangkol.

And, I love the concept of sustainable domestic woods like maple and cherry. I haven't had much chance to spend any real time with either but I fully intend to own a North American wood guitar someday - probably maple.

I love the look of a maple guitar. I think the light blonde color, accented by white binding is stunningly gorgeous in a guitar. But I just don't know if I would like the single note clarity and articulation - its sort of the opposite of cedar. Well, I love the concept of it, the history, the future of it and the looks. If it only sounded the way I wanted, I'd have a new favorite.

I love the mystique of sinker redwood. I also love it's appearance. I only ever played one - once at a Taylor Roadshow. It was really muddy and muted. I've read redwood makes wonderful tops that sound amazing. This one (single example) sure didn't. I think it must have been a dud.

I think Koa and cocobolo are beautiful in appearance. I've never tried one. My buddy has a Koa 712 I hope to play the next time I visit him.


I think I finally found the Merlot of guitars -- that meaning, a mixture of a bunch of decent grapes. It's a very humble Breedlove Revival DR Deluxe rosewood dreadnought, but it sounds halfway in between a hog and a rosewood. It's a fraction of the cost of many guitars but it's a sonic mutt, and is easy enough to play, so that has me entertained at the moment.

I like maple guitars okay but it seems to me they just aren't very loud. They are great for 12-strings because they are "fast" sounding and decay quickly. A rosewood 12-string for quick fingerstyle pieces can be kind of a mess.
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  #22  
Old 03-11-2015, 07:44 PM
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fazool fazool is offline
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Originally Posted by normmoy View Post
Since you like Cedar as a top wood, have you tried Cedar over Walnut? It's a favorite tonewood combination of Taylor employees so I hear.

Maybe you could find a 2011 Spring Limited 400 series to try out or (gasp!) a Builder's Reserve VIII set?


No I've never thought os that combination. You've definitely piqued my interest, though.
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