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Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental sound
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Author:  Octave [ Sat Jul 12, 2025 10:29 am ]
Post subject:  Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental sound
I've been away from the art of luthierie for the better part of a decade but I recently reached a point in my life where I have space for a shop and I'm gearing up for my first build in a very long time. Thank goodness I kept all of my tools and equipment!

I've always loved the sound of Mahogany and Sapele acoustic guitars. In fact, most of my guitars are made from those two materials simply because those are the guitars that grabbed me when sampling guitars in music shops. I like these woods because they often have a very straightforward, fundamental tone without dripping overtones (not always, but generally much more so than others). For this acoustic build, I'd like to use a wood that has the same flavor, but I don't want to use either of these woods. I'd like to select a wood that looks different and sounds a bit different, but that has the same "fundamental" qualities of Mahogany or Sapele for the most part.

As far as I can tell, there aren't many woods that fit into this category. Black Limba is one consideration, and I do have two quartersawn slabs (In the past decade, I wasn't building, but I was certainly buying!), but I'm interested in seeing what else is out there. When reading about most woods, 99% are described in one of two ways- "Similar to Rosewood", or "somewhere in between Mahogany and Rosewood". These descriptions aren't particularly helpful in identifying qualities that I'm looking for, so I was interested in seeing if the OLF could recommend some timber that could offer the qualities that I'm looking for. What woods do you think I'd be interested in?

Thanks!
Author:  meddlingfool [ Sat Jul 12, 2025 11:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental soun
Primavera is nice.
Author:  bobgramann [ Sat Jul 12, 2025 11:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental soun
I’ve made one Black Limba guitar. I was very pleased with the sound, but it doesn’t sound like Mahogany. The wood seems a bit softer. Other woods that I have used that give a simple sound like Mahogany are Sycamore and Black Walnut. All three that I’ve mentioned seem to have a bit more damping than either Sapele or Mahogany but keep a woody sound without too much coloration.
Author:  Hesh [ Sat Jul 12, 2025 12:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental soun
Hi Alex I agree with your tastes for mahogany and sapele and a mahogany guitar with an Adi top is my favorite.

But... it's player and what one plays as well as how one plays that matter too. I'm a flat picker so overtones and lushness are not my preference for how and what I play.

Of all the woods I built with I don't think anything else sounds like mahogany with the clean fundamentals. There are other woods that I like such as Koa and its cousin Blackwood but both of these are a bit darker to my ear.

I'll add that Honduran mahogany is the preference here too over African mahogany and I think the two sound differently to my ear.

For me the more I built the more I moved toward traditional guitar woods and I'm glad that I did. My two favorite guitars to play and listen to are a Honduran Mahogany L-OO and a CEO7 (Martin) that is also mahogany. I love a BRW guitar too but they are a different vibe from mahogany.

So with this said get yourself a set of "The Tree" and I'll bet ya you will like the tone :)
Author:  Kbore [ Sat Jul 12, 2025 1:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental soun
Nogal is a South American walnut that is plentiful, relatively inexpensive and is said to be pretty fundamental in tone. I have two sets but have not built one, nor heard one. These back/ side sets ring like a bell. Maybe be underspending for your budget... maybe not.

I bought the Nogal for honing my building skills and gaining experience without going over the top for a tone wood that's over my head, or skill level so to speak. Nogal will be my next build- my almost finished build is straight up walnut.

https://www.hibdonhardwood.com/jsf/jet- ... -type:234/
Author:  jfrench [ Sat Jul 12, 2025 7:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental soun
Octave wrote:
I'd like to select a wood that looks different and sounds a bit different, but that has the same "fundamental" qualities of Mahogany or Sapele for the most part.


It may be rare in the steel string world, but you just described Mediterranean Cypress. Even for classical guitars, it is criminally overlooked. It produces outstanding guitars with a strong fundamental and limited overtones, but great clarity. And the smell is intoxicating.
Author:  A.Hix [ Mon Jul 14, 2025 10:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental soun
I have an extensive selection of woods that fall within this category, check out my Ebay store. Later this week I will be posting lots of new sets. One of these woods that I am excited about is called " Brazilian branquillo" which is a south american relative of black limba. A beautiful wood, which looks a lot like black and white ebony, with tonal quality similar to sapele and mahogany. Other options are walnut, both American and Peruvian, Sipo, Padauk, Ovangkol, Ebiara, canary wood, and of course Koa.
Author:  TimAllen [ Tue Jul 15, 2025 12:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Woods that have a very straightforward, fundamental soun
Another vote for walnut! It's easy to bend, looks good, and it's not expensive. Figured or moderately figured Claro walnut is my favorite, and it's pretty economical, especially now that the cost of mahogany has increased.
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