# Rosewood Guitars



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

This is one of the more interesting comparisons I have come across in awhile. After listening to it, I was a bit surprised, not at my favourite but at my least favourites. I thought it would be fun to do a poll on this to see what everyone else thinks and see it there is some consensus here on at least one or two. We'll see. So pick your favourite on tone alone and try not to let the name on the headstock sway your vote.

Although the player is blindfolded we can see what he is playing and the model has been put on the screen for us as he changes each guitar.
Let's just have comments on what we like or don't like and perhaps the reason(sl) why and no attacks on someone else preferences, okay?






Here are my picks from the most favoured to the least favoured. Some are pretty close.

1: Martin HD-28
2. Guild D-55
3 Taylor 814CE (this was very surprising to me. I thought it would be near the bottom)
4 Yamaha L6 A.R.E.
5. Gibson J-45 (this too was surprising. I thought it would be #2 or 3)
6. Eastman E20D (I couldn't believe this is my least favourite)

PS: Thanks for you help with this 12 Stringer. (He had to remind me to put in the video since I forgot).


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## 12 stringer (Jan 5, 2019)

Deleted ... issue corrected, thanks.


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## 12 stringer (Jan 5, 2019)

I'd go ...
1- Martin
2-Gibson
3-Yamaha
4-Guild
5-Eastman
6-Taylor

But I would bet good money this guy would flip if there was a Boucher Dread Bluegrass model in there.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I thought the Taylor and the Eastwood were at the bottom. The rest would depend on my mood. They were all pretty close. I’d have to hear them live to make a choice. I wish they would have done mahogany instead of rosewood. I much prefer the sound of mahogany.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

12 stringer said:


> I'd go ...
> 1- Martin
> 2-Gibson
> 3-Yamaha
> ...


......or a Kevin Ryan or a Froggy Bottom or a Lowden or a SCGC. There are quite a few brands that are a considerable step up from that list. 

You get what you pay for. It isn't a linear relationship - there are diminishing returns - but there is no upgrade path for acoustic tone. It has to start out excellent to be excellent. It's about great wood and great design/construction. There are no shortcuts.


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## 12 stringer (Jan 5, 2019)

High/Deaf said:


> ......or a Kevin Ryan or a Froggy Bottom or a Lowden or a SCGC. There are quite a few brands that are a considerable step up from that list.
> 
> You get what you pay for. It isn't a linear relationship - there are diminishing returns - but there is no upgrade path for acoustic tone. It has to start out excellent to be excellent. It's about great wood and great design/construction. There are no shortcuts.


or a Greenfield, Manzer, Beauregard, Beneteau (just to stay in Canada) and on and on. You’re quite right, of course, but this “test” was about the more “affordable” and available guitars in the $3-$4k range. Your list and mine are more like the $10k+ range, rare, hard to get and with waiting list of years in some cases.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Kerry Brown said:


> I’d have to hear them live to make a choice.


My shitty little comp speakers wouldn't help me decide.
Not gonna bother watching the vid.
It's all marketing anyways to sucker you into watching their YT channel.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

An open mic I sometimes attend has a very good player with a Gibson J45 and a Martin (not sure exactly which one but a very nice guitar). The other night the organizer didn't bring a PA so the three of us jammed with acoustic guitars. There were very clear differences between the Martin and the Gibson, way more than you could hear in the Youtube demo. It all comes down to preference. I much preferred his Gibson while he preferred the Martin. Both were great sounding guitars that I would be totally happy with if they were mine.


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## 12 stringer (Jan 5, 2019)

laristotle said:


> !,,
> It's all marketing anyways to sucker you into watching their YT channel.


Quite right. But isn’t that the very aim and reason for anyone to post vids on YouTube in the first place?


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## 12 stringer (Jan 5, 2019)

Kerry Brown said:


> I thought the Taylor and the Eastwood were at the bottom. The rest would depend on my mood. They were all pretty close. I’d have to hear them live to make a choice. I wish they would have done mahogany instead of rosewood. I much prefer the sound of mahogany.


Speaking of mahogany (often treated as rosewood’s poor brother), a rather ”plain” Jim Olson guitar made this year from “The Tree” (a well known, very special mahogany tree with some rare and stunning markings), just sold for a whopping $55,000 us!

The best test, of course, would be to have identical guitars (size, bracing, strings, tops, scale, bridge, etc), with just different backs and sides. Then you’d know exactly what the different woods really sound like.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

12 stringer said:


> *Speaking of mahogany (often treated as rosewood’s poor brother)*, a rather ”plain” Jim Olson guitar made this year from “The Tree” (a well known, very special mahogany tree with some rare and stunning markings), just sold for a whopping $55,000 us!
> 
> The best test, of course, would be to have identical guitars (size, bracing, strings, tops, scale, bridge, etc), with just different backs and sides. Then you’d know exactly what the different woods really sound like.


As you say, many look at Rosewood as being superior to mahogany. That may be due in part that mahogany is more readily available and less expensive than rosewood. When looking for a high quality acoustic a couple of years ago, I tried a Martin D-28 and HD-28 (rosewood b/s) and a D-18 (mahogany b/s). I surprised myself as the 28's were touted by most as being superior but I prefered the D-18 with mahogany. It produces a bit more bass (which I prefer) according to most reports and I found that to be true in this case. It reminded me of a lessor I have learned a few times over my life. Listen to others but listen to your own likes and dislikes as well and don't let others' opinions sway what you feel is right for you.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I’m surprised you found the 18 having more bass than the 28.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I've been thinking about this video and come to the conclusion that Youtube is useless for comparing different guitars. The Taylor was my least favourite in the video yet every time I hear a Taylor live I really like it. All of the guitars have way more difference in tone live than in the video. I even tried playing the video through my stereo system and it was still not right. I have become increasingly frustrated with trying to compare or check out amps and guitars on Youtube. The sound on Youtube bears little resemblance to what you will hear in real life. Youtube is great for learning songs, lessons, jam tracks etc but to try and use it to compare tones is a complete waste of time.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

vadsy said:


> I’m surprised you found the 18 having more bass than the 28.


That was certainly not my experience. I found the D-28 had too much bass.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Kerry Brown said:


> I've been thinking about this video and come to the conclusion that Youtube is useless for comparing different guitars. The Taylor was my least favourite in the video yet every time I hear a Taylor live I really like it. All of the guitars have way more difference in tone live than in the video. I even tried playing the video through my stereo system and it was still not right. I have become increasingly frustrated with trying to compare or check out amps and guitars on Youtube. The sound on Youtube bears little resemblance to what you will hear in real life. Youtube is great for learning songs, lessons, jam tracks etc but to try and use it to compare tones is a complete waste of time.


Live is in "in person" or live as in on stage?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Guncho said:


> That was certainly not my experience. I found the D-28 had too much bass.


thats probably everyones experience, everyone but Steadly. I hope he's doing his testing in an anechoic chamber with controlled variables


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Guncho said:


> Live is in "in person" or live as in on stage?


Either one depending on the guitar but with acoustics mostly live in person in a quiet setting. Amplified is not the best test of an acoustic  If it's an amp then most sound best at gig levels.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

HD28V, (H)D18 and HD35CS.

They all sound real good to me and right now they all have fresh strings with maybe an hour on each. The 18 and 28 have Martin MSP 4200s (13s) and the 35 has Elixir 80/20 (13s).

28 = Lottsa bass with rosewood overtones.

18 = Less bass than the 28 and has a hog sound. (the 2012 and after D18s are really an HD18 with their scalloped and shifted bracing.)

35 = Sitka rosewood canon, grand piano etc. Very strong clear sound from all the strings and balanced - strong bass but not bass heavy or verging on muddy like the 28. The HD35 is a custom shop and has non-stock neck, light weight bridge, open back tuners and the bracing is adirondak (for what little the brace material matters) so that might account for some of it and taken all together this guitar is really loud and clear compared to the other two. It's like that with MSP4200s as well but with the 80/20s it's more so. I find that non-coated 80/20s only last a few days and what if anything is lost from having coating on the Elixirs really doesn't come into because this guitar sounds fine with them. I've played standard HD35s before and they don't sound like this CS guitar.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Kerry Brown said:


> I've been thinking about this video and come to the conclusion that Youtube is useless for comparing different guitars. The Taylor was my least favourite in the video yet every time I hear a Taylor live I really like it. All of the guitars have way more difference in tone live than in the video. I even tried playing the video through my stereo system and it was still not right. I have become increasingly frustrated with trying to compare or check out amps and guitars on Youtube. The sound on Youtube bears little resemblance to what you will hear in real life. Youtube is great for learning songs, lessons, jam tracks etc but to try and use it to compare tones is a complete waste of time.


Kerry, I don't know what you are listening on. I should have mentioned I have a good set of headphones and always use these when listening to anything on my computer. Maybe that makes a difference. I do know what that Martin and Alvarez sound like and they sounded like they should on the video (to me). Anyway, just a thought and would like to hear your thoughts as what you said is not the first time we have heard this from members.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I like rosewood enough to have chosen it for my first two commissioned guitar builds, a 6 string and a 12 string. After that I experimented a lot, not wanting too much of the same thing, so maple, mahogany, walnut, and padauk, followed. While everyone seems to go on and on about back and side wood, the top wood often gets ignored. Though I've never owned a rosewood and cedar guitar, I've heard and played a few that were stellar (among others I want to say Lowden and Taylor if memory serves). I've largely stuck with spruce tops simply because I haven't had the coin to buy everything I want, though my 'zouk is walnut/cedar, and I have all mahogany Seagull and S&P guitars. Another factor I think is as important as back and top woods is body size, but that's another thread.

The OP's choices are interesting, and to my ears unrankable. All tones are okay in their own way.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I liked the Gibson and Martin the best. Yamaha was nice. Least appealing to me was that Taylor. I've seen Taylors played live and they cut through nicely, but every one I've sat down with hasn't appealed to me in the slightest. Not sure what it is about the Taylors that turns me right off of playing them. One of those "guitar things"


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Slartibartfast said:


> .::.not the first time I have heard this from members.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Steadfastly said:


> Kerry, I don't know what you are listening on. I should have mentioned I have a good set of headphones and always use these when listening to anything on my computer. Maybe that makes a difference. I do know what that Martin and Alvarez sound like and they sounded like they should on the video (to me). Anyway, just a thought and would like to hear your thoughts as what you said is not the first time we have heard this from members.


I listened to it on my Macbook Air with the built in speakers. Then I hooked the Macbook up to my stereo with some decent Polk Audio apeakers. I could hear differences with the guitars but not as much as there should have been. Also some of them, the Taylor in particular, did not match my past experience with those guitars. Admittedly my experience with the guitars is in the acoustic rooms of various stores and every guitar, even the same model, will sound different. Maybe itis just my hearing. I have some loss in the upper frequencies. I'm also on some oral medication for glaucoma which has a lot of side affects and that may affecting my hearing as well. I often check out Youtube when I see an amp or guitar for sale that I am interested in. Even the manufacturer's videos don't seem to do justice to many of them. The sound seems overly compressed.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Kerry Brown said:


> I listened to it on my Macbook Air with the built in speakers. Then I hooked the Macbook up to my stereo with some decent Polk Audio apeakers. I could hear differences with the guitars but not as much as there should have been. Also some of them, the Taylor in particular, did not match my past experience with those guitars.* Admittedly my experience with the guitars is in the acoustic rooms of various stores and every guitar, even the same model, will sound different.* Maybe itis just my hearing. I have some loss in the upper frequencies. I'm also on some oral medication for glaucoma which has a lot of side affects and that may affecting my hearing as well. I often check out Youtube when I see an amp or guitar for sale that I am interested in. Even the manufacturer's videos don't seem to do justice to many of them. The sound seems overly compressed.


I don't think that is your hearing, Kerry. Many tend to omit the differences in different rooms when they are checking out guitars or giving a review on them. As you point out, they can sound different and coupled with other things, including our playing efficiencies from one day to the next, can sound quite different.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Kerry Brown said:


> I've been thinking about this video and come to the conclusion that Youtube is useless for comparing different guitars. The Taylor was my least favourite in the video yet every time I hear a Taylor live I really like it. All of the guitars have way more difference in tone live than in the video. I even tried playing the video through my stereo system and it was still not right. I have become increasingly frustrated with trying to compare or check out amps and guitars on Youtube. The sound on Youtube bears little resemblance to what you will hear in real life. Youtube is great for learning songs, lessons, jam tracks etc but to try and use it to compare tones is a complete waste of time.


So often not understood I guess, but recording a good guitar or other acoustic instrument is a lot more than just sticking an iPhone in front of it and pressing 'record'. 

People go to school for years, spend decades honing their craft, to become proficient at knowing how to correctly mic, EQ and master a recording. The level of hardware, recording software and post-production skills and time plays a big factor and lack of these will reduce all the variations in fine instrument as to make them irrelevant, thus making a $800 sound as good (or better?) than a $4000 guitar. Especially over mediocre computer speakers or headphones. This pic sums it up, to me.










PS: beautiful _class_ photo, @Wardo . That's a great set!


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