# Vocals with Rosewood v. Mahogany Guitars



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Anyone notice a difference.

I have a D18 that sounds great but it doesn’t work well with my voice. It’s not that I can’t sing with it - it’s just that the guitar doesn’t help.

I also have an HD35 and an HD28V; both of those work better for vocal and help move some notes better than the 18. It’s kinda like the guitar hooks up with your voice whereas the 18 is not co-operating as much.

It’s like the rosewood guitars accentuate whereas the 18 pushes back in some places so I always go back to the 28 and 35.

Pisses me off because I really like the sound of the 18.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

I don’t know if it’s just the wood, so much as a combo of factors, one of which is the wood. You might find different a mahogany guitar would work for you. 

I’ve been feeling a bit of D-18 GAS lately, so if you want to get rid of your vexing problem, I’ll take care of it for you, free of charge


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

jdto said:


> ... so if you want to get rid of your vexing problem, I’ll take care of it for you, free of charge


Yeah, I was expecting to hear that from someone at some point but not quite so soon in the thread ... lol


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

jdto said:


> I don’t know if it’s just the wood, so much as a combo of factors, one of which is the wood. You might find different a mahogany guitar would work for you.


True.

Although, these 3 Martin dreads are pretty much the same except for the rosewood v mahogany. They are all scalloped and forward shifted ( 2012 D18 is essentially an HD ). The bracing is lighter on the 35 but they are a pretty good sample that isolates mahogany as the main difference.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I find a lot of singer songwriters that I like play Gibson J-45s. I find the J-45s kind of muffled sounding but maybe that is good for singing over.

I also have a 2014 Martin D-18 and haven't noticed this problem.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Wardo said:


> True.
> 
> Although, these 3 Martin dreads are pretty much the same except for the rosewood v mahogany. They are all scalloped and forward shifted ( 2012 D18 is essentially an HD ). The bracing is lighter on the 35 but they are a pretty good sample that isolates mahogany as the main difference.


True enough, but doesn’t the D-35 have different bracing and a different sound than the D-28?


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

I've noticed my Gibson J45 with mahogany back and sides mixes really well with a voice, but then again the Songwriter with rosewood works nicely too. I find like you that the D18 doesn't seem to work as well as the rosewood D28, but the D18 seems to cut through the mix better while flatpicking a run or two. The only constant is I'm told is neither guitar sounds good with my voice, but I think that has nothing to do with wood types.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

jdto said:


> True enough, but doesn’t the D-35 have different bracing and a different sound than the D-28?


Yeah, the 35 has lighter bracing as mentioned and also a different sound. The HD35 is supposed to be bass heavy but my HD28 is more bass heavy than the 35. The 35 is the best of them I think and it has way more growl. Played a standard 35 at Cosmo awhile back and it was a great guitar would have bought it if I didn’t already have this HD35

But on the rosewood v mahogany question: that Sigma DR28V that I have is sitka over rosewood laminate and it’s the same as the rest of them - easier to sing with than the 18.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Morkolo said:


> .. but the D18 seems to cut through the mix better while flatpicking a run or two..


Yeah, my 35 and 28 don’t cut well at all. The 35 is louder than the 28 and has more bark but it doesn’t travel kinda just stays around yer head.. lol

The 18 is a great guitar and projects; just wish it worked better with me for vocal.


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## sitka.bc (Apr 14, 2018)

I'd have to agree with the D-28, D-18 and voice matching being difficult. My Gibson J-50 suits my voice (more bassy) much better. I did play a Martin standard HD-28 before their most recent upgrade, and it had more mids than your typical Martin boom. After a bit, I realized I liked it cause it sounded woody and thumpy like my Gibson but with a longer scale. Even the neck was of the older Martin style that fills your hand rather than the newer modern, slimmer neck profile (oval).


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

The Fishman sonitone pickup installed on my new Eastman AC122ce allows some muffling of the mids to avoid competing with singer's voice said the seller...


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

For my own vocal accompaniment, I notice a difference from one guitar to another. Since I've owned predominantly rosewood/spruce guitars, that combination seems to be my preference. That said, I have a nice all solid mahogany top/back/sides Seagull that seems to work for certain songs. In a general order of preference: Beneteau rosewood/spruce, House mahogany/spruce, Beneteau rosewood/spruce 12 string, Seagull hog/hog, Dobro. I still experiment all the time because I'm never convinced I've found what I like, and my ears, environment, and mood come into play.


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## Skippy (May 3, 2006)

Mooh said:


> For my own vocal accompaniment, I notice a difference from one guitar to another. Since I've owned predominantly rosewood/spruce guitars, that combination seems to be my preference. That said, I have a nice all solid mahogany top/back/sides Seagull that seems to work for certain songs. In a general order of preference: Beneteau rosewood/spruce, House mahogany/spruce, Beneteau rosewood/spruce 12 string, Seagull hog/hog, Dobro. I still experiment all the time because I'm never convinced I've found what I like, and my ears, environment, and mood come into play.





Wardo said:


> Anyone notice a difference.
> 
> I have a D18 that sounds great but it doesn’t work well with my voice. It’s not that I can’t sing with it - it’s just that the guitar doesn’t help.
> 
> ...


I have a D18v that’s a killer sounding guitar but needs taming if I want to sing with it. Try the round side of your pick, a lighter pick, and a lighter touch. If I need to strum hard I go to my Gibson Sj 200 , much better suited for singing. Gibson’s are more compressed and leave more room for your voice. Then again, Gordon Lightfoot had no issues with a D18


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## Daniel Grenier (Jun 24, 2008)

The simplistic approach: Grab the 18 and just “shut up and play”. Grab the 28 or 35 when you have something to say. No?


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Daniel Grenier said:


> The simplistic approach: Grab the 18 and just “shut up and play”. Grab the 28 or 35 when you have something to say. No?


That has been the status quo for a few years now.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Skippy said:


> I have a D18v that’s a killer sounding guitar but needs taming if I want to sing with it. Try the round side of your pick, a lighter pick, and a lighter touch. If I need to strum hard I go to my Gibson Sj 200 , much better suited for singing. Gibson’s are more compressed and leave more room for your voice. Then again, Gordon Lightfoot had no issues with a D18


It’s not about volume. I have a loud voice.

It’s how the guitar fits for vocal. Some have scalloped mid range etc which supposedly leaves space in the mix between the guitar and voice. I don’t look at it as being so complex I just go by what works for me and the 18 seems to push back a bit more then the others. It’s very noticeable when you switch between guitars and the tendency is to prefer the one that makes things work better.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Skippy said:


> I have a D18v that’s a killer sounding guitar but needs taming if I want to sing with it. Try the round side of your pick, a lighter pick, and a lighter touch. If I need to strum hard I go to my Gibson Sj 200 , much better suited for singing. Gibson’s are more compressed and leave more room for your voice. Then again, Gordon Lightfoot had no issues with a D18


I think the soundboard has more to do with compression and sustain than the body woods. For example, Adi spruce is known for taking the highest levels of input (hard strumming) and not compressing, just getting louder and louder. Then you get into other types of spruce and mahogany and cedar, which is usually considered a very 'compressy' type soundboard.

I think body woods have more to do with the harmonic overtones and projection. So the richness of the tone and the focus of the guitar. That's why many singers prefer hog guitars - more projection and fewer overtones to compete with the voice. All of this IME.


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## Skippy (May 3, 2006)

Agree with the soundboard, I have an OM with an Adi board that can handle hard strumming. The body shape also plays into it as in the J45/50. 
At the end of the day it’s to find one that’s works for you.


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