mahogany vs spruce

uke142464

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
636
Reaction score
2
Location
philadelphia, pennsylvania
okay, because noone is responding to my other thread Ill make it a little clearer what Im asking, which one do YOU think sounds better?
im gonna order a new uke today from MGM and Im trying to decide between the kala mahogany tenor and the kala spruce tenor
all help is appreciated
 
Well, I played SuperSecretBeta's spruce-top soprano... but he has an Applause uke, with the unique fiberglass body that I think probably affects the tone more than the spruce. Still, it is a clear, glassy sound lacking any abrasive qualities. Some of the less expensive ukes have that thin, brittle quality to them and the Applause did not.

I have an all-mahogany tenor with Aquilas on it (those strings are a little bright for me, and I actually ended up cutting the nails on my picking fingers to mellow out the uke a bit). I also dicked around with a mahogany soprano for a few hours, and while the tenor obviously has a fuller tone due to its larger size, overall I'd say mahogany has a warmer, smoother sound I prefer.

So... I personally would go with mahogany every time.

-Tom
 
Hey, don't diss my spruce-top!

Anyway, the spruce gives it nice high-frequency attack, a huge open midrange, and a nice mellow low range.

In summary of both Tomdini's and my experiences, I present the following similes:

Mahogany is like R&B superstar, Usher... smooth, warm and mellow.
Spruce is like Nintendo's Mario... a well-rounded character with average strengths in all areas and no significant weaknesses.

It's really up to you on which you think fits your cup of tea. You can't go wrong with BOTH!
 
...spruce gives it nice high-frequency attack, a huge open midrange, and a nice mellow low range.
I agree. Spruce is the choice for tops of most acoustic guitar makers: crisp, clean, bright sound with good sustain and great for picking and solos. Cedar is warmer, with longer sustain, but not as bright and good for bass and mid-range tones (low-G). Mango is warm, bright, but not much sustain and good mid-range but not as much on either end (strummer sounds).

Just MHO, based on what I own.
 
I prefer mahogany,but I've played some great spruce tops too.I think mahogany's are prettier.Some people dislike the spruce tops because they look too much like a leetle geeetar.

...although, i've heard people who know nothing about musical instruments tend to like the look of spruce because it's "cleaner" looking. Even though I like my spruce-top, I intend to get a mahogany soon enough. It doesn't hurt to have one of everything. :D
 
...although, i've heard people who know nothing about musical instruments tend to like the look of spruce because it's "cleaner" looking. Even though I like my spruce-top, I intend to get a mahogany soon enough. It doesn't hurt to have one of everything. :D

I like the look of glossed mahogany but im more interested in sound
 
I have a kala spruce top and it is crisp, loud, and bright. Sometimes a little too much for my taste. I love the mellow sound of some other woods. I strung it with some Low G K-Golds and she sounds really sweet to me right now. If you like it bright...go spruce. More mellow and traditional....go mahogony. Aloha.
 
I have a kala spruce top and it is crisp, loud, and bright. Sometimes a little too much for my taste. I love the mellow sound of some other woods. I strung it with some Low G K-Golds and she sounds really sweet to me right now. If you like it bright...go spruce. More mellow and traditional....go mahogony. Aloha.

I think Ill just keep some aquilas on there to keep it from being too bright
 
Hog for me. Sweet and smooth. Save the spruce for steel string guitars, IMHO.
 
Top Bottom