Best Spruce Mahogany Guitar that you have played?

buckfast

At any price point, which is the best spruce/mahogany guitar that you have personally played or heard in person?

Lewy

1938 Martin D-18. Incredibly loud and responsive. Not particularly complex but then you go rosewood if you want that sort of thing anyway.

Wasn't mine unfortunately.

For modern guitars, I haven't played one that was better for me and how I play acoustic than my Collings D1A but they seem to have a fairly specific appeal that is far from universal.

CloudNine

Have owned a couple of Santa Cruz Vintage Artists, and they are fabulous guitars. Not incredibly loud like a Collings D1 or something, but beautiful tone, really dynamic, responding to even the softest playing. Also the SCGC Vintage Southerner is great as well. Again, not really loud, but a great guitar. You don't have to pound the SCGC's to get the goods. I am a big fan of their guitars. Have seen some structural issues on older guitars, but they are very lightly built. Would still happily own another though.

Also owned a Collings CJ35 for a few years and thought I would never sell that. Had that zingy power that all Collings do, but slightly less so than other models. A phenomenal instrument and I wonder how one would sound in about 20 yrs when it had serious playing time on it. Only sold the Collings due to having a J45 Legend and realising that it was the only acoustic I will ever need. It does everything incredibly well. You would have to be ok with a fat neck, as it is truly huge, so not for everyone.

AliGorie

Alpine Spruce figured Honduras Mahogany Lowden ‘F’ model, had the kinda sound (and playability) u only dream about - but they actually achieved it with this one.
I know this is outside u’r brief - but as a solo player,
a Tasmanian Blackwood/Alpine Spruce Lowden ‘O’ model - a master instrument had all of the qualities of the above guitar and then something else, it MADE me play differently from my norm - in a good way, the sound and playability opened up new musical areas I could develop. An inspiring instrument with a superbly orchestral sound.
So this begs the question - why just spruce / mahogany ?, redwood is an other that has the Buddha in it.

earwighoney

1953 Martin 000-18 with 'Mystery' Spruce soundboard.  

Fairly sure it was European Spruce.  

richardhomer

A 1964 Gibson J45 which belonged to a friend of mine.

He bought it brand new.

It sounded exceptional.

buckfast

CloudNine said:

Have owned a couple of Santa Cruz Vintage Artists, and they are fabulous guitars. Not incredibly loud like a Collings D1 or something, but beautiful tone, really dynamic, responding to even the softest playing. Also the SCGC Vintage Southerner is great as well. Again, not really loud, but a great guitar. You don't have to pound the SCGC's to get the goods. I am a big fan of their guitars. Have seen some structural issues on older guitars, but they are very lightly built. Would still happily own another though.

Also owned a Collings CJ35 for a few years and thought I would never sell that. Had that zingy power that all Collings do, but slightly less so than other models. A phenomenal instrument and I wonder how one would sound in about 20 yrs when it had serious playing time on it. Only sold the Collings due to having a J45 Legend and realising that it was the only acoustic I will ever need. It does everything incredibly well. You would have to be ok with a fat neck, as it is truly huge, so not for everyone.

Interested to understand more about your love for SCGC. Do you feel the same way about thei r dreads as you do about your slope dreads

CloudNine

Well the Vintage Southerner is a slope dread and I thought that was a great guitar. Still not quite like a GIbson slope in tone, but nearer than anything Collings do (that I have tried anyway). The SCGC's are all just incredibly light and feel pretty special. They can sound quite old even when brand new.

I think they are probably built on the edge of stability, which is likely why they sound so good, same thing as Martin now do with the Authentics. Most SCGC dreads I have played/owned sounded great with light strings on, I have had a good few Collings and Martin D's (never owned an Authentic) and none of them have ever sounded right to me with less than Mediums.

The SCGC Dreads are also slightly smaller in size than equivalents of most other brands, and even that slight difference really makes for a really nice feel.

You need to get out and play a few though, may not be your thing. They won't out muscle a Collings, but they feel a bit more personal/intimate to play. More forgiving as well.

Bourgeois are pretty nice guitars too, but the neck profiles don't work for me personally.

richardhomer

^ I agree about SCs. The best Dreadnought and OM I've played were both SCs. They had a responsiveness way beyond anything else I've played.

earwighoney

CloudNine said:

Well the Vintage Southerner is a slope dread and I thought that was a great guitar. Still not quite like a GIbson slope in tone, but nearer than anything Collings do (that I have tried anyway). The SCGC's are all just incredibly light and feel pretty special. They can sound quite old even when brand new.

I think they are probably built on the edge of stability, which is likely why they sound so good, same thing as Martin now do with the Authentics. Most SCGC dreads I have played/owned sounded great with light strings on, I have had a good few Collings and Martin D's (never owned an Authentic) and none of them have ever sounded right to me with less than Mediums.

The SCGC Dreads are also slightly smaller in size than equivalents of most other brands, and even that slight difference really makes for a really nice feel.

You need to get out and play a few though, may not be your thing. They won't out muscle a Collings, but they feel a bit more personal/intimate to play. More forgiving as well.

Bourgeois are pretty nice guitars too, but the neck profiles don't work for me personally.

Bourgeois 00's are truly exceptional.  I'm not the biggest fan of almost all the SCGC guitars I have played (aside from the Eric Skye).  Superb constructed and very pure in sound, but not for my ears/tastes; really worth trying before you buy. 

My favourite guitars of these kind of makers are the new Waterloo guitars made by Collings.  Not for everyone, but if one is after something a bit different then they are sublime guitars.  IMO, their Kel Kroydon repro is one of the finest USA built guitars at this moment in time. 

downbytheriver

1947 OOO18 - unbelievable tone and projection. 

AliGorie

as DBTR say’s ’30’s 000 18’s are not what u’d expect, check this -
2.26 into this video is a spruce mahogany guitar that blows many of the stuff u read about vintage vs modern guitars - and they’re sound.
This guitar if heard unseen would be considered ‘modern’ sounding and ideal for the twiddle diddlie noodlie doodlie mood music thats collectively marketed as ‘celtic’.

Is this the kind of sound u’r after buckfast or is it the ‘woody’ timbres that appeal ?.

Oh yeah Bourgeois, SC and Colling can knock ya up something like the guitar in the vid

Lewy

AliGorie said:

as DBTR say’s ’30’s 000 18’s are not what u’d expect, check this -
2.26 into this video is a spruce mahogany guitar that blows many of the stuff u read about vintage vs modern guitars - and they’re sound.
This guitar if heard unseen would be considered ‘modern’ sounding and ideal for the twiddle diddlie noodlie doodlie mood music thats collectively marketed as ‘celtic’.

Is this the kind of sound u’r after buckfast or is it the ‘woody’ timbres that appeal ?.

Oh yeah Bourgeois, SC and Colling can knock ya up something like the guitar in the vid

Not seeing a link to a vid?

buckfast

AliGorie said:

as DBTR say’s ’30’s 000 18’s are not what u’d expect, check this -
2.26 into this video is a spruce mahogany guitar that blows many of the stuff u read about vintage vs modern guitars - and they’re sound.
This guitar if heard unseen would be considered ‘modern’ sounding and ideal for the twiddle diddlie noodlie doodlie mood music thats collectively marketed as ‘celtic’.

Is this the kind of sound u’r after buckfast or is it the ‘woody’ timbres that appeal ?.

Oh yeah Bourgeois, SC and Colling can knock ya up something like the guitar in the vid

Well, the reason for the appetite for mahogany is yes, that woody tone, but above all that clarity that hog can give. Also, my current guitars are rosewood/spruce and maple/spruce

AliGorie

oops sorry guys,



I'll reiterate -
as DBTR say’s ’30’s 000 18’s are not what u’d expect, check this -
2.26 into this video is a spruce mahogany guitar that blows many of the stuff u read about vintage vs modern guitars - and they’re sound.
This guitar if heard unseen would be considered ‘modern’ sounding and ideal for the twiddle diddlie noodlie doodlie mood music thats collectively marketed as ‘celtic’.

oh, by the looks of that room I'd say he has a retirement plan underway.
Wonder if his '90's Bourgeois Sig Model is in there somewhere now superseded (many times)  - what WILL be next ? somehow I don't see a fan fret as suiting his brand ID.

ICBM

richardhomer said:

A 1964 Gibson J45 which belonged to a friend of mine.

He bought it brand new.

It sounded exceptional.

Mine is my '61 J45 which I very foolishly sold.

richardhomer

ICBM said:

richardhomer said:

A 1964 Gibson J45 which belonged to a friend of mine.

He bought it brand new.

It sounded exceptional.

Mine is my '61 J45 which I very foolishly sold.

It had a really 'dry' quality to it - but combined with a really powerful bass. Whether finger-picked or strummed, it sounded outstanding. Really balanced and sweet.

I only only got to play it once - but a bit like a '54 Gold Top Les Paul I once played, it redefined what a guitar should sound like for me.

ESchap

earwighoney said:

1953 Martin 000-18 with 'Mystery' Spruce soundboard.  

Fairly sure it was European Spruce.  

I had a 1953 Martin 0-18, best Mahogany  / spruce I've had.  Huge volume and clarity for such a small body guitar.  

Some say the "Mystery" spruce Martin used in 1953 was actually old pre-war stocks of Adirondack they found, others say it was European. 

earwighoney

ESchap said:

earwighoney said:

1953 Martin 000-18 with 'Mystery' Spruce soundboard.  

Fairly sure it was European Spruce.  

I had a 1953 Martin 0-18, best Mahogany  / spruce I've had.  Huge volume and clarity for such a small body guitar.  

Some say the "Mystery" spruce Martin used in 1953 was actually old pre-war stocks of Adirondack they found, others say it was European. 

Yeah.  I have read there are 3 types of spruce.  Englemann, Red Spruce, and European which were used then.  The UMGF seems to be the best place of information for those issues.  Irrespective of what type of spruce they used, the 000-18 I played from that year blew me away.  

Did you part with your 0-18?  I personally think the 14 fret 0/00 Martins are really underated.  I myself have a 14 fret 00 repro on order. 

ESchap

Yes, sold it a few years ago on a whim.  Huge mistake, been seeking that tone since. Mine also had a fantastically comfortable V profile neck.   I agree, the 0 and 00's are underrated, I mainly finger pick and they are ideally suited to that style.

BigLicks67

I'd really like a 0018 or 0028 Martin.

Best I've played is my Martin OM18V, but obviously that is limited to the guitars I've played in comparison, i.e. I've not played that many high end guitars (that is north of 3k) and I've very little experience of playing vintage guitars such as the 1960's Gibson's mentioned above.