mahogany vs alder body ? whats difference

  • Thread starter Thread starter jrhoden
  • Start date Start date
i'd imagine one is denser than the other and such but in sound whats the difference
 
It's a real tough one to answer. There really is no hard and fast rules about it but there are some generalisations.

First there are vast differences between timbers of the same type let alone of different types so you should always take these things with a pinch of salt especially on cheaper end guitars where the timber selection is maybe not as good as higher end stuff.

There is also a big difference between one type on Mahogany and another and there are many types of mahogany used today in guitar building. Unless you know what type you have it is next to impossible to make any valueable objective judgment. Even subjective opinions are not going to be that useful to you.

Having said all that in my experience mahogany will give you a tone that has more subtle mid range colour and a smoother attack. Alder will have a bit more bite and higher end with attack and a bit less sustain. As I said though take that with a pinch of...YMMV
 
muttley600 said:
Having said all that in my experience mahogany will give you a tone that has more subtle mid range colour and a smoother attack. Alder will have a bit more bite and higher end with attack and a bit less sustain. As I said though take that with a pinch of...YMMV
Click to expand...



Couldn't have said it better. I could have said it much longer, but that's just because I lack a mental editor.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light said:
Couldn't have said it better. I could have said it much longer, but that's just because I lack a mental editor.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Click to expand...
:D No mate thats just because neither of us can put the subtleties of tone into a few words. I have left out about two books worth of info.:D
 
muttley600 said:
:D No mate thats just because neither of us can put the subtleties of tone into a few words. I have left out about two books worth of info.:D
Click to expand...



I'm not sure that it's even all that subtle, but it just can't be described with words. There is an old Steve Martin quote that I use all the time (in fact, I'm sure you've read it from me before), "Talking about sound is like dancing about architecture."


At least, I think it was Steve Martin.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I've always thought it was from Frank Zappa, and I'm inclined to stay with him. He had a way with words.

He appeared on Joe Pyne's TV show in the '60s in LA. JP was the prototypical jerk, and had an artificial leg.

JP: You have long hair. Doesn't that make you a girl?
FZ: You have a wooden leg. Does that make you a table?
 
A few years back when I was having a custom guitar built for me, I did quite a bit of research on the type of woods used in guitars in relation to the sound. What I found out was basically, alder is lighter in weight with a brighter sound, and mahogany was heavier with a darker sound.
 
I found this page awhile back at the Warmoth site. It has a good description of alot of woods that are used for bodies.

Warmoth body wood
 
Big Kenny said:
"Talking about sound is like dancing about architecture."

Attributed to many.... http://home.pacifier.com/~ascott/they/tamildaa.htm
Click to expand...

lpdeluxe said:
I've always thought it was from Frank Zappa, and I'm inclined to stay with him. He had a way with words.

He appeared on Joe Pyne's TV show in the '60s in LA. JP was the prototypical jerk, and had an artificial leg.

JP: You have long hair. Doesn't that make you a girl?
FZ: You have a wooden leg. Does that make you a table?
Click to expand...


Given the early verifiable quote, and given that it certainly has a definite Elvis Costello flair to it, I'm gonna have to change my future attributions to Elvis. But Martin Mull makes a lot of sense too.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top