Mahogany or Swamp Ash body?

[Djentinator]

I've heard mixed reviews on both woods but what do each of them offer you tonally? What you you fellow musicians recommend personally?

Thank you!

 

[eddiewarlock]

depends on what kind of tone you like...and the style of music you play...

 

[Vostre Roy]

Use two pieces of the same species of wood from two differents trees, built the exact two same guitars and they'll sound different. Wood is an organic thing, its density (wich makes the strings vibrate differently from a wood to another) is not consistent, therefore the tone out of them will never be exactly the same.

That being said, there's general rules of thumbs, lets say the "average tone you should expect from it". Mahogany tends to sound darker than swamp ash, and swamp as is not as bright as maple.

In the end its all subjective and the best judge is you. Try as many thing as possible and compare them yourself

 

[Blue1970Cutlass]

depends on what kind of tone you like...and the style of music you play...

This. We could use a little more info on what you're looking for

However, you ask for a personal recommendation and I prefer Mahogany

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Neither wood is rare in the realm of guitar construction. Instead of listening to dem'internetz go to a guitar store and play a fuck ton of guitars and see what you like best.

 

[Eliguy666]

Why stick to two options when you can have a trillion?

Here's a very well categorized, if incredibly incomplete, list from Warmoth on tone woods.

Body woods: Warmoth Custom Guitar Parts - Body Wood Options
Neck woods: Warmoth Custom Guitar Parts - Neck Woods

I am a believer in the difference in tone between species, regardless of density, but agree that density accounts for differences while within the same species.

I really want to make a guitar with a macassar/gaboon/macassar/gaboon/macassar ebony neck just so that I have a guitar brighter than a thousand suns.

 

[Alikingravi]

You should definitely check out the tones of different woods as suggested above.
Personally, I am a thrash/death metal guitarist and I would always go for a Mahogany body for my rhythm guitar. It is the darkest sounding of them all! Plus I think Mahogany looks a lot more elegant than swamp ash (cosmetics-wise). If you are the 'darkness prevails' kind of guitarist, then Mahogany all the way!

 

[eddiewarlock]

You should definitely check out the tones of different woods as suggested above.
Personally, I am a thrash/death metal guitarist and I would always go for a Mahogany body for my rhythm guitar. It is the darkest sounding of them all! Plus I think Mahogany looks a lot more elegant than swamp ash (cosmetics-wise). If you are the 'darkness prevails' kind of guitarist, then Mahogany all the way!

hehehe i am too a thrash/death guitarist and i prefer alder/ash bodies with maple necks and ebony fretboards

So we both play the same style of music and we like different wood combos...

I guess we are not gonna help him! hehehe

 

[mniel8195]

there are different types of Mahogany keep that in mind

 

[Eliguy666]

hehehe i am too a thrash/death guitarist and i prefer alder/ash bodies with maple necks and ebony fretboards

So we both play the same style of music and we like different wood combos...

I guess we are not gonna help him! hehehe

And I play deathrash and prefer really bright woods like maple and ebony, as neck thrus so that they take on the act of the body wood.

It's all personal preference, really. Your best guess is to go to a guitar store nearby and try out all of the different guitars of different woods/builds, to see what you're looking for as a person.

 

[Alikingravi]

And I play deathrash and prefer really bright woods like maple and ebony, as neck thrus so that they take on the act of the body wood.

It's all personal preference, really. Your best guess is to go to a guitar store nearby and try out all of the different guitars of different woods/builds, to see what you're looking for as a person.

It is interesting to know fellow death/thrashers prefer bright sounding woods. I definitely agree that it is all about personal preference. Not everybody likes Mahogany and not everybody likes swamp ash, but based on these experiences people can at least get some information to finalise their own decision. Although I would say to go with a Mahogany body ... hehe

 

[Eliguy666]

It is interesting to know fellow death/thrashers prefer bright sounding woods. I definitely agree that it is all about personal preference. Not everybody likes Mahogany and not everybody likes swamp ash, but based on these experiences people can at least get some information to finalise their own decision. Although I would say to go with a Mahogany body ... hehe

My current guitar is actually a mahogany bolt on, but that's for lack of budget and not personal preference, really .

I'm going to start working in luthiery soon (next week soon, really), and I'm hoping to eventually make myself a guitar more suited to my playing. And also to show off my ideas a bit too, really.

If you want the classic thrash metal sound, EMGs in mahogany or alder is it to the letter. Kirk Hammet used maple bodies pretty often, but the tone from Metallica everyone really likes is James' Gibsons.

 

[mniel8195]

I like both mahogany and swamp ash. I feel like they are both great at things and lacking in others. They both have defined characteristics. I like the mahogany with a mahogany neck though and the swamp ash with the maple/maple board. Check out the new suhr modern satins they don't sound dark at all and in some ways they sound a little like swamp ash.

 

[Alikingravi]

My current guitar is actually a mahogany bolt on, but that's for lack of budget and not personal preference, really .

I'm going to start working in luthiery soon (next week soon, really), and I'm hoping to eventually make myself a guitar more suited to my playing. And also to show off my ideas a bit too, really.

If you want the classic thrash metal sound, EMGs in mahogany or alder is it to the letter. Kirk Hammet used maple bodies pretty often, but the tone from Metallica everyone really likes is James' Gibsons.

Excellent. Good luck with luthiery, it is the best art in the world. I have a similar plan to yours, problem is, my plan will probably start a couple of years from now lol.

 

[eddiewarlock]

i too build guitars

You can check out my stuff at http://www.facebook.com/torres.guitars.1

 

[Rap Hat]

Personally, I love swamp ash. I've found it to be acoustically resonant with a solid bass and crisp high end (i.e. not through an amp, for when I just want to noodle) and it's lightweight. Also has awesome grain especially with a light satin finish, and stains decently from what I've seen.

Mahogany tends to be acoustically muddier and can range from around the weight of swamp ash to waaaaay too heavy, so if you're looking at a guitar with that it's definitely worth trying it first.

 

[9Lives]

Ash

 

[trevose]

The correct answer, of course, is both.