Worth it or not?

[Dannyalcatraz]

Got a chance to score a used Tacoma Roadking- a guitar I've always liked- and actually have 2 to choose from...online.

 

One is spruce and is @$450, the other is mahogany and @$900. Near as can be told, both are in good condition, though the mahogany one has a slight ding. The only other difference seems to be the wood itself.

 

From what I understand, a spruce guitar is a pretty classic sound. What I can't wrap my head around is the sound of a mahogany guitar...and I don't know of any in my area to try.

 

So:

 

1) what would y'all expect a mahogany guitar to sound like?

 

2) if it were your money, which would you buy?*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* in all honesty, whichever I choose, if the other is still on the market later this year, I'll probably buy it too.

[whitefang]

1. I would expect a mahogany guitar to sound kind of...guitarish.

 

2. If it were MY money, I'd get my car fixed. Needs it bad!

Whitefang

[Bluesape]

A buddy just got burned with an online guitar purchase.....

 

Mahogany is darker and warmer sounding. Spruce is more crisp and bright. Some years back I posted here about a mahogany Martin. It played and sounded awesome. If I predominantly played acoustic, I'd have both.

[Dannyalcatraz]

A buddy just got burned with an online guitar purchase

 

I can relate, but this is relatively low-risk: the seller is a major company, have a 30 day refund policy, and have a brick & mortar location 10 minutes from my house.

[stamplicker]

Ask them to ship both to the store and give them a whirl.

[Dannyalcatraz]

It's a good thought, and I know stores that would do that...but I'm not too comfy with the asking with this store. I'm just not that buddy-buddy with them.

[skipclone 1]

Hmm, all mahogany?

Yes, dark, warm and more jazzy. Stronger mids. Bigger sound overall.

Lots of people like a shimmery acoustic sound, for folk or country. In that case go for spruce.

 

[stamplicker]

If you're buddy buddy or not doesn't matter... You're a customer with that wants to buy, not to go and window shop... nothing to think about, either way 1 will be bought and you'll know which sounds and feels better =)

[Winston Psmith]

I'm with Bluesape on the tone factor - mahogany is a little warmer, and darker sounding. Guild used to make a very nice all-mahogany guitar, and some players preferred it for that tone.

[Mojo Bone]

In no way will the Mahogany sound $450 better than the spruce, unless you really need the very slightly warmer, darker, more husky voice for recording in your inimitable and well-developed style. (read that as mahogany is a nice contrasting flavor when recording two or more guitars, but maybe not as versatile for your only guitar)

 

Taylors are popular because they're very bright; when recording you can take out 'bright' a lot easier than you can add it. For any other purpose, I'd go with the treble-oriented option, since the Tacoma Road King is a relatively large-bodied guitar and should have plenty of bottom for most situations.

[whitefang]

If you're buddy buddy or not doesn't matter... You're a customer with that wants to buy, not to go and window shop... nothing to think about, either way 1 will be bought and you'll know which sounds and feels better =)

I agree. Anyway, all they can say is "No dice." and the fact they're only ten minutes away means you're not really out anything. If you've purchased stuff from them on a regular basis, they might give it a go.

Whitefang

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm all for being an empowered customer, but (and I know I didn't say this before) one RoadKing is in Cali and the other is in Louisiana- that is some non-trivial shipping for a tryout, even if it's for someone guaranteed to buy one or the other.

 

But as was pointed out- worst case, they say "No."

[picker]

A littie primer on the materials used in the construction of acoustic guitars; to get the top to vibrate more freely when the strings are struck, lighter, softer woods are more often than not used. The most popular is spruce, but cedar is also fairly common. In some classical guitars, cypress is used for the top, but I don't recall seeing it on a steel string, not sure why. By contrast, bodies and necks hard mostly made of hardwoods, ie mahogany, maple, rosewood, and sometimes other, more exotic woods. The tone of the guitar will owe quite a bit to the wood it's made of. Tight-grained, drier woods such as maple & mahogany, tend to be more bright & brash sounding, whereas rosewood, being waxy/oily wood, tends to absorb higher frequencies, making the guitar darker and more mellow sounding. Being more exotic and not really grown domestically, it also makes them quite a bit more expensive. For example, a Martin D-18 is a dreadnaught acoustic, and as such produces a more present low midrange than say, an OM-18...

[picker]

...however, a D-28 or D-35, will invariably have a much more noticeable and mellow low-end whomp to it, and these days, can cost as much as 3 or 4 times as much. I own a Guild D-25M, another dreadnaught, made of mahogany with a quartersawn spruce top. It started out brash, and has retained a lot of that character in the 30 years I've owned it. But age, playing and all the knocks, bumps and bruises that happen along the way, have sweetened it's voice quite a bit. Now there is quite a bit more to all I've said, but those are the basics.From what you've shared, I would guess that both guitars you're looking at have mahogany bodies & necks, and spruce tops, but the people advertising them are only telling you what they know about them, what they hope will attract buyers. Hope all that helps.

[Dannyalcatraz]

Thanks, picker!

 

Actually, one is all mahogany- seen the front & back pix, and I know Tacoma used to make all mahogany versions of the Roadking. I suspect that the other could be as you say, a spruce top only, but as I recall, Tacomas had some unusual builds. And, unfortunately, they didn't post pix of the backside of that one.

 

What I'm hearing is that the mahogany one should sound more like a walnut acoustic, right? A bit warmer on the low end of things?

 

 

[Justus A. Picker]

The all mahogany box will sound darker with more emphasis on the fundamental and less on overtones than the spruce topped guitar. If you are into fingerstyle blues you will love it. If you are looking for a more modern sound you will probably like the spruce top better.

[Caevan O’Shite]

The all mahogany box will sound darker with more emphasis on the fundamental and less on overtones than the spruce topped guitar. If you are into fingerstyle blues you will love it. If you are looking for a more modern sound you will probably like the spruce top better.

 

Bingo. On the nose.

 

Maybe a little 'rounder' in the attack and tone than the more typical spruce. Probably nicely suited to fingerstyle and also single-note and double-stop leads and fills.

 

"Worth it" is a harder call to make, especially without easily comparing the two guitars with fresh sets of the same strings and a quick set-up.

[Larryz]

I like cedar the best, but if I have to chose between spruce and mahogany, I'll take spruce...I prefer an ebony fretboard and rosewood or walnut for the back and sides...

[Dannyalcatraz]

Everyone, thank you for your responses- you've really helped me sort things through. I think I'll go for the Spruce, and if fate permits, get the Mahogany one further down the road if its still on the market.

 

Why? In addition to everything said in this thread, two factors weighed in as well.

 

1) On the acoustic front, I own a cello, a Yamaha classical, a deep bowl Ovation, and a thinline walnut Jon Kammerer. My first acoustic was a starter Alvarez, but the first one I had access was a beauty (brand unknown) my Mom owned that was Spruce topped...and that she gave away to a family friend 6 years before I decided to get into playing one myself. So at some level, that guitar's sound has been in the back of my head for 30 years.

 

2) the first Tacomas I ever played were Spruce Roadkings, and I loved them. They sounded a lot like a bigger version of Mom's unknown acoustic.

 

Fate? Maybe. Whatever, though, I have a chance to get my hands on a sound & guitar I've been chasing for a while, and at a decent price. Gotta pull that trigger.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Cool, let us all know how things go with that for you, keep us posted!

 

I like cedar the best, but if I have to chose between spruce and mahogany, I'll take spruce...I prefer an ebony fretboard and rosewood or walnut for the back and sides...

 

I LOVE cedar for a top on a flat-top acoustic! A very good recipe for acoustic guitar tone: a cedar top with a mahogany body and neck with an ebony fretboard and bridge.

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm planning on a Cedar 12-string at some point...

[Justus A. Picker]

If I were rich I'd get a cedar/brazillian rosewood Olson SJ.

[Dannyalcatraz]

If I were rich, I'd get a Somogyi, and let HIM tell ME what he was making for me.

[Terrell]

I love my Tacoma - I picked it up for $229 @ GC. I sniffed the hole, smelled nothing but spruce (no glue) and made a deal.

 

It sounds pretty darn good (balanced) with super lights. It really hates thick strings. DO IT! Get em' both!

[Dannyalcatraz]

Aaaaand I took too long- someone else bought it.

 

C'est la vie. I'm sure I'll find another one...someday.

[Larryz]

Sometimes you just gotta pull that trigger a little faster...sorry you missed it...but I know you'll keep searching till you find one...don't forget to check out a few cedar tops too!

[Dannyalcatraz]

Update: BANG!

 

I kept my eyes open, scouring Teh Interwebz, and most of the Tacomas I found for sale were trucks. Of the guitars I found, most were for auction or sales long ended.

 

I found a few on Craigslist...but the ads, despite being in different cities with different sellers, all read damn near identically. *sniff*sniff* I smell a scam.

 

Then GC had a Chief (WOHSC) turn up on their website Saturday. Now, it wasn't a RoadKing dreadnought, but it was still a full-sized Tacoma from their iconic Wing series. I had the guy at my local GC call the store that had it (it was so new, most of the data hadn't been entered)- the guy on the phone said it was in great shape, with only some minor dings and some pick-wear near the pickguard.

 

Cedar top. Oddly enough, it has apparently been strung with electric strings.

 

So I pulled the trigger! It should be in my hot little hands in just under a week.

[Larryz]

Very Cool...congrats!!

 

ps. don't forget to change those electric strings to acoustic strings before checking out that cedar top...

[Dannyalcatraz]

I was wondering about those- I've never heard about doing this.

 

Is there anything wrong with doing this? Is there a benefit?

[Caevan O’Shite]

Update: BANG!

 

 

I kept my eyes open, scouring Teh Interwebz, and most of the Tacomas I found for sale were trucks.

 

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4v7pgJQTzik/T7Z0Jj12__I/AAAAAAAAEpY/8KN_OEm1ZyM/s1600/Guitar%2BTruck.jpg

 

...GC had a Chief (WOHSC) turn up on their website Saturday. Now, it wasn't a RoadKing dreadnought, but it was still a full-sized Tacoma from their iconic Wing series. I had the guy at my local GC call the store that had it (it was so new, most of the data hadn't been entered)- the guy on the phone said it was in great shape, with only some minor dings and some pick-wear near the pickguard.

 

Cedar top.

 

So I pulled the trigger! It should be in my hot little hands in just under a week.

 

 

That's great! Congratulations. I love cedar tops on flat-top acoustic guitars, too.

 

Oddly enough, it has apparently been strung with electric strings.

 

Personally, I think it sounds crappy and shows a lack of smarts to put electric strings on an acoustic (or vice-verse), unless it just works particularly well for a given specific guitar with a magnetic pickup. I guess some people just like extra light strings on an acoustic. And besides, DR makes those Zebra strings, that have both bronze and nickel-plated-steel windings spiraling around each of the wound-strings.