Tropical Mahogany

Taylor Acoustic Guitar Woods

Tropical Mahogany A midrange powerhouse. Mahogany is prized for balance and articulation, making it one of the best all-around tonewoods there is. Indian Rosewood The tonewood superstar. Popular, traditional, and versatile, Bob Taylor puts Indian rosewood among the greatest tonewoods ever. Big Leaf Maple High-end sparkle and incomparable good looks put maple in its own category. Hawaiian Koa Few woods carry the allure of Hawaiian koa, with its gorgeous figure and sweet, complex tone. Walnut Walnut’s crisp highs are balanced by a deep, woody low end that emerges as the guitar is played in. Cocobolo A cannon of a guitar, with exotic coloration and figure to match its bold voice. Ovangkol Although not as well-known as its Indian rosewood cousin, ovangkol shares many of the same properties, making it a versatile, great-sounding tonewood. Sapele One of the best all-around tonewoods there is, sapele will deliver for any playing style. Rosewood Laminate A rosewood veneer and laminate construction present a beautiful aesthetic in a durable, affordable package. Sapele Laminate Laminate construction is used to offer attractive, durable and affordable models. Maple Laminate Maple veneer is part of the resilient laminate construction on the black 214ce-BLK. Blackwood Laminate A blackwood veneer with laminate construction blends exotic beauty, resilience and affordability. Quilted Sapele Besides boasting gorgeous figure, the tone enhances sapele’s “bright mahogany” voice with extra low-end warmth. Tasmanian Blackwood Koa's cousin produces a similar tone, with a breathy midrange and bright treble notes, plus low-end overtones. Macassar Ebony Macassar’s exotic beauty is matched by a bold, dynamic tone that can be dark or bright, depending on the player and the top pairing. Koa Laminate Koa veneer is part of the resilient laminate construction on the 210ce-K and 214ce-K. Granadillo Sonically comparable to rosewood, granadillo’s higher density yields a clear, ringing tone. African Ebony A dense wood typically used for fretboards and bridges, ebony produces rich overtones.

Tropical Mahogany

Origin: Central and South America

Used On: The 500 Series, Acoustic 5 Series, LKSM

Mahogany is a good wood to anchor a discussion of tones, as a lot of other wood tones can be described in relation to it. Its essential sonic profile is well represented in the midrange frequencies. Acoustic guitars in general tend to live in the midrange portion of the sound spectrum, but mahogany in particular displays a lot of midrange character. That thick, present midrange sound is sometimes described in guitar circles as meaty, organic or even “chewy” — wherever a player digs in on the fretboard, they’re tapping into the core of the harmonic content of what a guitar produces. Those great midrange frequencies produce overtones that stack up and produce bloom, giving the sound extra girth. When one hears the resulting harmonics, the “chewy” tone serves up a big mouthful of midrange. As a popular tonewood for many decades, mahogany has been used on scads of old school acoustic recordings, and that sonic heritage carries across various strains of roots music, from blues to folk to slack key.

Goes well with: A broad range of players and musical styles; people who like a well-balanced tone, nice dynamic range and a healthy serving of overtones. Blues and other rootsy players tend to respond well to mahogany’s midrange character. A smaller body mahogany guitar (GC or GA) might appeal to fingerstyle players, whereas more aggressive flatpickers might opt for a mahogany Dreadnought or GS. For versatility, a mahogany GA is a good bet. Because of mahogany’s midrange, a player with “dark hands” will tend to sound darker on a mahogany guitar. A bright player will sound slightly less bright.

 

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