Your thoughts on tone woods

[blewcrowe]

Okay, I am considering a BTO with a mahogany face.  I am considering all possibilities on side and back wood.  F'rintstance: what are your opinions on a mahogany face with back and sides made of:


maple
sapele
ovangkol
(or mahogany sides and back as well)
other?

[M19]

All mahogany is the traditional approach. My 12-fret GC is a wonderful sounding guitar.

[Edward]

Welcome aboard ...good to have you on the board

With a BTO, you have to remember that you really don't have carte blanche to build what you like; Taylor will say no to certain requests/combos as I've heard this straight out from a rep.  Perhaps your best bet is to talk to a good BTO dealer, one who enjoys a good relationship with the factory, who can then advise you this way or that so you can achieve the tone you're looking for in your head.  Asking here really is like asking what topping goes best with french vanilla in a waffle cone.  BTW, sounds like an exciting venture ...post back what you decide

Edward

[mikeguywest]

Go Hog Wild! If you can hand pick the tops, backs and sides (if you can't be in El Cajon I think they send pictures of some options) you can get some really nice and unique woods, even with Mahogany.

[TaylorGirl]

With a mahogany top....mahogany back and sides.
A cedar top would also be a good choice, which would give you better/more options for back and sides. Just a thought.

[Strumming Fool]

From a tonal perspective, the back and sides might not be the best place to start. The construction (size, shape, bracing pattern, etc.) will exert the most influence on a guitar's volume and tone, at least in my experience. So if you're going with a Taylor, you'd want to start with body style (GA, GC, GS, etc.). The next big influencer in my experience would be the top wood. Whether it's spruce, cedar, redwood or a different hardwood like mahogany or koa will depend upon what you like to hear. From there, it will become easier to pick and back/sides wood to facilitate your "flavor" preference.

What's your playing style? Do you strum, pick or use finger style? Will you use the guitar as vocal accompaniment or will you play without vocals? Will you play solo or in a band setting?  Do you like a deep throaty sound, or a glass-smooth liquid sound with sparkle or an earthy, woody sound? Answers to all these questions will help guide your BTO choices. Please share with us so we can better advise you, but most of all, have fun in your quest for your next guitar!

[flaggerphil]

All mahogany is probably the best way to go (I absolutely love all mahogany guitars) but mahogany top with sapele back and sides is every bit as good...ie: the new 32X series.  My sister has a 324 and I have a GS Mini-M and both guitars are stellar.

[davwir]

I don't think they will let you do a  mahogany front with too many options for the sides and back other than more mahogany or sapele.. It would be pretty unusual to even consider other wood options..
All mahogany guitars are a very popular choice.
If you want to dress it up a bit or go a bit untraditional, ask about availability of flamed mahogany or quilted sapele, they are great sounding and unique looking too, and very affordable (compared to up charge on the more exotic wood choices). I did an all flamed mahogany BTO with cocobolo binding and armrest a couple of years ago, it came out very nice..

[jalbert]

+1 on specifying mahogany for the back and sides. Another option to consider is a "mahogany burst" on the top. It's a very subtle edge burst that looks really nice on a mahogany top. You could perhaps even request them to do that on the back and sides too. I bet that would look really classy!