Tone wood?

[Airborne]

As a newcomer to guitars and this forum, I have some questions about tone wood. Reading through past threads in this forum I have heard a multitude of words and phrases to describe the different tones one gets with the different woods on guitar tops and sides/back. I haven't a clue what "muddy" means as far as tone is concerned. Having an uneducated ear, along with poor hearing in general (according to my wife), is there a huge difference between the 224ce-k deluxe, which is Koa, and the 214ce Deluxe, which is Sitka Spruce? I know its objective, but is one more desirable than the other? I appreciate any opinions, and your patience for simplistic questions.

[timfitz63]

The terminology is a bit relative, but I tend to use the term "muddy" to describe a guitar that is overly muted, perhaps somewhat bass-heavy.

You're wife is right:  they should sound different.  The body of the guitar being the same, a Koa top will probably produce more midrange response and warmth, while the Spruce top will probably sound a bit brighter and clearer.  But I don't think a Koa top is any more desirable than a Spruce top on a 214ce; it really is purely subjective about which sounds (and to a degree, looks) better to you.

Is she describing one as more "muddy" than the other?

[troystory92]

Hello,

I think I have some answers for you due to the fact that I was dealing with these exact questions over the past month.

So, different woods have different tones.
Different woods also age differently. The tone of a solid wood (as opposed to laminate) 'matures' with time. Laminates, in general, sound the same from the first day the guitar is made.

The 214ce dlx models all have a Solid sitka spruce top and layered wood on the back and sides (Taylor's version of laminate).
This layered process is unique to Taylor (i believe). For the koa, they have a piece of koa, a piece or poplar, and then another piece of koa layered together to make the back and sides.
For the rosewood it is rosewood/poplar/rosewood.

Most people in forums will say the difference between the layered koa and layered rosewood is nonexistent and that the wood is just for looks. I disagree. I played the rosewood and koa models at the same time and preferred the koa. It had less bass but had more punch and I felt more sustain. This was my opinion of the tone, which is subjective. In the end, the most important piece of wood on the 214ce dlxs is the sitka spruce top. This will mature and change with time and both have it.

I have yet to hear if the layered sides change at all over time. I don't believe Bob Taylor thinks so.

I ended up with the 214ce-K dlx and love it. Either way, they're both fantastic guitars.

Hope this helped!

**Edit** I am mistaken in my description because I now see you were looking at the 224ce-k dlx. I apologize. Beautiful guitar. But It comes down to preference between the sound of the koa and the sitka spruce. Spruce is the most popular solid wood top in acoustic guitars. Koa can be great but can also be very bad. Play them both and pick the one you like more. I know the 224ce-k is a solid chunk of more money.

[Strumming Fool]

Most folks who suffer from hearing loss begin to lose the high-end of the spectrum, so things can sound a bit more muffled. If that's the case, I would recommend the Sitka top because of the tonal properties Tim mentioned in his post. Of course, these are generalities. Taylor does tend to do a good job with hardwood tops like koa and mahogany (through their bracing methods, I suppose), so you may get the sound you're looking for with koa.

Enjoy the journey!