Is Spruce Top Better Than Mahogany? (Explained In Detail)

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Written By Sarah Barlow

Chief Music Officer

There are multiple factors that influence whether spruce or mahogany is a better soundboard wood on acoustic guitars.

Depending on the type of sound you like, the music you play, and the settings you play in, the answer will differ.

Throughout this article, I explain the characteristics of each wood type in detail and make some recommendations regarding which wood might be better in which situations.

Characteristics of Mahogany Top Guitars

Mahogany (hog) is a hardwood, typically used on an acoustic guitar back and sides. It is loved by luthiers as it is easy to work with. It typically has a straight grain and is very durable.

It also weighs much less than Rosewood, which is the typical alternative for the back and sides of a guitar.

Is it not commonly used as a guitar soundboard timber, but most brands do offer some mahogany top guitars.

When the guitar has a mahogany top they also usually have mahogany back and sides to go with it.

There is debate in guitar circles about the sound given by mahogany top guitars.

But there is a general consensus that mahogany top guitars typically have a deep, warmer tone, and don’t have the same crispness on the high-end notes.

This smoother sound can make mistakes from beginners less apparent and some of the noise is soaked up in the overall sound.

The nature of the mahogany top creates a more mellow sound overall, with slightly less projection and volume so sometimes a bit more effort or pressure on the plectrum is required to get the equivalent sound you would on a spruce top.

But the difference in volume and projection is very minor at most.

Characteristics of Spruce Top Guitars

Spruce timber is the most common and widely used wood for acoustic guitar tops, due to its all-round sound and volume.

Spruce guitar tops are characterized by a ‘bright’ sound that highlights the mids and highs while maintaining a warm overall feel.

Lot’s players love the combination of a spruce top with mahogany sides because this gives you a combination of the strengths that both timbers provide.

The spruce top gives you the bright, responsive cut-through, combined with the warm and mellow qualities presented by the mahogany.

Is Spruce Top Better Than Mahogany Top?

There is no categorical answer to whether spruce tops are better than mahogany tops, or vice versa. It is a personal decision, based on your own sound preferences.

A lot of professional players like to have one of each, so they can pick whichever guitar is best suited to the situation they are in. But ultimately it is a personal decision.

Each type of wood has its own quality and within that, each cut of wood and each make and model has ceratin characteristics in addition to that.

The best way for you to decide between a spruce top or mahogany top guitar is to play a variety of each, and see which one you like the best.

It is true that spruce tops tend to be more versatile in more situations with more types of music, but if you like those warm tones of the mahogany top, the spruce top will never be able to provide those for you.

When a Mahogany Top Guitar Is Better Than A Spruce Top Guitar

Though spruce top guitars are in general, more versatile, mahogany tops do shine through in certain situations.

Mahogany tops are long hailed as the best acoustic guitar for the blues, and they often accompany certain instruments (e.g. fiddle) or singers well, because the guitar sound doesn’t dominate the mid and high range notes.

When a Spruce Top Guitar Is Better Than a Mahogany Top Guitar

Spruce top guitars are likely to provide a sound that can be used in more situations, and also tend to be slightly louder, and have more cut through the other frequencies.

When playing in a big band setting a spruce top can continue to cut through all the other noise, in cases where a mahogany top might find it hard to stand out.

Mahogany vs Spruce Top for Blues

Mahogany top guitars have long been considered preferable and better suited to blues music than spruce top guitars. The warmed sound and emphasis on the lower ranges make the mahogany sounds

The darker tone and punchy mids can resonate better and compliment the overall frequency spectrum in a way that spruce guitar cannot.

Spruce guitars can be a bit too bright and dominant across the spectrum of sound, but there is nothing to stop them from being used in that way.

This video is a great example of how good an ‘all mahogany’ guitar can sound (back, sides and top).

FAQ’s

Is Spruce a Good Tonewood?

Yes, spruce is a great tonewood for use on the top of an acoustic guitar.

Spruce is one of the most common woods used for the soundboard (top) of acoustic guitars as it has great versatility between playing styles and musical styles.

A combination of spruce top, with mahogany sides, is one of the most popular acoustic guitar wood combinations as you get the benefits of the warm mahogany tones with the brightness provided by the spruce top.

Which Wood Is Better for Guitar: Spruce or Mahogany?

There is no answer to whether spruce or mahogany is a better wood for an acoustic guitar.

It is purely a matter of personal preference, to which type of guitar wood is better. In general, the mahogany wood guitars have a warmer, smoother sound with emphasis on the low-end sounds.

In comparison to spruce top guitars which have a brighter sound that fits well in many situations.

The best thing for you to do is to play multiple guitars of each different wood type, see which one you think sounds the best, and narrow your preferences down that way.

Resources

https://www.fender.com/articles/gear/how-7-different-woods-affect-your-acoustic-sound

https://acousticguitar.com/a-tonewood-primer-how-to-pick-the-right-materials-for-your-optimal-sound/

https://hub.yamaha.com/guitars/g-acoustic/these-are-the-woods-that-go-into-your-acoustic-guitar/