Decision Time for wood type - Is the difference big?

I am considering buying a new mandolin after selling the inexpensive one I purchased a few months ago. I have a choice to make. I can buy a nice all solid mahogany F style or one with a solid spruce top/solid maple back and sides F style. Is the sound really that noticeable or is it really just personal preference or is it like what some say, "just following the crowd" to buy the spruce top/maple back and sides? I do know that on a guitar since it is a larger instrument there is a noticeable sound difference but on a mandolin is there really that much of a difference? I would appreciate anyone giving me some advice on this? Thank you in advance.

I've heard that there is a big difference, but not from personal experience, I've only played spruce/maple mandolins.

The finest instruments have spruce tops. What does that suggest?

I have a cedar top and an adi topped, one with red maple one with big leaf maple(I think)...they are different. That being said, they are from two different master builders, so what is causing the sound difference?

Yes..

I would not recommend getting a solid mahogany f-style mandolin. If it were a celtic or flat-top style instrument, it would be fine, but there are a number of reasons why it would not be ideal on an f-style archtop.

Good question, julyboy:

The answer is a resounding yes. There is a difference, and no less so than on a guitar. A mandolin is an acoustic instrument all the same, frequently hand-carved to have a very particular tone. The woods are chosen for specific reasons.

I've played mandolins made with mahogany and they sound warm. They can be good instruments, but its not the usual tone for bluegrass or many other popular styles that use mandolin. It's pretty interesting you are asking about it, because there just aren't that many mahogany mandolins around, compared to spruce/maple. The classic has been spruce top, maple back and sides. This tends to produce a harder, more cutting sound, but with a wonderful quality of reverberation and hum on a well-built instrument.

You'll get all kinds of opinions about mandolins on here, but what you end up with has more to do with the type of music you intend to play and what instrument sounds good to your ears. Bluegrass, jazz, classical, and rock music types have often included spruce/maple mandolins with f holes, which help with more cutting projection. An oval hole mandolin will give you a warmer sound, even with spruce/maple construction, and an oval is often good for duos or formats where the mandolin should maybe sound warmer.

If you want another opinion... you can do very well getting an a-style Eastman mandolin for about $500. If you find a used one, I've seen them as low as $300. My opinion is - at that price - they are the best value on the market. They are made with spruce/maple. Now, if you have more money to spend, there are lots of options, but the spruce/maple combination is very versatile and what you will typically find.

Yes the sound is very noticeable at leastnto us mandolin nerds but if the sound is whist you like go for it. Don't worry about what kind of music it is suited for, any mandolin can play any style. Go with what you enjoy.

Yes, there’s a (potentially big) difference. If I had to choose between what you’re describing without seeing or playing, the only way I’d choose the mahogany one would be if it were made by a respected luthier and the S/M was made by a company known for lesser quality. If you were looking at flat tops maybe that changes, and if you can play both and prefer the tone/feel of the mahogany then go with what you like, but the standard is the standard for good reasons. Good luck with your purchase!

In general if the same experienced builder were to build f style mandolins one all mahogany and one spruce over maple the sounds would be different. The mahog would be darker and warmer and the spruce maple would be brighter. Frankly, the kind of music you intend to play on it should push your decision making. If you want to play bluegrass, I would go with the spruce maple. Same maybe for classical. If you want to do folk or celtic or non-bluegrassy kinds of things I might consider the all mahogany. I prefer a darker warmer sound (you can get some of that using flatwound strings instead of normal roundwound ones).

They will both still sound mandolin like. Think of it like burgers. You can get one that has spicier toppings or you could get one that has more savory toppings. Both are burgers but each has a different palate.

Jamie

More difference by who builds it !

Might consider Port Orford ! All I have heard from PO tops were fantastic !

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Originally Posted by JEStanek

In general if the same experienced builder were to build f style mandolins one all mahogany and one spruce over maple the sounds would be different. The mahog would be darker and warmer and the spruce maple would be brighter. Frankly, the kind of music you intend to play on it should push your decision making. If you want to play bluegrass, I would go with the spruce maple. Same maybe for classical. If you want to do folk or celtic or non-bluegrassy kinds of things I might consider the all mahogany. I prefer a darker warmer sound (you can get some of that using flatwound strings instead of normal roundwound ones).

They will both still sound mandolin like. Think of it like burgers. You can get one that has spicier toppings or you could get one that has more savory toppings. Both are burgers but each has a different palate.

Jamie

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Thank you Jamie. That was exactly what I was thinking. Appreciate your info.
Frank

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Originally Posted by yankees1

Might consider Port Orford ! All I have heard from PO tops were fantastic !

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My Weber is POCedar, it is rich and bell like, not woody, not a woofy chop.

Don't sweat it too much - just go with what you like now. Just as your technique develops, so will your ear. In a few years years, you'll hear differencecs that "just aren't there" right now. And then again a few years later, and a decade after that. What sound WILL you like in 2, 5, 10, 20 years? Or even better, what MUSIC will you like along the journey? As with all of us, you'll just have to wait and... hear!

And people wonder why MAS develops!

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Originally Posted by MontanaMatt

My Weber is POCedar, it is rich and bell like, not woody, not a woofy chop.

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Just what I'm looking for !

Mine sounds like a wooden, woofy bell that's been at the bottom of the sea for 1300 years, resurfaced, buried in soft peat for another 500 years, torrified in a brick oven, played by 20 giants who were all heavy smokers in a really sweaty bluegrass jam for 12 years 6 months and 18 days, then handed to me on a Thursday afternoon in late spring.

I think it's got a spruce top.

soft woods on top , redwood , spruce Cedar hard woods on back , Martin made cant top mandolins in mahogany & Koa
but that's a different style ... the Gibson & Copies seem to be favored here..

My A has Birch , A4 Maple no real figure ..

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Originally Posted by OldSausage

Mine sounds like a wooden, woofy bell that's been at the bottom of the sea for 1300 years, resurfaced, buried in soft peat for another 500 years, torrified in a brick oven, played by 20 giants who were all heavy smokers in a really sweaty bluegrass jam for 12 years 6 months and 18 days, then handed to me on a Thursday afternoon in late spring.

I think it's got a spruce top.

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Yeah, but which sea?

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Originally Posted by ColdBeerGoCubs

Yeah, but which sea?

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Middle sea.....

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Originally Posted by Bill McCall

The finest instruments have spruce tops. What does that suggest?

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That mahogany is not fashionable among buyers high end instruments. :)

There it makes a difference and it depends on what you like.