Official Luthiers Forum!

Do your comtomers prefer say rosewood over mahogany for sides and back? Is it easier to sell a rosewood guitar over a mahogany for instance. Or do you think it doesn't matter at all as long as its pretty and sounds good who cares whats its made of you could still sell it? I'm just trying to get some insight about what materials would make a guitar easier to sell or if it matters all. Thanks for any input you might share.

EIR seems to be the most common guitar wood going. Especially for factory guitars. On the Custom front, I'd say almost anything goes.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

My brother and I were discussing what side and back material most folks prefer. So I thought I'd ask you builders who are selling guitars if your customers have a general preference. My guess would be indian rosewood or mahogany as the most common factory guitars. My brother says I'm the only one he knows that likes mahogany guitars so he thinks a mahogany dread would be harder to sell than a rosewood.

I've been building a lot of cocobolo guitars lately. So far I've never been asked to build with EIR, or mahogany for that matter, even though I offer it regularly.

_________________
Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

For selling purposes yes there is a perceived conception of what woods are used in a fine guitar unfortunately.

From a perceived value standpoint, Brazilian will always win. Then the fancier rosewoods (blackwood, cocobolo, Madagascar, etc).

Myself, my favourite guitars have either been Brazilian or mahogany, and I blame the Brazilian ones being in there on the builder rather than the materials (every customer he gets seems to demand Braz so that's his only option).

_________________
Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

No

I thought it was oak!
For 12 string blues mahogany is the wood of choice.

Great posts guys!

For me -any wood that bends without breaking,has pores that DO NOT go to China!
Looks good(Hollywood)!!
As stated here before-it's the combo of the size of the box(air)thickness of the woods-bracing
etc...that make a good or great guitar-NOT the B & Sides .
B & Sides as Alan has stated before FLAVOR the sound !
Mike

_________________
Mike Collins