A mahogany vs, Rosewood question IMO, is just an academic/hypothetical argument. 1,053 38. But as others have mentioned, I would look at J-45s and Hummingbirds in addition to the mahogany AJ. As a guitar top, dense mahogany has a solid, punchy tone with low overtone content and good high-end response. You may read ' rosewood is good for this, and mahogany is good for this..." but in the real- life moment, if comes down to how THAT guitar ( the one in your hands ) plays and sounds. Mahogany is "woodier" & brighter. Mahogany back and sides often emphasize bass and treble, with more overtone coloration and a “woody” sound (as opposed to the more metallic sound of, say, rosewood … JTWeasel. Typically rosewood delivers a lot more in the way overtones. The sound differences of using mahogany or rosewood back and sides on acoustic guitars. I do have an AJ that I love, but I have to admit I love my J-45 more. https://blog.taylorguitars.com/tone-talk-rosewood-mahogany-and-maple This has got me thinking about Mahogany vs Rosewood back & sides; essentially D18 vs D28. Although I probably buy as many Mahogany Martins as Rosewood ones, I have always claimed a clear personal preference for Rosewood. They are both rosewood. JTWeasel. Registered Member. I think that would be a great guitar! Rosewood vs Mahogany on Different Martin Body Sizes. The real difference is not in the kind of furniture you can use the woods to create, but on the differences between the two wood essences. D-35's are more subtle, D-28's more booming. The differences between my Mahogany (apologies, I cannot bring my self to type “hog”) and Rosewood OMs may be due to the wood but could be due to other differences between my guitars (different scale lengths, 12 vs 14 frets, handmade vs factory, etc). Mahogany. See the D-28 vs. D-35 threads as an example. As regards Rosewood and Mahogany its red wine Vs white wine,most people find mahogany brighter than rosewood but it can be woody warm after it has broken in,I tend to hear the wood a lot quicker with mahogany. Both can be loud with plenty of projection, but body styles, depth, bracing & the top woods, etc. play a lot into this. In general, I prefer mahogany over rosewood or maple. I would love to try out a mahogany AJ. 1,053 38. PS-the standard 000-18 and 28 also have the smaller nut … Post Feb 17, 2018 #1 2018-02-17T06:01.