I have a '57 F-20 and had a '69 F-20 for a short time. The '57 was noticeably louder when played side by side. Not sure how to describe tone really, the '57 has a nice bell-like tone, a surprisingly big sound for a small guitar. I'd say the mahogany b&s '69 sounded more as you'd expect for a guitar of its size, in volume similar to the GAD M20 or M120 (which I've also owned). Nice in its own right, but quite a difference in the sound compared to the maple b&s version. I liked the neck better on the '69 but ended up trading it.