Maple vs. Rosewood on a Guild 12-string

[J45dale]

I am starting to get a itch for someting I have never even played, a jumbo, 12 string. It could only be a Guild.
I have always been a Mohogany player, untill I met and fell in love with my D55 Rosewood. My only maple is my Grandfathers 70 yr. old, cheap resonator.
I know that tone is hard to describe, but what should I expect to be the major differences between the two tonewoods, Maple Vs. Rosewood, on a Guild, Jumbo 12-string.
Which will be the best example of the famous Guild sound?
Suggest models to look for.
Sorry if this has been covered before, but I am just now starting to study the differences of 12 stringers, and feel it may soon be the time to expand my Guild horizens.
Dale.

 

[West R Lee]

:lol: The only ones I like are the maple, rosewood and mahogany.

West

 

[john_kidder]

Lengthy discussion here:

Advice on buying a 12-string

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

I think it depends on your ear. I don't hear Guild maple 12s the way others do. To me, they just sound dull.

 

[Firebird]

One of Guilds true-blue strengths is their line of American-made 12 string guitars. Guild is truely at the top of the heap here.

I'm a rosewood guy so I would make that choice. Maple produces a sound that's too bright and tinty for my tastes. Visually, maple looks fantastic. Many Guild maple guitars have laminated backs which probably detract somewhat from sound projection. Finger pickers may like the balanced sound of a maple instrument over a rosewood guitar.

Any Guild 12 string will sound great though, no matter what it is made of.

 

[Karl Teten]

Maple produces a sound that's too bright and tinty for my tastes. Visually, maple looks fantastic. Many Guild maple guitars have laminated backs which probably detract somewhat from sound projection. Finger pickers may like the balanced sound of a maple instrument over a rosewood guitar.

Maple does produce a brighter sound. With the right strings the tonal spectrum can be balanced perfectly with a jumbo sized body. I personally use 80/20 Martin Marquis extra lights on my JF65-12.

The F412 and JF65-12 maple backs are laminated like an electric guitar. Laminate maple is used as the backs of these guitar are arched. Think Gibson ES335. The arched backs give a tighter projection than the flat backs IMO. This tight projection cuts well in a group mix.

Rosewood backed guitars like the F512 produces a richer bass response than maple that works best for solo fingerpickers.

I highly agree that any Guild 12 sounds great no matter what it is made of!

 

[6L6]

I like a brighter sound (more jangle) so I always lean towards hogs and maple guitars.

I just purchased a new Guild F-412 (maple body) and LOVE it!

6

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Hogs? But enough about Rosie.

 

[dreadnut]

I'm a rosewood kinda guy too, and I love my F-512, but I played a -412 recently that about blew my ears off, if I'd had $900 I coulda stole it from the little moron at Guitar Center who knew nothing about it.

 

[Scratch]

Of the four 12ers in my stable, the maple-body JF30-12 is the loudest by far. Also the biggest, brightest, & prettiest... I'll stop there cuz Pam will get upset with me if I go on and on about her... :lol:

 

[california]

I'm a rosewood kinda guy too, and I love my F-512, but I played a -412 recently that about blew my ears off, if I'd had $900 I coulda stole it from the little moron at Guitar Center who knew nothing about it.

I was always all about rosewood until I got my JF-65 12, this guitar really opened my eyes -- and ears -- to the quality of a jumbo maple. You can accompany or dominate, and the balance across the range from high to low is really startling -- espcially good for finger picking.

[IMG:640:640]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r147/california91207/collage.jpg[/img]

 

[guildzilla]

Ah, the maple guitars have some momentum here.

I realize rosewood has special qualities, too, but to me the essential Guild 12-string is a maple body.

Nicer to have one of each, of course.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Gee, Zee. You need a mando to go with your Little Blunder. They're tuned the same.

 

[Mikeoso]

the answer here is mahogany, and I don't even CARE what the question was...go find a nice old Westerly-made F212XL, and you'll never have to think about it again...just soundproof the house so you don't injure the neighbors.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Oh so right, Mike. You can't go wrong with a 212XL, and they're cheap and plentiful

 

[fungusyoung]

What, no love for mahogany on a 12? Seriously, I'm curious... And is the consensus that a jumbo is the way to go over a dread if one is going down the 12-string road?

I'm a long ways off from getting a 12, but I'll defer to you guys for when it is time!

By the way, if it matters, by the time I'm ready for a 12 my stable will consist of an all mahogany grand autitorium (Martin 000-15), a spruce top/'hog sides dread (D25) + a spruce top/rosewood dread (DV52).

 

[Mikeoso]

What, no love for mahogany on a 12?

see my post just two ahead of you, fungoid one.

On the EIGHTH DAY, God said "Let there be 12 strings"
and Guild produced the F212XL, and God said, "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

 

[fungusyoung]

What, no love for mahogany on a 12?

see my post just two ahead of you, fungoid one.

Thanks, I'm an idiot

Can somebody briefly compare the "F" body style with a "000" and a standard jumbo?

Very interested in the F212's now that I've done a quick search on Gbase. Too bad I'm in a downsizing mode right now, but this is something I'm gonna seriously consider down the road.

Thanks again!

 

[J45dale]

Hey guys,
Thanks for all of the very good info on the variables of 12 stringers. This info is a keeper for anyone, (like me), trying to understand 12 string guitars.
There are just no used Guilds in my area to try out, so thanks again.
When I pull the trigger, it will most likely be a blind, internet purchase.
I have been playing my D55 Rosewood for two days, and love that Rosewood base. And I don't see how I could screw up with a F-512.
My stable has 3 Mohogany Dreds now.( one being a great D25 arch-back) So I guess a Maple is due. Possibly the brightness will add to the 12- string jangle. Also a Jumbo body just seem right for a 12 string.
So how about another lame question, what are the differences in a F-412 and a JF-6512?
Dale

 

[Mikeoso]

I'll leave it for the Guild experts to do all the different sizes and shapes. do keep in mind that an F212 and an F212XL are different beasts. also, not all F sizes are the same.