Wow! Still reeling at the responses. Mooman, it's a heavy exaggeration to say that I know what I'm talking about, and certainly can't qualify as a NERD. Just have strong--though realtively uninformed--opinions. Hell I just brazonly threw my narrow little ideas out there, and am still amazed at the depth of experience with which folks have replied. I wouldn't know a real luthier if I tripped over his catspaw. And I have no idea what Bubinga is, much less what to make of the particular combination you described.

Spaw, in the interests of breaking the ice between us (not that there really is any) let me tell you a quick story from back when I was helping out on a neighbor's carpentry job. One of the carpenters there was a very competent fellow. We needed to take something apart in a hurry. I had the catspaw in my hand, but handed it to the carpenter saying, 'Here, I'm sure you're more experienced with this than I am.' He took it from me with the comment, 'Well, if I'm more experienced with it than you, then I must make a lot more mistakes than you.'

Thanks, Spaw for the pointer to the rosewood thread. I'll be reading it more than once. I noticed when someone asked you what you would look at when shopping, Collings was the first, and much praised, instrument you mentioned. I just played my first Collings the other day, and was VERY impressed.

And thank you Rick for your patient approach to my rather arrogant behavior. I know you'all are working patiently to get me calmed down and acting reasonably. I'll get there. But, if I'm to heed your advice and not listen to Kendall, then I'll have to conclude I really don't know what I'm talking about.

But to get to the meat: While I acknowledge the mudcat addage that it's in the ear of the behearer, surely there must be rules of thumb; general characteristic sound types which tend to follow this or that variance in the different factors: tonewoods, body size and shape, construction methods, color of the luthier's eyes, etc. If there were no more or less consistent tendencies, why make different types of guitar? Just close the eyes and build, hoping for that unique instrument that has the good stuff? I know that's carrying it too far, but for emphasis of the point. For example, what difference in sound is the luthier hoping for when he builds an all mahogany machine as opposed to the standard spruce topped one? Surely he anticipates a particular result based a rule of thumb? Sure there are exceptions, but can't I get somebody to generalize like I do, even for a moment?

Hope the following clarifies my complaint with Rosewood: I'm a finger-picker (though I just strum gently for some songs). I pick fairly intricate, fast stuff sometimes (come back here, modesty, I need you now!). With a top-end Rosewood instrument, the result rings all over the place, as Rosewood does, but it's mushy and sort of brash (like me). It loses the quality of each note being clear. But with mahogany, each note has its say, and fast finger-picking sounds great.

Similar thing happens--even more so--with large vs small bodies. With the large body (I'm talking any well made high end box, now) fast finger-picking just drowns itself out. But give me a smaller body, and mahogany, and I'm in hog heaven. The notes stand out clear and warm, and they don't run over each other. (Even a large bodied mahogany is too ringy for me).

Brash conclusion: In my experience (which I admit is really quite limited), Rosewood vs Mahagany, and large vs smaller produce fairly consistent patterns in the kind of sound. I think dread/Rose is a great combination for flat-picking. You want that big, ringing sound, and you're playing (albeit fast) either one note at a time, or chords, both of which sound great. But the finger picker is playing high and low in quick sucsession (sp?) and they mush together in the dread/Rose box. By the way, I'm not where I have access to any good, older instruments, so that too limits my experience.

I do want to get into strings, but maybe not yet, or maybe I should brashly start another unabashed thread. Really I know nothing about strings, so don't have any abrasive opinions to offer, only questions.

Sorry to be such a newbie. I haven't even looked around here much, nor gone through the FAQ, nor learned to do searches, nor nothin'. My free ISP gives me 15 hours a month, and I'm a bit too strapped to pay for more (and much to strapped to be talking about nice expensive guitars), so I don't have online time to do much browsing (I wrote this off line). I just jumped in with all fours and love it. Whip me if I do dumb stuff.

Gordon

P. S. What does LOL mean?