Sound signature differences of Acacia vs Mahogany vs Spruce top + Rosewood sides?

[ReverendBobLaBlaugh]

All solid wood baritone construction...Acacia vs Mahogany vs Spruce top + Rosewood sides...What should I expect in regards to how these woods might differ in sound signatures?

I'm considering the new Kala Contour baritone series which are identical in all aspects, except the spruce/rosewood version having a cutout. Each are all solid wood construction. I can't sit and test play them, and I'm interested in how they might sound differently from each other? I'd particularly appreciate anyone's comments about their personal experiences comparing these different versions of Kala's Contour baritone series.

 

[ReverendBobLaBlaugh]

In my ongoing research into tonewoods for ukes, I discovered this nugget from Ukes with Alex of Southern Ukulele Store taking about tonewoods.

 

[merlin666]

There is a lot of myth about contribution of wood to sound and some people claim to be able to hear systematic differences. I believe it is mainly marketing, and in the end about status and appearance. However, I think that there is a difference between hardwood and softwood tops that for baritone can make a difference. Due to longer scale and larger body with a traditional uke hardwood top the higher frequencies can get muted and players may think they sound too mellow. So the solution to brighten up baritone is to make it more like a guitar with a softwood top.

 

[ReverendBobLaBlaugh]

Again, share more nuggets from continued research, I found this comparison of these three Kala Contour Series baritones (Mahogany, Acacia, Spruce top, Rosewood sides/back), holding constant the player, the music played, recording protocol. SUS did well to provide labeled "chapters" so I can jump back and forth between the three baritone builds with different tonewoods.

To my ears, the Mahogany and Acacia seem pretty close, and bath you in the warm resonance of the bassier notes, but the Mahogany might be a bit too much and veiled in upper frequencies of the B and E strings IMHO. The Spruce top sounds the most different in comparison, with a brighter sparkly sound overall, with less sustained bass resonance envelopinging everything. The upper frequencies of the B and E strings sound more clear and articulated, more brilliance and revealing of technique and flaws as well.

 

[ReverendBobLaBlaugh]

I also suspect that the baritone size may be it's own factor, and interact with the various tonewoods in different ways with different results. So the differences between sound characteristics of the different tonewoods (all other variables being constant such as shape and bracing, finish, etc...) with a concert might sound different than with a baritone. With more or less room for soundwaves to bounce around inside the body may interact with and play into differing resonating characteristics of the different tonewoods.

 

[ripock]

Another unappreciated variable in this equation is the personality of the player. When I strum 0222 on a sycamore uke versus a spruce versus koa, do you know what I hear? GΔ7. They all sound pretty much the same. However, for other people the nuances are earth-shattering. So you really need to cater to your personality. For example, I pick my tonewoods to placate my superficial desire for looks and grains because I know all the different tonewoods are gonna play the same C chord; I just want the uke to be more stylish whilst doing so.