Is Walnut a Good Tonewood? - Martin D28 Custom Walnut vs Rosewood

[@WoodworkerDan]

I love the sound of walnut. I keep hoping that Martin will add a walnut dread to their standard series. I'm not looking for a bright sparkly tone to cut through the mix. I want a basic fundamental tone.

[@maxwellfan55]

Is walnut a good tone wood? Without waiting for the answer from the guys above I can confirm yes, it categorically is. Different? Certainly, and that's the thrill, it's another hue to your palette All in all, it depends on the guitar, how it's made, the quality of top, the body shape etc. My Larrivee spruce/walnut dread is simply outstanding, better (and more tonally stable) than all the Martin dreads I used to own. Thanks for sharing walnut's tone to everyone.

[@jimmy5634]

It is

[@stevewatkins5659]

Think I prefer the sound of the walnut also nice playing again Quinten

[@jonathanfinks8019]

I liked the rosewood better. it sounded fuller and more resonant to me.

[@jimmy5634]

Rosewood is more mushy. Walnut has punch.

[@themusicexperiment3471]

I love my Walnut J45 Studio, I played it next to D18s and D28 and it was what called out to me.

[@bettertvreceptionwithfoilf7100]

Quentin, you have the best job, Dude. You know it.

[@jakeweber5578]

WALNUT SOUNDS GREAT

[@bettertvreceptionwithfoilf7100]

I don't have issues with Walnut, but the rosewood sounded more rounded and richer to me.

[@pseudonym4034]

Walnut sounds to me like Maple mixed with Mahogany. It has a great projection of Maple and a hint of the warmth of Mahogany. Rosewood is still much more focused, but Walnut remains its own thing and looks amazing. In other words, we need both.

[@bettertvreceptionwithfoilf7100]

@@pseudonym4034 Hey, i'm really good with that. I like the newer tonewoods that some of the manufacturers are using, and reclaimed wood, is an interesting addition i think. I like mahogany blues guitars, but my preference is a spruce top. It just gets better though, doesn't it? The manufacture of great instruments, and the amazing ability of these newest young players.

[@anthonyb2334]

Excellent video guys. First off, I’m a Martin guy, and love their particular feel and sound. I think the rosewood may be just a tad nicer sound but that walnut looks great. However- I owned a Gibson J15 and loved that walnut sound. Sorry I sold it. If Martin EVER puts the walnut in the standard line… count me in. Thank you

[@texhaines9957]

The black walnut is from the Southern US. Walnut is more like mahogany. Other differences from D28 is VTS top and Adirondack bracing. Thanks Quinton and Paul.

[@MustObeyTheRules]

It is almost identical in all specs to the Honduran mahogany used in guitars

[@texhaines9957]

@MustObeyTheRules i think the walnut has a nicer lower mids sound

[@donadolfo11]

I like the sound of this guitar! I hear strong fundamentals in it, kind of "flesh" and "substance" in the sound - as in a good wine. But still very lively in the highs. For me walnut instruments sometimes sound too dry in my ears, but not this one. A great alternative - or addition - to a standard D-28!

[@OpenDGuitar]

Walnut is fabulous. I’ve played a black walnut Mossman for 30 years, and about to take delivery on a Bastogne walnut Gallagher.

[@leecunningham1072]

I have a Custom Martin from 2010 - Sitka top, Addy bracing, and black walnut b&s - based on the D-18V. I had asked if they would stamp the headblock "D-18VW", as a nod to my car-enthusiast buddies, but nah - it would not have anything like a Martin model number. It's a great all-around guitar. Clean bottom end - a bit more bottom than a D-18 - mids and trebles are clean and forward, somewhat like maple. Really cuts in bluegrass jams. It's also fun to have something a bit different from the usual rosewood or 'hog guitars in the room.

[@RahulSharma_JaiMataDi]

Sounds amazing .... just great

[@johnwbanjo]

I’ve played some walnut guitars and they sound wonderful. This one is in that groove. Are the braces scalloped or not?

[@russbrown8272]

I haven't scrolled through everything here, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating something. I think the D41 sounds fuller and deeper, but you really should have gotten a rosewood D28 to compare...but as someone's already said, Quentin, you have the BEST job.

[@lilycat1694]

Rosewood for me, sound wise.

[@Pavel_ALG]

For sure it's a great tonewood

[@johnviolette5511]

Slight bump in the mids on the Walnut. but it could be slight difference in overall build.

[@TheBigdutchster]

I'd call that a well-rounded tone.

[@batman48195]

Love the walnut tone!

[@colinsacks8200]

More similar than different. As a D-18 player, I liked the directness of the Walnut.

[@rmzzz76]

I absolutely HATE the sound of Walnut. I think it sounds horrible in this example, I think it's sounded horrible on all the Gibson G series models. Objectively it's a less dense/softer wood than even Maple. This is why it sounds so terrible. It's over bright and clangy. 1. Walnut: Approximately 610-660 kg/m³ 2. Rosewood: Approximately 800-900 kg/m³ 3. Mahogany: Approximately 450-640 kg/m³ 4. Maple: Approximately 600-750 kg/m³

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

Listening to this makes me really want a Rosewood guitar

[@sbolfing]

I'd love a walnut Martin to complement my Sycamore (Model America 1)! Then I would just need a Cherry. And maybe an Osage Orange. And an Oak... Sigh... Wished I ran a music store and could custom order a whole bunch of alternative tonewood guitars

[@jimdeeds]

Walnut sounds more compressed to my ear. Beautiful tone.

[@jimmy5634]

Well I own a Gibson J 15 with Walnut back and sides, spruce top and it sounds great and has better looking walnut. Guess what…it’s Eight years old and it didn’t cost anywhere close to that Martin

[@dcallan1]

I've always been a fan of Walnut back and sides. Interesting that it's become so relatively expensive.

[@danmccarthy592]

Quinton , who is your agent?

[@bosse641]

Lovely.

[@russellzauner]

Sometimes I go to online shops and browse slabs, there's one shop right around the corner that does 85-90% walnut slabs/veneers/other boards - it's crazy how cheap you can get it if you shop local.

[@russellzauner]

Also on stage I'd probably use koa or rosewood if I didn't have maple available, but walnut is great for getting the spectral depth of a dread but still getting nicely through a mix. This would work on stage too, for sure, but if I needed to give the wife an excuse for buying yet another guitar...being shiny helps there too. ;-) This would probably just live in the studio for me (I'm clumsy, good odds I'd break it outside) and get played by everyone that set foot in the door, just because that's how those sort of guitars are.

[@N7_2DC]

Very nice looking guitar. I'm surprised it isn't called a D18 in Walnut. I love my D18 (mahogany), but never liked the loud acrid sounds of the D28 (rosewood). This Walnut guitar sounds like a D18. It is beautiful too...

[@multipipi1234]

Martin following up on the Gibson J 15

[@rogershinton7483]

I bought my regular D-28,on sale,a few months ago for substantially less than the asking price. With that in mind $7,000 for walnut,on the same guitar, is a big no sale!

[@jordangannon5900]

The sitca is nice and bright, but the 2nd one is more well-rounded.

[@jamesstephenlee]

The walnut sounds a bit more mid-rangey to me. Can never go wrong with rosewood or mahogany, but the walnut has a a sonic niche, and probably sits in a mix as a good strummer

[@tfcolligan]

Would have been nice to compare the walnut D28 to a rosewood D28 instead. Anyway, sticking to Rosewood.

[@firecrackerheart]

lols-it's pretty funny how quentin feigns not knowing martin is the originator of the dreadnaught .. . 🤣 and not knowing about walnut's sustainability....funny guy!

[@ZionForman]

walnut is a great tonewood. to my ear, it falls somewhere between rosewood and mahogany and/or it can sound very similar to koa.

[@hartshut]

I’m glad mine is rosewood. It sounds better.

[@jonnyhammerstix1535]

I enjoy my Walnut Taylor GTe Blacktop. My ear is drawn to Walnut guitars and the tone wood helps hide my mediocre playing ability lol.

[@danmccarthy592]

The d41 is mine

[@rjrguitar]

To me, walnut sounds like a cross between mahogany and rosewood, maybe just a hair closer to mahogany, and in a very good way. Walnut doesn't have that midrange "dip" that rosewood has, wherein it's easier for me to hear walnut versus rosewood, especially over my laptop speakers.

[@lawrencefranck9417]

Not as deep on the bass and winey on the highs nice sound. Walnut is beautiful

[@tjstevens001]

That is a beautiful guitar but it is still very expensive!

[@jessicaembers924]

Be thankful they don't make them out of MDF!

[@Charlie-hp2oh]

nothing beats sapele

[@fredsings1]

The walnut is pretty. The sound is 'thicker' -not as balanced-when compared to rosewood...

[@hotlov72]

They need to just open a factory in China and teach some Luther's how to make it because the average person can't afford a $4000 Martin D28

[@WSBM]

Eastman comes pretty close for the money.

[@intersanctum]

You can buy Walnut on the back and sides with Engelmann spruce on the top for 900-1000 bucks. At least I did, and yes it was made in China.

[@maxwellfan55]

Actually China make nice guitars already (Eastman, for one). But I agree, except I would argue that a Martin (pre-loved if necessary) is in reach of most players if they are willing to make it an ambition, sacrifice and save up. At least I did, without any regret.

[@timothymeadows8326]

Yep.. a company saves a lot with a slave labor force don't they ? The pre-civil south had the same economic plan.

[@scottbaxendale323]

How can it be called a D-28 when it’s not made from rosewood? That nomenclature flies in the face of Martin tradition.

[@DesertScorpionKSA]

That was a big nothing burger. I like the rosewood tone better. I think it has more overtones and the walnut has a stronger fundamental frequency tone. Walnut might be more similar to mahogany than rosewood.

[@texhaines9957]

True.

[@maxwellfan55]

I went from Rosewood as the forever be-all, to mahogany, then toward others, all based on straight, consistent tone quality. I fell out of love with Martin rosewood dreads, but this one sounded nice. For me the problem with rosewood guitars is that they sometimes sound great, sometimes poor, but the one virtue is they always punch through a mix. Mahogany remains my first choice (including all hog top, back and sides), but never wise to discount others, walnut included.

[@DesertScorpionKSA]

@@maxwellfan55 I'm not discounting walnut, which seems like a cross between rosewood and mahogany. I think the video could have discussed the tonal qualities of the guitar instead of focusing on the looks.

[@johnreed9111]

Hearing the walnut guitar alone I’m sure I would have been pleased to own it, but for me I really didn’t hear a compelling signature sound. Rosewood can deliver depth and shimmer - the best have warmth too. Mahogany can wrap up its strong fundamental notes in woody warmth in exchange for a less complex sound. Koa has a sweetness and a hint of rosewood’s overtones. Beautiful looking as the walnut was, I found the sound did not draw me in. I guess it would be good for mixing into a recording because it lacks an obvious signature of its own and could be processed as required. Great to have the choice, if you have the cash!

[@Zod741]

Can I hear what acorn sounds like

[@Tom-p4p8j]

Dude Barney Fife with guitar playing man Andy Taylor their he's about to spank you He has got so much patience I can just tell he's 6:21 on the brim of just violence