Hog vs Cedar Tops

[zpcm04]

So Larrivee makes a bunch of hogtops, but few with cedar.  While Taylor makes a bunch with cedar, but few hogtops.

Are the tonal characteristics of the two top woods similar?

[dermot]

So Larrivee makes a bunch of hogtops, but few with cedar.  While Taylor makes a bunch with cedar, but few hogtops.

Are the tonal characteristics of the two top woods similar?

Not really in my experience..
On paper Mahogany is a hardwood, Cedar is one of the softest of the softwoods used for guitar tops.
My real world experience with these topwoods is split between  very diffrent makers, so it's very hard for me to generalise, but in my case the Guild D40 mahog top records really well, the Webber cedar top is harder to capture.. the Webber sounds amazing in the livingroom, the Guild less so....

Very diffrent guitars tho.. an 80's Guild D that is very heavily built, and  a Webber roundbody that's a feather weight with deeply scalloped braces...

Someone else with more experience and/or similar guitars may be able to help you a bit more

d/

[Digdog]

In my experience with cedar and mahogany top guitars vs spruces ,mahogany and cedar offer a warmer softer  tone. Cedar has this quality of softer blossoming resonance and sustain where mahogany is a bit more immediate in its projection of still a very warm to edgy tone. I like open and altered tunings for noodling and some slide work so the cedar works best for me . Cedar has a quality of quick response with a lighter attack .Mahogany can take the more aggressive attack and hold its own with bigger guitars with spruce tops.That is my take on it .Hope that helps. When it comes to describing tone we all have our preference in regards to  EQ'S .

[Danny]

  Different altogether.  And the cedar will sound a lot different depending on the model it's on.

I think mahogany has a similar tone on most of the models I've played. Of course some , like my Larrivee F-IV just sound great.
 
   I have always heard that cedar is more open in the beginning than the hardwood tops, but doesn't change a whole lot over the years as the other will usually.