Mahogany or basswood

whats the difference between mahogany and basswood in tone and weight and everything else.. but will it make any difference in tone if it is a neck thru guitar (neck is maple/walnut ibanez wizard II)

In my experience, quality of construction / finish makes more difference than the material. Basswood is lighter than mahogany though.

Mahogany is supposed to offer greater warmth and sustain, but a basswood with a thru neck probably would as well. Basswood is also reputed to have a better low end response.

I've (right or wrong) never worried much about what a guitar is made out of - I own quite a few, of various woods, and each has it's own character and place in a tune (or not). I find pickup selection has more of an impact than chosen tone wood. The only exception to this was my decision to buy an ash telecaster rather than the usual alder body - I found the sound was slightly warmer...

If what you've got is a 'guitar A, or guitar B?' type situation, just play both.... and then buy both if you can :D you'll find a use for them I'm sure...

I find that different woods and wood combinations compliment the overall tone of the guitar. Here's a description of different tone woods

There are differences in bolt ons, set necks, and neck through designed guitars... People often overlook the sound of an electric guitar when it is not plugged in. But you can tell a lot about an electric just by playing it when it's not plugged in. Bolt on necks get the worse resonance of all the designs... the metal bolts tend to absorb and release some of the vibration. Set necks do a better job at conducting the vibrations throughout the body... giving these types of guitars better sustain when compared to a bolt on. They also generally have a warmer tone. Neck-through guitars generate the most resonance and sustain of all body designs. These bodies are generally made with a maple neck and through body block... with mahogany side panels. This allows the body to vibrate from the headstock all the way to the back strap button. Giving this type of guitar superiority in sustain. When it comes to choosing one... play all different types of guitars and woods... then make a decision on what fits you.

yea im basically down to two very similar guitars the ibanez RGT42 and the ibanez RGT42DX the differences arent huge they have different choice in colors I like the red pearl finish on the RGT42 and the RGT42DX has the "2 tone sharktooth inlay" which i think looks pretty cool. but i think the biggest difference is the the woods they both have a 5 peice maple/walnut neck with rosewood fingerboards but the wings on the RGT42 are basswood and the wings on the RGT42DX are mahogany. but the music stores around me only have one RGT42 and and no DX but the RGT42 is usually 770$ canadian but its 30 percent off and i looked at it theres nothing wrong with it its in perfect condition it plays great but i dont know if i should get it because there is the RGT42DX out there that i havent tried

You're not going to find someone who's going to tell you exactly what guitar to buy, and if someone does, please don't listen to them, because they're are more than likely feeding you BS! That goes for salesmen too. You are going to have to play them both to figure out which one is right for you. If there's no chance of being able to play the other guitar, then you will have to make the decision whether or not to chance it or not on your own. If that's the way it must be, I believe with all the posts about it, you should have enough information to make an educated guess.

Choose wisely young grasshopper...