Is the first piece mahogany or walnut or...? The color on the second one is much nicer (cocobolo or rosewood or...?). Check both over for cupping and/or twists, end checking, etc. and go from there. If you're going strictly off looks, the second one would get my vote. Good luck with your project, looking forward to seeing how it turns out for you.
If you're working with walnut, it's a coarse-grained wood and the pores will tend to stay open unless you wet sand it or use pore filler. It's similar to red oak if you look closely at the grain texture on the wood. Not a big deal, just something to take into consideration if you want it to look nice and intend to finish it.
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