Mahogany

[JohnnyDangerously]

I was thinking about making a guitar body from [African] Mahogany... can anyone tell me hard it is to work with?

[jay5]

Not a good first post. Do a search.

[westhemann]

well...i don't know.that one may be a bit tough to dig up on a search.

type in "mahogany" and see what happens...it's like sensory overload.

you would pretty much have to read the entire forum to find the one topic in which rhoads used african mahogany to build that 27" scale guitar for that big dude.

rhoads tells me he likes it...it is not at all common over here in the states(at least where i am) but i wouldn't thing it would be much different than honduran mahogany,which is also quite dense.

mahogany is one of the most pleasant woods to work with.glues,cuts,and sands exceptionally well.

the only downfall is finishing...it is tricky to fill the pores.quite time consuming,but worth it in the end.

i used 3 different types of mahogany on this one...quite a pleasure really..still had some grain filling issues

[Hughes]

that...wes...is verry nice work, love the beast, keep up the good work

[westhemann]

that...wes...is verry nice work, love the beast, keep up the good work

←

thanks dude

[M_A_T_T]

I wouldn't think it would be much different than honduran mahogany

Edited June 29, 2005 by M_A_T_T

[frank falbo]

I just got an African Mahogany board big enough for three solid (one piece) bodies. It's gorgeous. No splits, no knots. Just 5 feet of pure creamy goodness. Too bad one of the bodies will be painted black.

You could argue that Honduran is more consistent, but you can find some great pieces of African Mahogany. You should always see your wood before you buy it, but if you had to go sight unseen, you're safer with Honduran IMO.

[Pr3Va1L]

What types of mahogany are viable (sp?) to use in a guitar? i can get some KINDA cheap at my local lumber yard, asked about hondurian... (their pieces are WAY to thick... hate this, i pay for 3" of thickness) I think african would be cheaper, no? Any other types are good (for neckthrough wings)?

thanks

[erikbojerik]

My wood guy has both and the African is cheaper.

[JohnnyDangerously]

Well I really don't have any local places to get nice tonewoods, so I've gotta either do the online vendor thing (Warmoth, Stewmac) or the eBay thing. All i can find on eBay right now are Ash blanks, and all Warmoth sells for mahogany is African.. I wish i could find a place that sells Honduran.

[Southpa]

On average Honduran mahogany is darker and denser than average African mahogany. Phillipine mahogany is a 2nd rate cousin of the two. Honduran is going to be harder to find and more expensive because its considered an endangered species. So keep your eyes open for old headboards etc.

Edited June 29, 2005 by Southpa

[Pr3Va1L]

alright, ima try to get African since no one seems to see much difference in sound... I'll probably be able to get a better price too... (anyways, 60$ CDN wasen't so bad!)

[Andy]

I've got an old mahogany hand rail (Dont know what type just that its a type of mahogany)

If I cut it right I can get three lengths that I could laminate to make a Thru-neck. And all three would be practically quarter sawn (though I'd be using the best for the middle the second for the bass side and the worst for the treble). I'm also going to be adding carbon re-inforcing rods for added strength, and a double action truss rod of course, but..

What is the thinnest neck profile you would go down to with mahogany. my current guitar pretty uch a JEM profile... maybe a bit thicker. Would that weaken it too much?

[JohnnyDangerously]

Well you can order African Mahogany from warmoth, for like $65 USD... I may just stick with a nice ash or alder blank to keep expenses low. I also don't know how the mahogany would look if i stained it with Tobacco colored stain from stewmac, which is my plan.

[ToneMonkey]

Are you THE Johnny Dangerously?

If so, you don't happen to have a spare copy of black and blue do you? My bro half inched it back (after I pinched it off him after he pinched it from his ex missus) and it's one of my favorite songs.

Also if you are, I've seen you a couple of times now (I think you were at last years Glastonbury - it could have been you or I could have been off my bonce - 50, 50 chance I think). Muchos Kudos for having a go at the sound man.

Kaj

[Scott Rosenberger]

African tends to vary more in weight than Honduran. I've used African Mahogany but only when the piece was light enough

[Drak]

I've got a Tele that has an African core, and it is much denser and heavier than the standard Honduran I get, but having said that, I really like it, seems like a great wood, and the price is good, so it's a winner AFAIC.

If I remember right, it's much more red than (Honduran) pinkish.

[JohnnyDangerously]

Yeah African is pretty red, which is why I'm worried about the stain i use. Like i said, i want either a Tobacco or Amber finish (check out the stewmac stains), but i dont know how they would look over the red wood. But now im thinkin the mahogany aint a great idea. I'll be using a few old Teisco pickups, and i finally got to test them out, and theyve got some real bottom end to them, so i need something that'll add a little bit of highs or pinch off the lows a bit.

[krazyderek]

I enjoy working with mahogany, it moves quite a bit more then other tone woods as humidity changes, but it's a pleasure in terms of woodworking. Cuts well, planes good, chisels nicely, slices well, shave's well, not as toxic as say, redwood, or basswood, and it's not to heavy a wood.

[JohnnyDangerously]

unfortunately i'm not to well on money right now, im just kindof researching well ahead of time, ya know? So, Honduran mahogany has smaller pores/is easier to fill?

[Drak]

No, not really. The pore differences between African and Honduran are so negligable as to not be worth talking about, you are 'overfocusing'...

If you're tight on money, then just buy Alder. It's cheap, it always sounds good, and it's much lighter in color, allowing you to do your tinting thang.

PS, you will only learn so much by asking questions. The real experience comes from buying different woods and actually using them, that's really the only way you're going to learn anything of value to you.

I can see what you're doing, I have seen many people do the same thing...they think by asking a lot of questions, that they will learn so much that they will get it right the first time, they will be completely prepared because they have done tons of research...but that is not really true...asking questions WILL help, but only to a certain point, then any more questions will just confuse you more than help you.

It's like asking someone what the pool water feels like.

At some point you have to dive in and feel it for yourself, you could get 100 different answers about how the water feels, but after a point, it's all pretty meaningless until you jump in and feel for yourself what it's like to be engulfed by water.

You should find a local hardwoods dealer near you and go touch and feel the woods for yourself.

[fryovanni]

Honduran or "Genuine" Mahogany is most likely not going to be from Honduras, but it is usually still pretty close to actual Honduran (which has long since been over harvested beyond sustainable levels). There are a couple types of wood that people commonly call "African Mahogany". One is Sapele- which tends to weigh a bit more than "Genuine". The other is Khaya- which tends to be a bit lighter than "Genuine". All of these are very nice to work with. They are all going to require pour filling. The big plus to the "African Mahoganys" will be availabilty and very wide pieces that are fairly common. You will find plenty of quartersawn material also. You can also find Sapele in nicely quilted blanks that are quite amazing, but not cheap. I have and have used all three varietys. I would lean tward Sapele for my acoustic projects, but I really like all of them equally well for solid bodys. A person might take a look at the history of Honduran and how it was a cheap widely available for years until those big trees went away. The "African Mahoganys" may have a similar future. I would take advantage of the available material before it bacomes more difficult to get those really nice pieces.

Peace, Rich