Different Types Of Mahogany ?

[alysum]

G'day,

For my first guitar I wish to have a mahogany body, however I read that it's a very general name for wood which can be anything really which is dark with medium grain.

Where does the mahogany usually come from today on Fender, Gibson etc.. guitars ? Are they brazilian ones that grow outside Brazil ? Apparently you can't get any FROM Brasil these days ?

My dad who is a lutemaker got a plank of wood called 'Niangon' (exotic wood from west Africa; pictures from google) from a local carpenter who claims it's classified as a mahogany wood. I tried to do some research on the web about that wood for guitars and haven't found anything really. Anyone know that wood and whether it's suitable ?

Otherwise here in Sydney there is a place where I can get some brazilian mahogany which is grown in Fiji and Philippines. Are those usually good wood ?

Thanks for your help

[Southpa]

I think the niangon would be fine, the samples look very much like African mahogany. But can't forget the misnomers, there could be 4 or 5 species of brown streaked woods with similar properties from Africa that might be called (or sold as) "mahogany". Like someone said in the thread below, you'd have to be there when they take down the tree to be sure. Lots said about mahogany in this forum. Heres an example.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...hogany&st=0

Edited June 9, 2007 by Southpa

[tim_ado]

hey if your from sydney

try treand timbers thats were i got my wood from there pretty helpful round there

were about are u from??

[alysum]

thanks I will check out that thread

tim_ado> I'm in Sydney, Hunters Hill, I went to Gillet Guitars in Botany and they sell Mahogany planks for $89 apparently it's a good price.

I would actually prefer to find a plank in France because that's where I will be making the guitar.

Edited June 9, 2007 by alysum

[rhoads56]

tim_ado> I'm in Sydney, Hunters Hill, I went to Gillet Guitars in Botany and they sell Mahogany planks for $89 apparently it's a good price.

I believe you wil find it is FIJIAN mahogany being sold. Mahogany is a name they added to the back of the word Fijian so they could sell it. Same stuff as used by epiphone, very very weak tonally and structurally.

I can assure you, there is NO STOCK of ~~~single piece~~~ brazilian mahogany in Australia, i have just purchased the last of it. There will be no more being imported. You might be lucky and get some two, three or four piece blanks. You WILL pay more than $89 for it though... the wholesale price is over that, and remember, this timber is now not able to be imported.

[alysum]

tim_ado> I'm in Sydney, Hunters Hill, I went to Gillet Guitars in Botany and they sell Mahogany planks for $89 apparently it's a good price.

I believe you wil find it is FIJIAN mahogany being sold. Mahogany is a name they added to the back of the word Fijian so they could sell it. Same stuff as used by epiphone, very very weak tonally and structurally.

I can assure you, there is NO STOCK of ~~~single piece~~~ brazilian mahogany in Australia, i have just purchased the last of it. There will be no more being imported. You might be lucky and get some two, three or four piece blanks. You WILL pay more than $89 for it though... the wholesale price is over that, and remember, this timber is now not able to be imported.

ha where did you find that last piece ?

would you not believe the Fijian mahogany is a Swietenia species ?

if Fijian and Philippines mahogany is no good, what should I get then ?

[Acousticraft]

Where I am in NZ the only Mahogany I can get locally is African Sapelle.

I have used it for two acoustics for back and sides plus the major parts of my semi-hollow body. At the moment I have three students building solid body guitars from it.

The only drawback is the double grain that it has can make it tricky to thickness without some tear out, but sands well and is stable and looks nice when clear finished.

Edited June 10, 2007 by Acousticraft

[rhoads56]

ha where did you find that last piece ?

It wasnt so much one piece, more like "this stuff is now 'extinct' in Australia, and my business relies on it so i will buy everything i can". Luckily, i have a local timber merchant with very good contacts, so for a fee, they found and purchased all stocks throughout Australia for me. There is so much, i couldnt afford it, but i offerred them a payment plan they couldnt refuse Hopefully it will last me until 2011.

if Fijian and Philippines mahogany is no good, what should I get then ?

African Mahogany is a reasonable substitute although ive found it to be slightly brighter. That can be a good thing though. As Acousticraft stated, it can be harder to work with.

[Mattia]

The true (Swietenia) mahoganies all grow primarily in the Americas; Honduran/Brazilian (Macrophylla, which ever way you turn it) is now restricted by CITES - import is not banned, but many don't want to go through the hassle of doing the paperwork to get more in. There are alternative sources; there are plantations on Sri Lanka growing Honduran and Cuban mahoganies, might want to look into your wood merchant contacting them...I've tried here, but they're not terribly interested, sadly.

As for other 'mahoganies', the asian ones on the market are what Perry says; not much good.

There are several African varieties that are perfectly good substitutes, and how they work out tonally very much depends on the chosen piece. Sapele is the strongest of the lot, also the heaviest, likely the brighest (Entadrophragma Cylindricum). Then you've got Sipo (Ent. Utile), which can also make great instruments, tends to be a little lighter. Khaya (Khaya Ivorensis) is the most variable wood of the lot, ranging from open, coarse, ugly weak wood to very nice, fairly fine-grained wood that's a perfect substitute for honduran. It's the least consistent, strength-wise, likely because numerous different species are labelled as 'khaya', so you really have to pick and choose your pieces wisely if you're going to use it for necks. The stock I have is perfectly suitable for making necks out of, no problems at all, but that's not true of all of it.

All the African species look very similar and are quite closely related to the south american varieties, and have similar working properties. They do tend to have roey-er grain, making smooth planing without tearout a bit more of a challenge. Still, the vast majority of my mahogany is African (got a killer deal on quartered, ribbon-strip, heavy, stiff Khaya a while back), with the honduran being reserved for acoustics and/or necks, since I can't honestly justify the price difference for looks or tone when it comes to bodies, particularly if you can find good stocks of African with similar properties, but the stuff is more consistent for neck making, and easier to carve. Although....the floppiest neck I've ever made was a honduran mahogany one. Go figure.

[alysum]

thanks I'm giving up fijian/philipines wood and I've found an online french supplier of honduran and african mahogany

funny the honduran one would be 2 pieces whilst african is 1 piece (bodies)

Edited June 12, 2007 by alysum