Genuine honduran mahogany, scientific name - Swietenia macrophylla, and acoustic guitar tonewood classic. This set has some fabuolous 'sausage curl' or quilting figure. Just gorgeous!
Loving these videos, Tom, keep up the great work! My Bashkin SJ is Honduran Hog back & sides, and is stunning to look at (and play) - it’s not so obviously highly figured like a Cocobolo etc, but has incredible depth, and still takes my breath away when the sun catches it.
I'm new to this channel and it's ace. Learning things from someone who's passionate about what they do and wants to share it with us is the best. Thanks Tom, I've rung the bell, subscibed, thumbs-up, the whole kit and kaboodle.
Well, Here in Big leaf land we call that quilt😁 Thanks for the wood feast! I built one Mahogany classical and two octave mandolins with curly Mahogany.
Hi Tom, I wanted to know if figured woods have a different density than non-figured ones, a comparison of the different types of wood used for the soundboard would be nice, a nice tap tone comparison 😉 Thanks, your videos are very nice!
I love this series!!! How about some more Mexican woods! Such as Ziricote, Granadillo...Bocote! These last two have such beautiful natural patterns! Keep up the great work!!
Tom, I have three Martin's with Mahogany back and sides and Adirondack tops and braces. All three are different body shapes, with different Mahogany figures on each back and with different levels of tone decay or sustain. A 2007 000-18 with Fiddleback Mahogany, a 2015 0000-18S (12 fret, slot head) with Ribbon stripe Mahogany, and a 2002 D-18 GE with some very normal looking Mahogany. And they all smell differently too. Very nice video, thank you!
Hey Tom, I own a K. Yairi guitar FYM94' (om body style shape) it has a Sitka AAA spruce top with GABON mahogany back and sides. I isn't the loudest (it is getting louder though) but has amazing tone. So lush with warmth and sparkling highs. I tried doing research on GABON MAHOGANY but there isn't much information on the internet. Any ideas about this tone wood? I can send you some more info, sounds and pictures if necessary. Have a great day, and thanks for the great information you are supplying us!
Lovely figured set of Honduran Mahogany - love the wavy twirling... nice. The tap-tone has the quick decay and little vibrational qualities. If you consider this mahogany tone in terms of a traditional Irish Bodhran - the skin would not be as tightly stretchers as the skin on a Walnut or even a Sapele - if you get my drift :) One of my guitars is a Tanglewood Parlor TW73BNA Cedar over Mahogany [no longer made] - great wee guitar... interestingly and dramatically after about 8 years the sound changed - out of nowhere i started hearing a new sound - cleaner and more pronounced. There is now a richness of tone that wasn’t there for so many years previously. Amazing transformation... Perhaps this supports my belief that the wood has a life of its own - presented as vibrational and sonic energy - and continues to grow and develop its own unique personality or “voice” [or DNA] . In fairness, this is also as a result of its interacting and supporting components - a bit like life itself... complex! Okay - perhaps a comparison of two top woods or two back and sides... Cheers for keeping the series going Tom... great stuff my friend. K.
Here is my experience with mahogany: My first guitar, a 1981 K.Yairi (solid spruce/laminated mahogany) had less overtones and a quicker decay as one would wish for a big dreadnaught. I purchased a Faith Mars slope shoulder dreadnaught last year (solid cedar / solid mahogany / bronze strings) with a very quick decay of the low notes. On the other hand, there is plenty of sustain with my Guild M20 (all solid African mahogany / phosphor bronze strings). I found a way to mitigate this effect. I strung both my Yairi and my Faith with the Ernie Ball aluminum bronze strings. The sustain is now much longer on both guitars. My old K.Yairi guitar which I never liked much before finally produces a long sustaining sound carpet with overtones rolling out. My conclusion is that one should also consider the sort of strings to use when considering the tonewood of a guitar. And it is worth to take a look at the strings made of alternative materials like EBs aluminum bronze or the gold and silver plated strings by Optima. When you build a guitar, do you have a sort of strings in mind that would bring out the tonal qualities of a tonewood at its best? Do you give a string recommendation to your customers?
Hey Thomas (great name), Always so important to experiment with strings. I'm currently using elixir HD lights, PB's. I've used them for the last couple of years since getting to know and working with Will McNicol. I like them for a number of reasons but primarily I think it comes down to consistency, I'm able to track my instruments better, Will is so comfortable with these strings that its kind of a no brainer for me.
In the eighties, my father knew a fellow with a tramp steamer. Dad had bought a boat with some dry rot in it, and needed some mahogany to replace the bad wood. This captain brought him a huge load of what Dad called Honduran mahogany. He used some, sold most of the rest of it, but kept a bit for projects. He’s gone now, and I’ve been storing what’s left in the basement. I recently gave what was left to a Canadian guitar company. Much to my surprise, the owner said it was not Honduran mahogany. He scratched it, smelled it, hefted it, and finally said it was Cuban mahogany. He commented it was light in weight. I’m still trying to figure out how a load of wood picked up by his friend in Honduras is Cuban? He took it all except the longest board. It’s 123” long. He said it wasn’t quarter sawn. If you’re in Canada, you’re welcome to it. I also have a big block of ironwood, which I understand is used for pegs and picks. If you have a use for that, you’re welcome to it, too.
Hi Tom, Do you know any Sinker Redwood sellers here in Europe? I live in Berlin and can't find anything ... Thank you for your kindness. Have a nice day
