Solid mahogany instruments?
Deaf Frets
mahogany top, back and sides.
Sounds great, but because there's so many reflective surfaces at the
guitar shop, it's hard to get an idea of the volume of the instrument.
Would it be right to assume that because the top of the mandolin is made
of a hard wood, that it'll be a relatively quiet mando?
Also, are there any other drawbacks to solid mahogany instruments that
anyone knows of?
dvaoa
I can't answer your question...but let me nominate you for the best
name I've heard in a while.
-d
Sac Dave
You might try posting the same question in rec . music . makers .
guitar . acoustic
As for the Mahogany being a hardwood this is true but it’s not
physically as hard as say maple, plus there are many types of
Mahogany. With any acoustic instrument there are so many factors
affecting the final sound. The final decision rest on your ears. But
what I find interesting there is no web sight for Nashville Florentine
Mandolin, everything leads to the e-bay store or Melmusic. So most
likely it’s an cheap import from China and your post is spam .
Rocket Scientist
wrote:
>Hi. Thinking of buying a Nashville solid mahogany mandolin. Solid
>mahogany top, back and sides.
>
>http://tinyurl.com/2eqys9v
>
>Sounds great, but because there's so many reflective surfaces at the
>guitar shop, it's hard to get an idea of the volume of the instrument.
Compare to another mandolin in the same room?
>Would it be right to assume that because the top of the mandolin is made
>of a hard wood, that it'll be a relatively quiet mando?
Don't assume that. Many violins are made from maple, which is much
harder than mahogany. Sitka spruce, used for acoustic guitar tops, is
also relatively rigid, but vibrates well.
>Also, are there any other drawbacks to solid mahogany instruments that
>anyone knows of?
The word 'Mahogany' doesn't mean the same thing now as it did years
ago. It used to imply a specific species, often from Honduras. Now
it's "any wood that sorta looks like mahogany grain." Sometimes the
import grades sound OK, sometimes not.
I've played well-made solid Honduran (genuine) mahogany acoustic
guitars, and had a chance to compare with equivalent rosewood-sitka,
solid koa, etc. The mahoganies were generally mid-rich, maybe a bit
more compressed and quieter than the rosewood-sitka acoustics, but
very nice.
As always, it depends on the grade of the wood and bracing, etc as
well. In this case, the name 'mahogany' may not signify much.
Also check rec.music.makers.builders. But they'll probably say much
the same in regard to construction, etc.
Lawrence�Logic
That's an idea that I had for the name of a CD or a band, but I won't be
able to use it now. Bugger!!
--
Lawrence
"Swallow, come!" - Sea Man - 21 April 2010
jtees4
wrote:
>Hi. Thinking of buying a Nashville solid mahogany mandolin. Solid
I have an all mahogany Hamer Monaco Elite. I expected it to sound like
a dark Les Paul...but lo and behold....it is a very bright guitar,
much brighter than my SG Special. Surprised me for sure. So I guess
all I am saying is you never know, the only way is to hear it. I'd
expect the mandolin it would be relatively quiet...but then
again...who knows.
Deaf Frets
> But
> what I find interesting there is no web sight for Nashville Florentine
> Mandolin, everything leads to the e-bay store or Melmusic. So most
> likely it’s an cheap import from China and your post is spam .
I actually wonder if it's the same thing as this:
And whether or not I might save a few hundred by buying from overseas
instead.
Tony Done
"Deaf Frets" <milli...@homefully.ie> wrote in message
news:4d1f4eb4$0$19233$882e...@usenet-news.net...
Solid mahogany guitars can sound good - my sapele kona is a killer -, so can
mahogany ukes, but it is all in the making. They should be more lightly
constructed than spruce-topped instruments. Trust your ears, and do some
side-by-side comparisons with other mandos if possible.
Coincidence, I bought myself a Nashville reso uke for Christmas, and have
scarcely played the guitar since.
Tony D
Carl
mahogany follows that. They are both of the species Swietenia and are very
similar. But it's the Cuban variety that's called Swietenia mahagoni, while
the Honduran version is called Swietenia macrophylla.
This citation can be verified at other websites as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahogany.
I got into reading up on mahogany because I recently purchased a solid Cuban
mahogany (back and sides; the top is spruce) gypsy guitar made by Peter
Zwinakis and I wanted to know more about it.
In any case, you are correct to caution the OP that the term "mahogany" is
not regulated and there are many woods out there promoted as "mahogany"
which are, in fact, not. So be cautious about those Asian made, cheaper
instruments. I don't know much about the OP's mandolin, but you can probably
check with the manufacturer about which "mahogany" that is.
By the way, both of the Swietenia mahoganies are protected species and are
on the CITES list, so if that mandolin is not fairly old, it may not be made
of a "genuine" mahogany.
Rocket Scientist
<crot...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote:
>Rocket Scientist wrote:
....
>>> Also, are there any other drawbacks to solid mahogany instruments
>>> that anyone knows of?
>>
>> The word 'Mahogany' doesn't mean the same thing now as it did years
>> ago. It used to imply a specific species, often from Honduras. Now
>> it's "any wood that sorta looks like mahogany grain." Sometimes the
>> import grades sound OK, sometimes not.
>>
>> I've played well-made solid Honduran (genuine) mahogany acoustic
>> guitars, and had a chance to compare with equivalent rosewood-sitka,
>> solid koa, etc. The mahoganies were generally mid-rich, maybe a bit
>> more compressed and quieter than the rosewood-sitka acoustics, but
>> very nice.
>I believe that the truest "genuine" mahogany is Cuban mahogany. Honduran
>mahogany follows that. They are both of the species Swietenia and are very
>similar. But it's the Cuban variety that's called Swietenia mahagoni, while
>the Honduran version is called Swietenia macrophylla.
>This citation can be verified at other websites as well:
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahogany.
>
>I got into reading up on mahogany because I recently purchased a solid Cuban
>mahogany (back and sides; the top is spruce) gypsy guitar made by Peter
>Zwinakis and I wanted to know more about it.
>
>In any case, you are correct to caution the OP that the term "mahogany" is
>not regulated and there are many woods out there promoted as "mahogany"
>which are, in fact, not. So be cautious about those Asian made, cheaper
>instruments. I don't know much about the OP's mandolin, but you can probably
>check with the manufacturer about which "mahogany" that is.
>
>By the way, both of the Swietenia mahoganies are protected species and are
>on the CITES list, so if that mandolin is not fairly old, it may not be made
>of a "genuine" mahogany.
Good comments, Carl. The reason that I mention Honduran specifically,
is that it's what I've seen and heard most in guitars, and in my
experience, that's the species that most refer to. I suspect that most
woods in the Swietenia genus are similar, but I haven't heard much
about Cuban in musical instruments. (OP: The normal 'mahoganies' that
you see everywhere now are not even in the same Genus).
Carl, I'd love to hear any comparison of your Cuban Mahogany guitar to
a similar Honduran if you get the chance.
Yeah, they're on the CITES list. Still available but expensive. I
wonder what Gibson is doing for their Les Pauls these days.