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  #16  
Old 01-03-2018, 08:44 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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So I've been cooped up in below zero temps for a week up here in New Hampshire. Time for a road trip. Car's got heat. I got word on New Year's day there was a new source for some prime aged Honduran Mahogany for neck stock within days ride and I went for it yesterday. I left in the -11 degree black morning and headed east over the mountain to greet the sunrise. An hour and a half later with the sun in my eyes I reached the ocean and turned North for the beautiful frozen Mid Maine Coast.

In 1987 a very large quantity of this Long Leaf Mahogany was imported for a large job. They were matching colors and the rarer darker pieces were put aside maybe 350 board feet in all were left in dry storage. Now 30 years later they are making them available and I am the first one there!

This is the genuine Mahogany people say you can't get anymore and if you did you would have to wait 30 years for it to be what this stuff is. I drove by the Lee Neilson factory and showroom on the way there and luckily didn't realize what I was looking at when it went by.

I made my selection and got to try to catch up with the sun before it set on the way home. So here is what I got, this first board is 4 inches thick by 12 inches wide and six feet long:



That's enough for me to get 18 necks of American Mahogany:



I also bought a small two neck blank from another board. I'll say I was over budget but, I am not ashamed to say the this board was a bit scary. It has a dark color which is nice and it is hard as rock and really heavy. When I measured and weighed it at home it comes up to 44lbs per cubic foot. Big Leaf Mahogany normally come in at 37lbs. That is a huge difference!



These Swietenia Macrophylla boards are gorgeous and the chatoyance when wet just sparkles:



It occurred to me today that I am going to hold the two dark neck for "Tree" guitars as they'll be great matches. The other 18 will be for higher end specs or upcharges on customs because they are premium wood that came at a premium.

Finally here's the question: How many different common names did I use for the same species of wood?
Well to be more complete, you may have come up with a couple more names for Honduras mahogany. I mean is it truly "genuine" mahogany? I'll have to ask the Meliaceae family if those pieces are true descendants... They would know if they're "true" mahogany... Time to hop onto my HOG in the freezing night...
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  #17  
Old 01-03-2018, 09:10 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Finally here's the question: How many different common names did I use for the same species of wood?
Heck I don't know. I was looking at the wood.
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  #18  
Old 01-04-2018, 05:02 AM
ross748 ross748 is offline
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I count 6 and they are all beautiful!
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  #19  
Old 01-04-2018, 03:09 PM
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Well to be more complete, you may have come up with a couple more names for Honduras mahogany. I mean is it truly "genuine" mahogany? I'll have to ask the Meliaceae family if those pieces are true descendants... They would know if they're "true" mahogany... Time to hop onto my HOG in the freezing night...
Yeah, there are other names too, like Brazilian Mahogany except this wood came from Honduras. It’s funny how the names come from all over the place. I suppose if you were from Honduras you wouldn’t call it Honduras Mahogany, you’d just call it Mahogany or whatever name it was always called there. It’s someone not from Honduras that would call it Honduras Mahogany. Ok Ok, it’s really snowing and I’m stalling going out to start the snow blower!

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Heck I don't know. I was looking at the wood.
And why not?

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I count 6 and they are all beautiful!
Yeah, that’s what I’m counting too! It is very nice wood, glad I came across it!
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  #20  
Old 01-06-2018, 01:31 PM
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Default Domestic Woods

I wrote earlier that I'd try to show some domestic wood that would change your thinking about what domestic wood is. Here is one I recently re-sawed that might just do that;



Looks like Olivewood, smells like Olivewood and in fact it is California Olivewood. There have been various fruit and nut woods introduced and farmed in California for over 250 years now. Sometimes the old trees get cleared for new ones. Sometimes those trees make great tone wood. Sometimes those woods also have a wonderful "exotic" look:



Thanks for viewing!
Mark
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Last edited by Mark Hatcher; 01-06-2018 at 03:02 PM.
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  #21  
Old 01-06-2018, 01:41 PM
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Wow! That’s pretty Mark.
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  #22  
Old 01-06-2018, 01:47 PM
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Yes, that is special.
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  #23  
Old 01-06-2018, 03:54 PM
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Wow! That’s pretty Mark.
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Originally Posted by TomB'sox View Post
Yes, that is special.
Thanks for commenting Paul and Tom. I'm enjoying this rather rewarding adventure in domestic woods!

Mark
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  #24  
Old 01-06-2018, 04:03 PM
Nemoman Nemoman is offline
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That is scary awesome--Wow!
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  #25  
Old 01-06-2018, 06:30 PM
GeoffStGermaine GeoffStGermaine is offline
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A bunch of great pieces to start things off, Mark. Thanks for sharing the story of that Mahogany you got. Very interesting and a nice score!
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  #26  
Old 01-06-2018, 06:45 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher View Post
Yeah, there are other names too, like Brazilian Mahogany except this wood came from Honduras. It’s funny how the names come from all over the place. I suppose if you were from Honduras you wouldn’t call it Honduras Mahogany, you’d just call it Mahogany or whatever name it was always called there. It’s someone not from Honduras that would call it Honduras Mahogany. Ok Ok, it’s really snowing and I’m stalling going out to start the snow blower!
They probably just call it madera... But yes, one man's exotic is another man's domestic. Someone in Honduras is probably using a similar piece as a ridge board on a roof!

Like what do they call a Chinese restaurant in China? A restaurant!

I do love the idea of using domestic woods. And yes there are lots of beautiful ones here. Have never played a guitar made of olive wood, what would be a close comparison?
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  #27  
Old 01-06-2018, 07:26 PM
BlmJn BlmJn is offline
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Default Mahogany

I bought a nice piece of Mahogany a few years in an estate sale in Kalamazoo. 4"x17"by 6.5 ft. Sold off at the Gibson auction in 1984 and put away in a garage. I wandered into the garage saw it with some 12/4 Walnut and Cherry that I had no interest in at the price being asked. But the "unknown" plank was yelling very loudly, "Take me home". There were also some nice scraps of BRZ large enough for a few bridges priced at $1ea. One of my better wood buying days.
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  #28  
Old 01-06-2018, 08:21 PM
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Smile Beautiful woods!!!

Yummy stuff and great stories too! What is not to like?

You Luthiers are modern alchemists. You turn beautiful wood into music.

Cheers

Paul
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  #29  
Old 01-07-2018, 02:32 AM
DamianL DamianL is offline
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I love the idea of using domestic wood - that olive looks brilliant, and would love to hear it.

Over here in the U.K. I know of a couple of builders using all domestic woods for some guitars...haven’t got to try one of them yet either....but it definitely appeals to me.

D
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  #30  
Old 01-07-2018, 10:05 AM
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That is scary awesome--Wow!
Thanks!

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Originally Posted by GeoffStGermaine View Post
A bunch of great pieces to start things off, Mark. Thanks for sharing the story of that Mahogany you got. Very interesting and a nice score!
Thanks! I have a lot planned for this year and I’m feeling like I’m well stocked up to go!

Quote:
Originally Posted by LouieAtienza View Post
They probably just call it madera... But yes, one man's exotic is another man's domestic. Someone in Honduras is probably using a similar piece as a ridge board on a roof!

Like what do they call a Chinese restaurant in China? A restaurant!

I do love the idea of using domestic woods. And yes there are lots of beautiful ones here. Have never played a guitar made of olive wood, what would be a close comparison?
Thanks, Olivewood is hard, comparable to Ebony. I would say it sounds like Ebony but a little rounder or midrange oriented.
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