2016 Martin D-15M: Real Mahogany or Sapele/Sipo?

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Jambi

The early 90's faceplants are the best in my eyes.

Are we talking solid or laminate faceplants?

[Steely Glen]

Originally Posted by Ed-in-Ohio

Hard to argue with this. However, in fairness, faceplants have been pretty consistent over the decades, except for the '70s when they had that crazy bracing.

Obviously you've never tried Brazilian faceplants.

[dcmey]

Originally Posted by iamarobotman

That's what I'm looking for now too. The new D15M's just aren't real wood and that bugs me. They say they're Mahogany, but that's a general statement. The late 90s D15 Martins sound the best to my ears.

That's a very ignorant statement to say that the new D15's just aren't real wood. Honduran Mahogany is very hard to get right now and is not going to be around forever. Martin and other guitar manufacturers are using sapele and sipo and other tone woods that are in the mahogany family and by the way Honduran is the only that is considered genuine.

[Jambi]

Originally Posted by Steely Glen

Obviously you've never tried Brazilian faceplants.

Now I'm VERY curious

[email4eric]

Originally Posted by dcmey

That's a very ignorant statement to say that the new D15's just aren't real wood. Honduran Mahogany is very hard to get right now and is not going to be around forever. Martin and other guitar manufacturers are using sapele and sipo and other tone woods that are in the mahogany family and by the way Honduran is the only that is considered genuine.

Now, now...take it easy and back away from that Mahogany Martin!

Honduran can only be called the original Honduran Mahogany. It is not the only genuine Mahogany since there are somewhere around 600 species in over 50 genera in that family (Meliaceae) to which you refer. I would think they'd all be offended to not be considered "genuine!"

Martin coined the term Genuine Mahogany. It's genuine marketing not genuine biology.

I don't even think that one could really argue that even from a marketing/historical perspective, that Honduran is the "original" mahogany in a guitar context. Wouldn't that be Cuban? Wouldn't Honduran be a cheap imitation (like Sipo, Khaya, and Sapele now seem to be characterized)?

Khaya, Sipo, and Sapele are not very closely related to Honduran as they occur on entirely different continents and are of distant phylogeny. They are in the same family. Kind of like earth and Saturn are in the same solar system. They are both genuine and both planets.

Common names of families, genera, and species really should be capitalized, BTW. It helps with distinction.

[Mr. designerboa]

Originally Posted by email4eric

Now, now...take it easy and back away from that Mahogany Martin!

Martin coined the term Genuine Mahogany. It's genuine marketing not genuine biology..

I spent a couple hours this morning with C.F. Martin customer support and finally have some answers about my triple ought 15. I was hung up on the Hog, Sapele, Sipo thingy.They were able to pull the build sheet for my 2007 000-15 it was constructed using genuine Mahogany top back and sides no Sapele.

I've spent 72 hours researching the differences of the tonewoods and why I should care? My final conclusion is I don't. I'm as green as the come and no little or nothing. However, over the past few days I've learned a lot about the mahogany tonewoods. They all are premium tonewoods and produce much the same tone with everything else being equal.

I went on with Josh, Martins representative, regarding the build on the newer 15M series. It seems that starting in 2012 the 15 series is a solid Mahogany top with Sipo back and sides.

This information got my hackles up and fully understand if a body feels duped. How can a respected, the oldest manufacturer in this country, Martin, be so deceptive with their advertising? Today the 15M series brochure says solid genuine Mahogany. SMH