Do mahogany top guitars open up with time?
I know that spruce and other similar types of wood open up or improve with time, but what happens to mahogany after 80 years?
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scientifically I can't say
I had a 1934 Martin 0-17 (all mahogany guitar) that sounded really good. Definitely open |
I will give you a full report on my Martin J-15 in 2088. ;)
In the mean time I can tell you that there was a noticeable opening up of that guitar after about one year. That kind of change is something I've observed in every new guitar that I've ever owned regardless of the type of wood involved. I suspect it may be more of a general construction settling process rather than 'opening up' of the top alone. Since that time I haven't noticed any change. |
I bought my OO-15m custom pretty much fresh from Martin via LA Guitar Sales. I noticed an improvement after a few days of playing it in, but that's the case with most any guitar. It sounds real good now but it sounded real good when new.
I've had a couple OM-15s and they didn't change much. I did put one of the OM-15s on a tonerite and it loosened it up a little. I think an all mahogany guitar needs to sound pretty good from new to improve much over the years. |
The short answer is yes, like other tone woods, Mahogany will open up with time. It will take a bit longer to notice a difference than with a Spruce top guitar, but a bit faster than Koa. Bottom line, any all solid wood guitar will improve with age.
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I would not buy one if you do not like the tone out of the box. My current D15s (Mine and my son's) are 4 years old, and I do not notice a difference from when we bought them. This ain't bad; we love them when we bought ours!
#1's: http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...e/086ec7d9.png Mine: http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o.../photo-8-2.jpg |
I know this is anecdotal, but Richard Hoover (Santa Cruz) specifically chooses old "aged" mahogany when building the 1929 all mahogany guitars to get that open sound. I personally think it makes a big difference compared to other brand new mahogany guitars...so I would say that the aging process will have an affect for sure.
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FWIW, I wouldn't buy any guitar on future expectations, and my J-40 expereince is the reason I favour oldish guitars when buying. |
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Yes but...
Isn't there a machine that you can use to make 'em open up quicker. OOoops. !! Going to call troll on myself. Never mind.
Seriously though, I posted a question about the opening up process in general, and the consensus seemed to be play time was a central factor over age of guitar. I imagine that opening up time would vary with wood density as well, so that hog would open up at a different pace or rate than cedar, for example. My uneducated opinion. |
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I eventually did trade it, but at a big loss. It had always been kept in my music room which is a good environment for keeping guitars, and I used a humidifier on it during dry spells. I'm quite confident that storage conditions weren't the problem, because my other guitars are just fine. :) This might help you understand why I'm so cynical about more expensive/big name is better. |
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My experience has been that they sound smoother with age but I do have a nice Tak that was too dark and murky for my tastes so it sat in the case for 5 years. Amazingly, when I pulled it out to start playing it again it was vibrant and shimmering. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't have old recordings to prove the difference. That experience re-invigorated my interest in acoustics. |
wood is wood! very simple!
play music! |
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depends but I had once a 63 Hummingbird that I wish I never gave up. |
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