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#1
02-09-2019, 11:40 AM
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Gibson L-00.... Mahogany or Walnut?
So Im looking at buying an L-00 online. I can get the Walnut b/s version for $1000 less. Both have LR Baggs VTC, which I don't really care about, and Sitka tops. Im very familiar with mahogany Gibsons but never played any of their Walnut offerings. Im leaning towards the 'hog but would like some opinions.
Thanks in advance...
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A few 'horses from Montana... 
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#3
02-09-2019, 11:57 AM
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I recently played a walnut L-00 and wasn't blown away, but who knows what it might sound like after a few months of playing. The mahogany L-00 (and my favorite variation, the Keb' Mo Bluesmaster) is much more of a "known quantity," and is the wood that earned that model its deserved reputation. That's the one I would choose, but I confess that the walnut price is very tempting.
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#4
02-09-2019, 12:00 PM
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I have a J-15 which is solid Walnut back and sides with a Sitka top. I find the tone from Walnut/Sitka very pleasing. To me $1K is a lot for an "upgrade" to mahogany. I am loving my Walnut J-15. It is my favorite guitar.
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Gibson J-15 Martin MMV Yamaha FG 800
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#6
02-09-2019, 12:45 PM
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I've played the walnut b/s ones and they do sound nice, but the ones with mahogany definitely sound a lot better IMO. Is it worth an extra $1000? Guess it depends on the person. Play them both if you can, or at least listen to YouTube videos of each with nice headphones.
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#7
02-09-2019, 02:36 PM
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If you can swing it, buy both and return the one that doesn’t float your boat.
Otherwise, you will always wonder... There is a reason that spruce/mahogany L-00’s from the ‘30’s are so coveted. They sound fantastic. Dry, punchy, loud. But perhaps that is less a function of the back and sides and more a function of the top and the overall design. Environmentally, walnut is a less stressed species of wood, grown in abundance here in the US. I fear that real Honduran mahogany is well on its way to becoming a CITES-restricted tonewood.
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Neal A few nice ones, a few beaters, and a few I should probably sell...
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#9
02-15-2019, 03:02 PM
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Just played a mahogany L-00 for the first time at one of our local shops that has a decent Gibson selection. (Skips Music in Sacramento)
I really liked it. Great size and playability was really really nice. Sounded good. That said, in looking for a smaller guitar for the couch I gotta admit a GS Mini is my front Runner. I got to A/B the mahogany vs. the spruce and the 'hogs the one for me. I would still love an L-00 but just bought a J-45 so the budget needs to recover.
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A few 'horses from Montana...
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