Is Sapele inferior to Mahogany?

[Birchtop]

Originally Posted by stringjunky

It can be top drawer stuff:

Now that’s purdy!

[D-utim]

Sapele = sustainable. Not inferior.

[DownUpDave]

Originally Posted by Birchtop

Now that’s purdy!

I am so glad someone posted a picture of fine quilted sapelle, it can be stunning.

My Eastman is spruce over sapelle, my bro, in-law has an Eastman with spruce and mahogany. Mine sounds a bit brighter, could be the individual guitars. But I do believe sapelle falls tonally between mahogany and rosewood

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by fregly

Sapele is sometimes characterized as a starter tonewood, or down in the tonewood hierarchy. At least I know of 2 or 3 major guitar makers who have it in the lower echelon models. What is your opinion on Sapele?

Sapele is mahogany with a wider tonal spectrum. I had a Taylor DN3. Great guitar.

[Scolaguitar]

If anything, I think it's underrated.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by merlin666

Sapele looks funny, and I don't think is as nice as Khaya. But what I really would like is a guitar made of the "real thing" which is Swietenia mahagoni.

Hmmmmm.... I'll take that bet.......... not cheaper either........my most expensive guitar.

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[Kitkatjoe]

Originally Posted by fregly

Sapele is sometimes characterized as a starter tonewood, or down in the tonewood hierarchy. At least I know of 2 or 3 major guitar makers who have it in the lower echelon models. What is your opinion on Sapele?

If your trying to use Sapele as a fire starter to get a hot thread started I bet it works.😅

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by fregly

Sapele is sometimes characterized as a starter tonewood, or down in the tonewood hierarchy. At least I know of 2 or 3 major guitar makers who have it in the lower echelon models. What is your opinion on Sapele?

If something is cheaper it makes sense to use it in a model you're building to a price point, but cheaper doesn't necessarily mean worse. Aluminium is not used to build aeroplanes because it's cheaper than lead per square foot. It is hard to say whether one wood or better or worse than another. So long as they are structurally strong enough then 'different' is probably more appropriate.

[islandguitar]

Glad to see some spectacular quilted Sapele!! This is a Tony Vines Artisan. Significant upcharge for this tonewood.....don't know how rare it is ( I think somewhat rare), but it's really beautiful and produces a wonderful sound. I'd call it "mahogany-ish".....this guitar does have some nice reverb tones, but less so than some of my rosewood or macassar ebony guitar.
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[steelvibe]

I love the tone, especially for fingerstyle. It doesn't have to be cheap to be beautiful either- this is a $500 guitar

[docwatsonfan]

Originally Posted by fregly

Sapele is sometimes characterized as a starter tonewood, or down in the tonewood hierarchy. At least I know of 2 or 3 major guitar makers who have it in the lower echelon models. What is your opinion on Sapele?

Sapele was good enough to use for Taylor XXV-GA special edition guitars on their 25th anniversary

[TomB'sox]

Originally Posted by Scolaguitar

If anything, I think it's underrated.

This would be my humble opinion as well and the right set can be absolutely stunning!

[Ncbandit]

I have both and my favorite sounding guitar is Sapele/Adi. It is just more affordable due to the abundant availability.

Sapele is here to stay and will become more popular and probably a staple tone wood when the African HOG supply runs thin.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Simon Fay

In my opinion, Sapele is not a lesser tonewood than a highly coveted wood like Brazilian Rosewood. It is a good substitute for Mahogany and is more affordable.

When I first got out of college I worked as quality control chemist in a suntan lotion mfg facility. One of the guys from R&D was telling me how the place he worked previously use to manufacture this ultra expensive face cream costing almost $1k for a small jar. The cream used high quality components but nothing that would make it cost more than double for something the average person buys at a store. Interestingly, the vast majority of the cost was for marketing and the container, which was ornate and expensive.

I have a $5k Brazilian RW back/side set on my site - it's a reasonable price (as dictated by the market) as sets of this quality are rare. Brazilian RW makes fantastic guitars but there are more affordable options that produce a similar tone. Mahogany sounds different than Rosewood but it is absolutely not a lesser sound. If Mahogany was ultra rare and Brazilian RW plentiful - you would see Mahogany guitars with several thousand dollar upcharges.

The point is don't confuse price with inherent value. The price of tonewoods is due to scarcity. That being said, don't expect Sapele to sound like Rosewood - it doesn't but that's a good thing.

What a great post, Simon.

fregly (OP), Sapele gets the rap you mentioned because it is usually on the lower priced guitars for a manufacture. I have a 2007 Taylor 314ce which is the entry line for Taylor's all solid wood guitars. Since it's a relatively 'new', readily available tonewood it gets related to the entry line as opposed to rosewood and mahogany which has been used by thousands of artists and are on thousands of recordings.

It's a great question.

[Kitkatjoe]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

This would be my humble opinion as well and the right set can be absolutely stunning!

Sapele grabs your attention with its ribbons. There was a time when it was the usual to see mahogany that looked like the Sapele of today. The mahogany in the mid 19th. century often came in to the United States from Cuba. The very finest Empire furniture was made from this ribbon mahogany before the American Civil War. Sapele is a super wood for guitar construction that looks great also.