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| Author | Comment | ||
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 ozzybeef |
Identifying Mahogany and Walnut |
Lead | |
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(07/02/09 5:13 PM) |
Hi There,
Is there anyway to tell the difference between these two woods by looking at them? I am trying to figure it out on my guitar. Cheers, Luke 
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ASC67 |
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(07/02/09 6:40 PM) |
Looks a lot like walnut.
Steve _______________________________________________________________ 2003 D-18 * 2006 Masterbilt DR500M * 2008 CV Strat |
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brazilwood |
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(07/02/09 9:39 PM) |
+1 on walnut
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ChazmoRocks |
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(07/02/09 9:47 PM) |
Looks like oak to me, Luke. How do you know (or do you) that it's either mahogany or walnut?
Martin: 1996 HD-28
Guild: 1967 F-50R (Hoboken), 1971 F-50R NT (Westerly), 1978 G-312 NT (Westerly), 1994 JF-30-12 Bld (Westerly), 2006 F-512 (Tacoma) Taylor: 1984 655 (Lemon Grove) Ibanez: 1978 Series I Artwood AW-120, 1979 Series I AW-60 (Owari Asahi), 1980 Series I Artwood AW-75 (Owari Asahi), 1982 M310 Maple series Favilla: ~1960 C-5 Overture classical (NYC) |
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ASC67 |
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(07/02/09 10:51 PM) |
ChazmoRocks wrote: Definitely not oak Steve _______________________________________________________________ 2003 D-18 * 2006 Masterbilt DR500M * 2008 CV Strat |
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ozzybeef |
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(07/03/09 3:27 PM) |
Thanks for the replies.
Gibson specs say that it is either Walnut or Mahogany. I took it to a vintage guitar dealer and he told me it was Mahogany. I listed it in Buy and Sell and it was questioned. What I want to know is how to tell the difference - what should I look for? Educate me! Cheers, Luke |
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ChazmoRocks |
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(07/03/09 9:01 PM) |
OK, guys. Well, ozzy, the coloring (assuming this is not stained a lot) looks like walnut. The grey / brown streaks that you see at the lower bout on both top
and back do look like walnut to me.
Very pretty guitar, by the way, but I couldn't tell you for sure that it's walnut.
Martin: 1996 HD-28
Guild: 1967 F-50R (Hoboken), 1971 F-50R NT (Westerly), 1978 G-312 NT (Westerly), 1994 JF-30-12 Bld (Westerly), 2006 F-512 (Tacoma) Taylor: 1984 655 (Lemon Grove) Ibanez: 1978 Series I Artwood AW-120, 1979 Series I AW-60 (Owari Asahi), 1980 Series I Artwood AW-75 (Owari Asahi), 1982 M310 Maple series Favilla: ~1960 C-5 Overture classical (NYC) |
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 MikeHalloran |
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(07/03/09 10:13 PM) |
ozzybeef wrote: I am the one who questioned it. Actually, I knew but didn't want to come off as a smart ass. The early ones like yours were walnut with ebony fretboards. Later, some were made in mahogany, most with rosewood 'boards. The last version was the "firebrand" version in a distressed mahogany. There was also a "The SG" and a "The 335".
Mike Halloran
'49 00-28G, '03 000C-16SGTNE, '03 000-15S, Backpacker Mandolin, '60s Style 0 uke, '67 D12-35, '75 D-35S, Cowboy X, Cowboy II (I think that's all the Martins) Many Guilds, Gibsons and Goyas |
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Tom West |
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(07/04/09 12:23 PM) |
Luke: Color looks a little too redish for walnut,BUT that could just be the computer picture or finish.If I had to pick between walnut and mahogany,my money
would be on WALNUT.
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Arnoldgtr |
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(07/04/09 1:50 PM) |
Definitely walnut. Though Gibson has used walnut stain on many of their mahogany guitars, the grain structure is totally different. Walnut does not display
ribbon stripe, and rarely has as much chatoyance as mahogany. But most obvious are the growth rings in walnut, which are darker than the background. The growth
rings in mahogany are lighter than the surrounding wood. Though not evident in those less-than-detailed photos, the earlywood in walnut has larger pores, while
the pores in mahogany are uniform in distribution and size.
John |
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