Honduran Mahogany vs African?

[bassdude51]

"To each his own."..........I like the warm sound of mahogany and want to make a P Bass from a mahogany body/maple neck. I've heard that Honduran Mahogany has better sonics than African. (Honduran is much, much more difficult to obtain.) So, I'm asking the TalkBass community to comment and advise me on the difference between the two woods. Thank-you very much.

[RedLeg]

Swietenia macrophylla, is honduran
african mahogany can be 2 different species, afzelia or khaya.
The Khaya species sold as African mahogany ARE part of the mahogany family, but are separate from the Swietenia species of the Americas. I like afzelia as I am a warwick fan.

Honestly. the reason gibson et al american builders used south american mahogany rather than african probably had more to do with logistics, than tonality.

[bassdude51]

Important info, RedLeg! Thanks a million! Greetings to Germany!

[joinercape]

Originally Posted by RedLeg

Swietenia macrophylla, is honduran
african mahogany can be 2 different species, afzelia or khaya.
The Khaya species sold as African mahogany ARE part of the mahogany family, but are separate from the Swietenia species of the Americas. I like afzelia as I am a warwick fan.

Honestly. the reason gibson et al american builders used south american mahogany rather than african probably had more to do with logistics, than tonality.

This is good info....I will add that I use a few thousand board feet of various mahogany species every year at work, building doors, cabinetry and other millwork projects, and there are appreciable differences in density and stability in my experience.
The "African" mahoganies are invariably less dense, grainy, more prone to checking, shrinkage, and warping. It is specified by some designers because it usually costs about a third less than South American mahoganies.
Though quality varies greatly load to load on either type, the "SA" (Honduras substitute) pattern grade is usually the most dependable. It is not what it was even ten years ago, but it is still more uniform in density, has that creamy rich brown color, and machines and finishes well. The going rate in the past year has been about $7.75 per board foot (wholesale) Here is an example of a P style bass I made with some SA mahogany (cut offs from a door project)....
It is a joy to work with, This bass weighs in at 8.3 pounds and sounds very warm and woody, just what I was looking for in a fretless. I think you will like it. Best of luck.

[Hopkins]

I like sepele, Its very similar to mahogany tonaly with a nicer grain. Plus its cheeper

[bassdude51]

Originally Posted by joinercape

This is good info....I will add that I use a few thousand board feet of various mahogany species every year at work, building doors, cabinetry and other millwork projects, and there are appreciable differences in density and stability in my experience.
The "African" mahoganies are invariably less dense, grainy, more prone to checking, shrinkage, and warping. It is specified by some designers because it usually costs about a third less than South American mahoganies.
Though quality varies greatly load to load on either type, the "SA" (Honduras substitute) pattern grade is usually the most dependable. It is not what it was even ten years ago, but it is still more uniform in density, has that creamy rich brown color, and machines and finishes well. The going rate in the past year has been about $7.75 per board foot (wholesale) Here is an example of a P style bass I made with some SA mahogany (cut offs from a door project)....
It is a joy to work with, This bass weighs in at 8.3 pounds and sounds very warm and woody, just what I was looking for in a fretless. I think you will like it. Best of luck.

Thanks Joinercape for this info on the 2 kinds of mahogany and the WONDERFUL photo of your "Hog" Fretless P + Js. You made this yourself!? Fantastic work! I've also heard that mahogany makes the best doors for a house. Won't warp. Is your bass one piece body, 2 or more pieces? There is an eBay seller of some one piece Honduran mahogany body blanks for $98 + $14 shipping. Your bass is inspiring me! Although you explained the differences between African and Honduran, is there really much difference in tone or sound? Since you made your bass of Honduran, I guessing it's has better sound. Wonderful work on your bass!!!!!! Any chance of buying a body blank from you? Bassdude51

[joinercape]

The bass body pictured is of two pieces, from the same 8/4" board. The stock I used was ten feet long, I got stiles for a 6'8" door and these were the cut-offs. Most 8/4 pattern grade SA mahogany I order shows up in 10 to 12" widths, eight to twelve foot lengths.
I did make a bass body once with a 1/4" Sapele top over alder, as the 4/4 Sapele was perfectly quarter sawn and showed lovely ribbon and flame. But it is very grainy and no where near as stable as Honduran. It is pretty stuff though, darker browns, reddish to black grain ribbon. It is deadly to breath though, always wear a respirator when sawing/routing/sanding. This is a good idea with most imported woods anyway.
Good luck with your project! Post it when you can. Thanks for the comments. I PM'd you also...

[Musiclogic]

OK, let's give some extra practical information.

Honduran Mahogany, is hard, heavy, but very stable, and generally has a striped accenting similar to African Mahogany so it is visually appealing, and the least expensive.

Khaya Is lighter but much more plain like Genuine Mahogany(the real stuff) as you can see from the P-bass above, it has more of a golden color than the dark brownish/red of Genuine Mahogany and is also a bit more expensive than Honduran.

African Mahogany is a slightly heavier and lighter brown colored Mahogany that is similar to Khaya in weight and density, but can have a really attractive striping effect, and it is the 2nd most expensive.

Genuine Mahogany is basically the lightest weight of them all, can be figured from curly to mottled to beeswing, has a pleasing medium brownish red color with a hint of tan, and can darken with age to a rich dark reddish brown.
Genuine is also the most expensive.

[joinercape]

For the record, the bass I pictured is Swietenia macrophylla, known in the trade here as pattern grade SA. This batch was about a thousand board feet, and was sourced from Peru. Though I only build instruments for my own amusement, we are a commercial millwork and cabinet shop, and are required to keep accurate records for the architects, customers, and of course OSHA.