Cuban Mohogany

[John Coloccia]

Honduran Mahogany has superior stability, hence it's the gold standard for guitar necks, it's available from sustainable, plantation grown sources (though it's typically a bit lighter in color...same wood, though), and it's a small fraction of what this gentleman is asking. I doubt anyone could tell the difference between the two without a very detailed examination. IMHO, $50/bf for wood that looks for all the world like plantation grown Honduran, appears to be rather low quality based on the pictures, has no advantages over Honduran, and can't even be verified to actually be Cuban Mahogany anyhow, seems like a pretty lousy deal. But again, that's just my opinion.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Hmmmmm.... That does not look like Cuban mahogany, unless the camera's color is WAY off, and still I question the pronounced growth rings on one of those boards. I live in the Lesser Antilles, and Cuban Mahogany grows here, but you can't cut it unless it is windfallen. I have some and have used it in various projects. In fact, at the shop I have a piece of a small tree that a guy brought in to resaw, but it was cut like firewood! Gasp!

Cuban Mahogany can vary greatly, depending on where specifically it grew, and the soil. I have seen it anywhere from very wavy grain to ribbon stripe. I have seen mineral streaks, and I have seen it have some pronounced difference in the rings, which is very rare, but not like the one in that guy's pictures. It usually is very dark, and gets dark reddish-brown in UV. When you cut into it, it will look like sapele in color, but it has an almost irridescent sheen.

What is wrong with that guys wood- First of all, even if it is Cuban mahogany, that has to be the most gosh-awful grain I have seen. You can see where it is cracking along the grain, which is very common with Cuban Mahogany. You have to really pick through the stuff and get a board wider than you expect to need, because it tends to split easily. Well, actually that also depends on whether it grew in a rain forrest or in an open area- as I said, it varies greatly. The grain does look like mahogany in some pictures, but one picture one of the boards has very pronounced rings, which I would not expect Cuban Mahogany to have. Maybe these images are over-exposed, but that looks WAY off color, especially if his story is true that it has been sitting for a while. Cuban Mahogany after a long time turns to the color of dried blood on the outside. I do notice one board in the image that looks like sapwood Cuban Mahogany. The first pic, bottom board. The sapwood will often have a yellowy gray tone like that, and the grain is typical of a tropical grain. In that board you can see how the heartwood is darker. That board is maybe Cuban Mahogany, but a poor example at best. To sum it up, I think the guy has SOME poor examples of Cuban Mahogany, and I think dear old dad mixed in some other woods with it when he stored it.

I would say even if that guy's wood were the real deal, once you picked through it and trued it up, you would end up with about 1/4 the board feet you started with, assuming the ones he chose to take pictures of are representative of the batch. $25,000???? BAH!!! When the next hurricane hits I can get it for $12/bft or less. (And no, sorry I can't ship it!!!)

I will try to get a picture of a log split in two, time permitting, and if they haven't already cut it up. Here is a video that I have posted before, but it is the best example I have. Look at the bottom stretcher and you can see the dark mineral streaks, and look at the transom and you can see an example of a ribbon stripe. That is how much it varies from tree to tree. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H--chXSqgcc

[Mel Fulks]

Well, not really the same since one is Swetenia macro phyla and the other Swetenia mahogani. Both are excellent. I think
the panache of Swetenia mahogani is the extra weight and the hard to get thing.

[David Weaver]

Honduran Mahogany has superior stability, hence it's the gold standard for guitar necks, it's available from sustainable, plantation grown sources (though it's typically a bit lighter in color...same wood, though), and it's a small fraction of what this gentleman is asking. I doubt anyone could tell the difference between the two without a very detailed examination. IMHO, $50/bf for wood that looks for all the world like plantation grown Honduran, appears to be rather low quality based on the pictures, has no advantages over Honduran, and can't even be verified to actually be Cuban Mahogany anyhow, seems like a pretty lousy deal. But again, that's just my opinion.

You mean the 300 year submerged wood for an extra grand or two isn't going to make me a better guitarist? And the girls won't care? Maaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!

[John Coloccia]

Well, not really the same since one is Swetenia macro phyla and the other Swetenia mahogani. Both are excellent. I think
the panache of Swetenia mahogani is the extra weight and the hard to get thing.

I meant plantation grown honduran is the same as any other honduran other than the soil and growing conditions are a bit different, and it ends up a little lighter in color.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

You mean the 300 year submerged wood for an extra grand or two isn't going to make me a better guitarist? And the girls won't care? Maaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!

Chicks dig it. That's what matters most.

[David Weaver]

Chicks dig it. That's what matters most.

Pretty much!! We spend our lives either trying to impress women or get revenge on someone else who did a better job of it!

[george wilson]

Here are two guitars I made with different mahoganies.

The unfinished guitar has a Honduras mahogany neck that has no finish(It has not yet been carved to shape).

The finished guitar has a Cuban mahogany neck finished only with clear lacquer. This is how dark it is,though this particular Cuban mahogany is darker than usual,being so old.

Of course,both of these mahoganies were pretty old. The Honduras is at least 50 years old. The Cuban is about 100 years old.

In reality,Honduras is more suited for guitar necks because on a flat top guitar,it will be too heavy in weight for the body of the guitar. On the heavier arch top,it's use was o.k.. I doubt the Cuban will float in water as it is an extra dense piece.

[Frank Drew]

Blue Moon Exotic Wood, based in Ithaca, offers what they say is plantation grown S. mahagoni (Cuban). I've never bought from them nor seen their wood apart from their own photos on the website. The wood is apparently grown on Palau, from plantings started by the Spanish long, long ago. Prices seem to be about what you'd expect, starting around $20/bf.

What is good quality Honduran going for these days?

[Mel Fulks]

If I can ask a tangent question....I have a piece of mahogany aprox 16 inches wide and 24 inches long dressed to 1 or
1 1/4 inch thick. Was bought at a yard sale and came from a deceased woodworkers "too good to use for anything pile"
and is now catalogued the same way in my collection. It is a deep wine red on the surface and a little lighter red if you
cut it. Definately the redist the mahogany I've seen . What is it ? Old growth Honduras? Thanks

[John Coloccia]

Blue Moon Exotic Wood, based in Ithaca, offers what they say is plantation grown S. mahagoni (Cuban). I've never bought from them nor seen their wood apart from their own photos on the website. The wood is apparently grown on Palau, from plantings started by the Spanish long, long ago. Prices seem to be about what you'd expect, starting around $20/bf.

What is good quality Honduran going for these days?

If my memory serves, I usually get clean 4/4 for less than $10/bf. "Pattern grade", rough sawn is a bit more. I forget exactly, but of course you'll have considerable losses cleaning it up.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

If I can ask a tangent question....I have a piece of mahogany aprox 16 inches wide and 24 inches long dressed to 1 or
1 1/4 inch thick. Was bought at a yard sale and came from a deceased woodworkers "too good to use for anything pile"
and is now catalogued the same way in my collection. It is a deep wine red on the surface and a little lighter red if you
cut it. Definately the redist the mahogany I've seen . What is it ? Old growth Honduras? Thanks

Hard to say without pics, but that is a great description of Cuban Mahogany.

[Frank Drew]

Thanks, John, about what I'd figured, maybe a bit more.

Mel, sounds like a side-table top in waiting! Or a nice sized platter, if you turn.

[Jim Matthews]

The CL advert says "Jamaican Cuban Mahogany".

Nice, but not at this price.

[Phil Thien]

That ad on craigslist has existed in one form or another for several years now, I believe.

He apparently hasn't found the right buyer yet.