Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi, again....
What does this neck wood look like to you? I've had it for a year or so and the wood supplier I bought from told me it was Honduran Mahogany. I don't think it is or atleast I've never seen any that looks this color. Could it be Spanish Cedar? Or?? Then again you may not be able to tell from this photo..

I think Spanish Cedar would have a distinctive odor.

J my friend it looks like Honduran Mahogany to me.

I'm with Hesh J., it indeed looks like Honduras to me as well. It isn't spanish cedar. Some African Mahognay (Khaya) can look very similiar but that piece(s) looks very Hondo from here.

Shane

_________________
Canada

I have some meranti (phillipine mahogany I believe?) that looks just like that. Lighter than the honduran mahogany Ive seen. When sent through the drum sander the sawdust is quite stringy. In the scan the meranti is on top, honduran on bottom.

Warren.

I had a buddy try to pawn off some wood he called Lyptus I guess it was ukalyptus, but it had a really light color like the bottom of that heal. The rest looks like mahogany.

Looks like Honduran to me too. The Meranti I've seen has unmistakable flecking when quartered. It's also fairly dense compared to most Hondo.

_________________
http://www.chassonguitars.com

Lyptus is a natural hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus urophylla some times refered to as Brazilian Cherry

By the way Hond. Mahogany is often very light but will oxidize over time

I have processed thousands of board feet of Honduras Mohagany over the years (as a furniture/cabinet maker we used a lot of this wood) and I recently acquired another 1000 bd ft that I am working through for guitar parts and the colour can range from fairly light to fairly dark. There is nothing atypical about the tones I see in those pictures that would make me think that they are not honduras but as has been pointed out there is a possibility they could be a Kaya or other Mahogany like wood as well. But if it was sold as Hondo I would default to that failing any other indication otherwise, and I don't see one from those pics.

Shane

_________________
Canada

If it was Spanish Cedar, you would know by the smell. Nothing smells like SC except SC!

If I could afford it, I'd line all of my closets and office in SC.

Mike

IMHO Honduran can be quite a range of shades from very pale sandy color to a rather strong red. When purchasing from our very valued OLF sponsors I have often specified a shade and they always come through for me.

"Lyptus is a natural hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus urophylla some times refered to as Brazilian Cherry"

That's news to me. Really ? If true that will confuse things even more because Brazilain Cherry has always been Jatoba.
Jatoba is widely sold as Brazilain Cherry as has been for years.
Link

_________________
Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

I said "some times refered to as" not properly idenified as! I found this strange my self but I read an artical on lytus a short time back in that artical it was claimed that lytus was some times called Brazilian cherry this blew me equally away as it did you. All the lytus I have seen looks very much like mahogany or a very straight grain eucalyptus . I was just repeating what I read

Yes very strange indeed. Why choose a name that is already in common usage. Just what is needed, more confusion in wood names.
Link

_________________
Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

It looks like Mahogany to me as well. A lot of lumber suppliers near where I live are selling 'genuine' mahogany which seems a lot lighter in color and density than the honduran mahogany I used to get. Your sample looks like that to me.

Ditto. I have seen some recently that definitely has that mahogany grain, but is light as a feather (and also light in colour).

_________________
David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."