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Hmmm? Was he legally licensed to salvage that wood? Maybe Lacey would not call it legally harvested. They don't seem to care that it's plentiful.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

When I was growing up in California in the 50's and 60's. we used to refer to Manzanita as mountain mahogany. Extremely hard, almost like ironwood.

As for red oak guitars - I built a dreadnaught about 10 years ago using re-claimed pallet wood, found by the side of the highway in western Connecticut. I was determined to build the guitar for as little cash outlay as possible. I suppose it was my version of the Taylor pallet guitar. Anyway managed to piece together a five-piece back (found that the pallet staves were sequentially cut from the same board, so I was able to bookmatch the two outer pieces on either side. The oak for the sides bent very easily.
I bought the lowest grade sitka spruce top from LMI. (I recall it might have cost $15). The guitar was a cannon! It was the 'go to' guitar with the local flatpickers. That was guitar number 8. I'm now on guitar number 56 and have realised how silly it was of me to use such lowly wood as red oak for a guitar. Of course it couldn't possibly have been any good! right.........

I would say that a butternut top gives a sweet mellow sound. I have used it with walnut back and sides. A lot like an old Martin all mahagany 000.

I built one of my first guitars with an elm neck. It was salvaged from an old upright piano (support posts in the back). Other than the flexibility, which was controlled with an adjustable rod, it worked fine.
Ted Davis had a nice stash of mountain mahogany when he died. AFAIK, he mainly used it for bow frogs. The pieces are mostly too small for fingerboards, but I am confident I can get some nice bridges out of it. It is very hard, and does not seem to be waxy or oily.

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John

Also of note with that build is it's QS Red Oak neck too...

Turns out that it makes a fine neck wood... No problems with movement.. Plenty stiff... etc... The only down side is that it's a bit heavy compared to sort Maple or Poplar...

Thanks