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Hi all.

Bought some BrazilIan mahogany for an all mahogany build.it's light and stiff and rings like a bell.unfortunately some of it cracked in the post along the grain.i was going to use that plate for the back and the intact ones for the top.i was flexing and tapping it when considering whether to use it and I got another small crack. Is it ok to use?
Thanks for your thoughts.

I vote no.

I would bend the sides if from the same wood, and if they bend without cracking, the wood is probably o.k. I try to avoid "pre- cracked" wood when I am building musical instruments, but I know a properly glued invisible repair is about as sound as an uncracked piece.

When you consider the time you put into an instrument, problem wood is not my idea of a good time. I'd just move on and pass on using the wood.

I agree with what has been said about building with problem wood, if you don't have to build with it it is best to stay away. However over the years I've built some very nice guitars out of what could be considered "problem" wood. Bending the sides is a good idea to see if they crack. If they crack in bending there is no point in going any further with the set. For the cracked plate you could flood the crack with CA from what will be the inside. That should secure the crack and may allow you to see if there are other fine cracks in the wood. It may soak through the crack to the top side (and may cause a small stain if it does), but if you are not going to use the set anyway you have nothing to loose by trying.

There are a lot of other factors like is this guitar being built for someone else or yourself? You could also consider saving the set for a Mahogany guitar with a regular softwood top.

Just some thoughts..

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Josh House

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If you built it as a ladder-braced top it might have a greater chance of staying together. I would reserve this kind of experiment for a guitar I wanted to play myself because I was curious, not for a customer.
What was the name of that wide bodied ladder braced acoustic that Harmony produced in the sixties? It was their most expensive model. I've repaired some that had a beautiful full tone.
If the wood is beautiful but severely crack susceptible, use it as a top lamination on a solid-body electric.