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Im looking to replace Mahogany, come to find out i am allergic to it. I started working with it a while back and every time i do, my eyes and skin get itchy and i cant stop sneezing. Its not bad but if i can find something that will make a good replacement then im all for it. I was thinking walnut? Its very easy to come by in my area, im already making fret boards out of it. Has anyone made a body out of walnut and put a maple top on? What else might be a good choice?

I like Alder. Finishes and colors nice too.

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jw ( o)===:::

Mango seems to me to have a very similar texture and working characteristics.
Another good substitute is Mexican Primavera.
Walnut as you already know is very similar.
The swamp ash les paul studios are very convincing, to me.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Sapele or Peruvian Walnut.

Sapele is a little denser, heavier, and stiffer than mahogany. But it looks very similar in structure. I make necks and bodies using Sapele as a main wood. It's pretty easy to get ahold of good lumber.

Peruvian Walnut has about the same properties as mahogany and is a joy to work....though it is very dark by comparison. I use it as part of my laminated necks.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Filippo had mentioned (I think in the PRS style build he did recently) that he found Black Limba similar to mahogany. I've never worked with it though, so don't take my word for it.

Walnut, as you and others have mentioned, is an excellent alternative. Works easily, similar characteristics to mahogany, and pretty cheap/easy to come by. The grain structure of walnut isn't as strong, though. The grain in mahogany interlocks, making it very strong. Walnut doesn't do that. But I've worked with walnut a fair amount, and I like it's working properties and sound characteristics.

This might sound mean, or odd - are you sure it wasn't Phillipine Mahogany aka luaun?
I used to build jigs and fixtures for the shop from luaun and experienced the problems you described.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Im sure it wasn't luan. I dont know what kind of mahogany it is though. I called a local supplier and asked for mahogany. They are a reputable dealer that i have dealt with for years in the cabinet business. I know they wouldn't sell me luan in place of mahogany. Ill take a picture tomorrow and post it, maybe someone can identify it. I have used Alder in the past, I like it but its a little soft for me. Ill do a little research on the suggestions that have been made and see what i can easily get locally. I know i can get walnut easily, but i have heard that it can be hit or miss on tone. Has anyone noticed this, or did i read a bias article on walnut? Thanks for the suggestions.

I've seen people use cherry. I can't say for sure if it's a good alternative as I've never worked with it.

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-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
Instagram | YouTube

Sapele is "mahogany"....

"Mahogany" may refer to the largest group of all Meliaceae, the
fifteen related species of Swietenia, Khaya and Entandrophragma.

The 3 woods (Mahogany, Maple and Walnut) are terms covering a multitude of varieties of the
same generic wood family, thus giving us many hundreds of differing stiffness to weight ratios
within the same family name group.

So if somebody is having an alergic reaction to "mahogany", dont tell him to use another "mahogany", chances are this will never stop unless he clearly identifies which specie he is alergic too....

Its exactly like hay fever, people react varioussly depending on which polen they are allergic too....



Really? Interesting but which "walnut" are you talking about?

Here are a few of them which all have hundreds of differing stiffness to weight ratios
within the same family name group...... = will all have a different acoustic tap tone...

– Franquette Walnut,
– Claro Walnut,
– Bostian Walnut,
– Argentine Walnut,
– Brazilian Walnut,
– California Walnut,
– Hinds Walnut,
– Nuevo Leon Walnut,
– West Indies Walnut,
– Arizona Walnut,
– Texas Walnut (also known as Little Walnut),
– Mexican Walnut,
– Andean Walnut,
– Juglans nigra L. (also known as Black Walnut),
– Peruvian Walnut,
– Juglans soratensis Manning,
– Guatemalan Walnut,
– Venezuela Walnut,
– Japanese Walnut

Generic terms really seam to be present in guitar forums simply because the big guitar factory marketing guys are having fun using simple words to sell their products and making you believe this using poetry and romance...

I cant believe that some people (above exemple) dont know the difference between a generic term and an actual specie...
Pretty shocking when you think about it...

The truth is that generally, the customer (and obvioussly some builders) have little or no idea what they are buying.
When you read ‘Mahogany body and neck' - these are generalities that can cover and mask many
things: some inexpensive substitute, a poorer species OR an endangered specie!




Which "mahogany" are you working with?

If you are allergic to a specifc specie you may want to clearly identify which one it is, maybe you can ask the wood dealer who sold the wood to you, ask him which specie it was... A professional wood dealer would never ever sell mahogany as "mahogany", he will always clearly specify which specie he is selling for very important legal reasons, generalities can cover and mask many things: some inexpensive substitute, a poorer species OR an endangered specie!....


Then try another specie to see if you have the same reaction...

It would be a shame to stop using "mahogany" (which does not mean anything) simply because of ignorance and stereotypes and some big guitar companies marketing people...

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http://hufschmidguitars.com

Here is an up close pic of the "mahogany" i am using. Maybe one of you can tell me what kind of mahogany it is.



and just for fun here is the front.

I would take anyone's word over mine. With that said...

It looks like a sapele mahogany, I have some Khaya mahogany that looks very similar to that as well.

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-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
Instagram | YouTube

I've got some African that looks like that.
So.........

It's hard to tell from the picture, but I think Sapele is darker. Looks like African or Honduran, although I've seen a lot of Phillipine mahogany basses that have a very similar color.
With that coarse looking grain I'm leaning toward African.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I'd bet on African Mahogany...it's way too light to be Sapele.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Warmoth has a nice page outlining the tonal differences of common body woods ...

http://www.warmoth.com/Bass/Options/Woo ... tions.aspx

... in case you weren't aware of it