The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. Sapele … The brands ‘Taylor’ and ‘Martin’ use Sapele frequently in their low-end guitars. For hundreds of years, African Mahogany has enjoyed traditional uses in furniture and custom millwork. It features golden … Our sister company Thompson Mahogany did a great write up comparing African Mahogany vs Sapele vs Utile Lumber. Another major difference is in the price of the guitar. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This difference is very hard to tell and only professionals who have been studying wood can probably tell them apart. Different from mahogany: Sapele is a star in its own right, and has its own unique characteristics. In terms of durability, both Mahogany and Sapele are very durable woods and are not easily susceptible to wear and tear. We've done a few projects with it and found it a good alternative to African Mahogany and Sapele. You need to have a keen sense of sound to understand the slight difference in sound and tone. © 2015 East Teak Fine Hardwoods. It is a good working timber with a finer grain texture than Khaya. It is a great alternative to Mahogany… African Mahogany is often described as have a “woody” tone, while being bright and responsive. Honduran Mahogany is preferred as a top wood over African Mahogany. Sitka’s combination of strength and elasticity translates into a broad dynamic range, yielding crisp articulation and allowing for everythi… As to an alternate wood species I'd suggest looking into Utile. All of those options provide a cost savings, while retaining some of the highly prized characteristics of Genuine Mahogany… Honduras mahogany is also referred to as genuine mahogany. These woods are popular for furniture, musical instruments, cabinets, and counter tops. Much harder than African Mahogany and red oak. This leads to Sapele wood guitars being sold at a cheaper price than Mahogany … It is sometimes thought to be the original Mahogany.b) African Mahogany–African Mahogany, also known as Khaya is a stronger and a harder version of the Honduran Mahogany.From the above two versions of Mahogany, the Honduran Mahogany is the more widely used wood for guitars as it has better tonal qualities. This is because the tone of the guitar depends not only on the wood but also the manufacturing process, other materials used and the placement of wood. In the guitar industry too, it is common to use the term "African mahogany" for khaya and not for sapele. The issue here is there are many species that get lumped under the African Mahogany moniker. It covers quality, color, grain, weight, drying, workability, durability, and usage. It isn’t as hard as African Mahogany or Sapele. Other alternatives to Genuine Mahogany include Spanish Cedar, Sapele, and African Mahogany. Sapele has a medium to coarse texture. The most common and popular woods used for making guitars are Rosewood, Cedar, Maple, and Mahogany. The average hardness of a piece of Honduran Mahogany would be around 900lb while a Sapele wood piece would be around 1,410lb. Their sound is almost similar. Sapele is also a lustrous wood that works fairly well in all operations - planing, … "Gorgeous mahogany look-alike with a slightly finer texture than Honduras Mahogany, and a typically interlocked grain. If you are a Guitar enthusiast and love playing the instrument, you probably know how important guitar wood is to its tone and sound quality. Scientific Name: Entandrophragma cylindricum This African hardwood is highly sought afterr for its similarity to Mahogany for guitar making, furnitue making and now for flooring, decking and paneling … darkens with age if nottreated with finishing oils that will prevent oxidation FIGURED CLARO WALNUT JUGLANS CALIFRONICA JUGLANS HINDSII. Sapele is actually somewhat soft for a hardwood (although it is still harder than Mahogany), and it is therefore very gentle on tools. Copyright Text 2019. A much larger African tree and more widely distributed than Khaya. For musicians who prefer warm tones, Mahogany is the best choice. “Mahogany” tends to get thrown onto all kinds of things to make them more luxurious or expensive so Mahogany Sapele and Sapele Mahogany … In fact, many guitar manufacturers use Sapele wood in their low-end guitars and use Mahogany only for their high-end guitars. You can choose the guitar tone that appeals to you. Sapele is probably the most expensive of the African species that impersonate Mahogany. It is not as hard as the African Mahogany and it is easier to bend. With Sapele wood becoming more popular, many guitar manufacturers and guitar players are opting for Sapele wood as against Mahogany.So, these were the broad differences (or not!) Sapele looks very much like Mahogany. Sapele wood is easily available and is grown in abundance while Mahogany is not readily accessible. Each type of wood brings out a unique tone, and it’s important to choose the guitar body that gives out a tone that you like. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444" steel ball into … The major difference between Sapele and Mahogany is the price. Native to tropical Africa, Sapele Mahogany is a medium textured and moderately dense exotic hardwood that is excellent for wood flooring applications. Sapele lumber is often marketed as a type of African Mahogany. Teak Lumber, Ipe Decking, Custom Millwork and Fine Hardwoods. People buy sampele wood guitars thinking they have a Mahogany guitar. This is possible because there is little difference in the look and feel between Sapele and Mahogany. Mahogany is a very strong wood but Sapele is, even more, stronger and harder. It’s darker in color, heavier, and exhibits more varieties of figured grain (pommele, ribbon-stripe, etc. Sapele wood tone, on the other hand, is not very different from Mahogany but tends to have a stronger treble than mahogany and subtle complex overtones. Some people prefer the look of Sapele, and others prefer Mahogany. Khaya doesn't smell nice like Sapele … Still celebrated for its beauty and ease of use, the popularity of Mahogany … African Mahogany: Khaya Ivorensis & Khaya Anthetheca about 3.2Lb per BF. The top 3 African hardwood species, in order of popularity, are African Mahogany, Sapele, and Utile. It does a good job of breaking down the difference in the three … Grain is straight to interlocked. Sapele has a bright tone with treble. Sharing the same botanical family as American and African Mahogany, Sapele … Sapele Tonewood. The color is more golden brown vs the more reddish chestnut brown of Sapele. It has a relatively high velocity of sound, and the highest strength to weight ratio than any other wood. Walnut yields excellent balance with tonal characteristics that fall between rosewood and mahogany. In some ways this is true since Sapele is in the Mahogany family, Meliceae. There is a difference albeit very slight. African mahogany … Its mid-range notes are strong while the high notes tend to be soft. Technically, the two genera that are commonly associated with mahogany are Swietenia and Khaya, while Sapele is in the Entandrophragma genus, but all three are included in the broader Meliaceae family, so comparisons to true mahogany … The hardness of the Sapele wood makes it better than the Mahogany but as noted earlier, there is not much difference in the sound due to this. For example, an Acoustic guitar, which requires greater resonance, would typically use Mahogany for its top wood and Rosewood for the neck.Now, let’s look at some areas where Sapele wood differs from Mahogany as this will help us understand which makes a better tonewood. It's interlocked grains are akin to other African … Realistically, the sound produced from two guitars both of which use mahogany will be different from each other. BAB Media Inc. is compensated for referring traffic and business to websites. Sapele wood guitars are even sold as Mahogany guitars. The only difference that we see is in the tone. It is also responsible for sound resonance and durability. The major difference between Sapele and Mahogany is the price. Sapele vs Mahogany. It is more dense, stable, and the … African Mahogany African Mahogany. It usually has more shimmer to the ribbon grain, more depth. I'm in the mahogany camp, but only because personally I don't like the "stripey" look of Sapele. This site is owned and operated by BAB Media Inc. BAB Media Inc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All should matter is that the guirtar plays well and sound good! The Taylor catalogue specifies sapele (entandrophragma cylindricum) for the 200-series and African mahogany … Some wood experts believe Sapele will become the African mahogany of choice in the future. Also, Sapele has a more rich and dark reddish color as compared to Mahogany. The two popular guitars which use Sapele in the back and sides are the Martin Dreadnought Junior and Taylor Academy Series 12e. Your email address will not be published. Costing less than Utile and approximately half the price of Genuine Mahogany, this African species offers many … Sapele … Sapele tone is very similar to Mahogany it has a warm, rich, and wood tone. Even in tone, Sapele is not very distinguishable from Mahogany. He enjoys technology, photography, and marketing. Until then go ahead and get the perfect guitar for yourself. Sapele is in the same family as mahogany. Sipo Mahogany (commonly referred to as either just "Sipo" or "Utile") is an African wood that is considered to be the closest, aesthetically, to Genuine Mahogany (although not a true "Swietenia"). Even so, it is still around half to 2/3 the price of Genuine Mahogany. Khaya mahogany is what is typically sold as African mahogany. In our article, we will try to explain the difference between Mahogany and Sapele and help you understand which the better wood for making Guitars is. Sapele is almost identical to African mahogany in appearance. This is the latests in our series of videos on our blog and youtube channel for your enjoyment. If budget is an issue, opting for a Sapele guitar is more feasible. Some well-known ‘All-Mahogany-Body’ guitars are the Gibson Les Paul Junior and PRS SE Custom 24. Khaya Grandofolio can range from 3.2-4Lbs per BF. The wood used in a guitar dictates the kind of tone that will be produced while playing. This is where things get confusing. Similar in appearance and tone to Genuine Mahogany, Sapele exhibits a powerful midrange, great punch and bright and airy trebles. We carry all of these fine hardwood lumber options and can provide you with any sizes needed. It's cheaper than African mahogany and machines very well. The wood is light to deep reddish brown. African mahogany has been used in the United States as a mahogany for more than 100 years. between Sapele and Mahogany wood. For beginners, it is practical to buy a Sapele wood guitar at a cheaper price than to go for an expensive Mahogany guitar. Sapele is easy to carve and work with as well. I've never known either sapele or any mahogany … Sapele wood is harder than both Honduran and African Mahogany but what makes it special is that it is easy to carve. Sapele flooring has characteristics of the Sapele tree. This leads to Sapele wood guitars being sold at a cheaper price than Mahogany guitars. The guitars play very well and have had no issues. Similar in density and grain structure to Hawaiian koa. With supplies of North American Mahogany dwindling, more woodworkers are turning to Sapele as a substitute wood for use in furniture and musical instruments. An interesting point to note is that it is quite difficult to make out the difference in tone between these two versions of Mahogany wood. Sapele vs Mahogany- Which is the Better Tonewood? ). Sapele vs African Mahogany So, based on the thread of the Taylor 314 for 2007, the entire 300 series is returning to Sapele. Sapele: Consistent-about 4.0Lbs per BF. The tricky part is that though Mahogany has a distinct identity from Rosewood, Maple, and Cedar, it is very difficult to differentiate between Mahogany and Sapele. Very recently, Sapele has also been added as a type of wood used to make guitars. Sapele wood usually has wide straight lines spread apart while Mahogany wood has lines which are close set. The woods being used as an alternative to genuine mahogany today are African mahogany, sapele, and sipo/utile." When they are used as side or back wood, the difference is highly indistinguishable.Sapele wood, for quite some time, has been known as just another version of Mahogany and is found predominantly in the African region. Best‌ ‌Acoustic‌ ‌Guitar‌ ‌Strings‌ ‌for‌ ‌Sore‌ ‌ Fingers‌, The Best Electric Guitar for Fingerstyle Blues. Drying: African Mahogany: Generally very easy to dry with little distortion in either the Flatsawn or the Quartersawn. A word of caution to contractors and carpenters, however: Be sure to take care while machining this wood. It’s a popular choice nowadays for building guitar necks, back and sides. Sapele is a African Redwood with some similarities to African Mahogany. This in my mind is a downgrade, not an enhancement. This wood is great for guitars tops, body, and backs. Sitka Spruce is used more than any other species for guitar soundboards. This is because each wood has a different quality and guitar manufacturers try to use the most suitable wood for the kind of guitar, they are manufacturing. Among the many alternatives to Genuine Mahogany is the bargain-priced Sapele. An exotic hardwood with rich luster. Mahogany wood is native to Tropical places and the two common varieties of Mahogany used as a tonewood for guitars is:a) Honduran Mahogany- the Honduran Mahogany is also called as Tropical Mahogany, American Mahogany, and Brazilian Mahogany. Mahogany will remain the preferred tonewood for some time to come until Sapele becomes more popular and people realize the similarities between Mahogany and Sapele. It all comes down to the fact that they both look and feel the same. That said, Mahogany wood tends to produce a warm bass-like tone. Still, there is a long way to go before Sapele wood is as well-known and popular as Mahogany, Rosewood or Cedar. When finished they have beautiful coloring and textures. If you like some treble in your tone, then consider buying a sapele wood guitar. Utile: About 3.2Lbs per BF. Sapele wood is easily available and is grown in abundance while Mahogany is not readily accessible. Paul Cuenin is a former employee of East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Inc. African Mahogany. Our sister company Thompson Mahogany did a great write up comparing African Mahogany vs Sapele vs Utile Lumber. Between color, grain pattern and work-ability it may actually be the best SA Mahogany … Most often, different kinds of wood are used for the Fretboard, Neck, as a top wood, back wood and for the sides. Ipe Decking Installation Instructions & Tips, comparing African Mahogany vs Sapele vs Utile, The HMS Trincomalee a testament to Teak’s Longevity, In the Mill: Chicago Riverwalk Teak Benches and more. Moreover, the difference in tone can only be understood when the Honduran or African Mahogany is used as top woods in a guitar. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Mahogany has a deeper and warm tone. African Mahogany (scientific names – Khaya anthotheca, Khaya grandifoliola, Khaya ivorensis, Khaya senegalensis… We carry African Mahogany Lumber, Sapele Lumber, and Utile Lumber also so please ask any questions below in the comments or contact us . An untrained eye will be difficult to tell one apart from the other. Sapele … Hope this article helps you in deciding what the right tonewood for your guitar is and you make the correct choice. Martin still makes the 000-15S out of Sapele OR Mahogany (depending on what is available). Trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Some manufacturers even sell their Sapele wood guitars as Mahogany. We also offer our millwork services with these and they are very popular with custom builders and home goods manufacturers. There's effectively no difference in sound at all. Required fields are marked *. It does a good job of breaking down the difference in the three materials. Sapele…
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