Mahogany archtop?

cmajor9 · #1 08-13-2011, 12:31 PM

I may soon get a chance to play an archtop with mahogany back and sides, and a carved spruce top (a Hofner). I've wondered about how this wood combination might affect the sound and character - mahogany tends to give a more mellow, less bright sound than maple.

Has anyone played an archtop with mahogany where the maple is usually? If so, how was it? Was the 'mellowness' a plus, or did it take away from the 'punchiness' of the sound? This could include such guitars as the Eastman MX184-86, if anyone has experience with those.

Thanks in advance for your replies!

life_with_a_song · #2 08-13-2011, 06:36 PM

I briefly owned a Heritage H575 in this combination. Having owned archtops in the past with spruce and maple, I thought that the mahogany would add even more smoothness than the usual maple, and although it did, I did miss the "punchiness" you mention in your post. The guitar sounded really nice, but needed that last 5% +/- that really made the sound jump out.

rschwa9966 · #3 08-13-2011, 07:39 PM

Gibson ES-175s in the 80s had mahogany back and sides. I have a 1988 and like the sound. If the sound is more mellow as a result of the mahogany, I'm happy about it because it suits my taste and repertoire.

Rustic · #4 08-14-2011, 03:19 AM

I was close to hitting on a Jimmy Foster 'Basin Street' mahogany/cedar archtop. It had a wonderful warm and sweet and almost punchy sound. The only thing that held me back was that it was a 15" so felt too small to hold. Since all guitars are different anyway, I think it is a great avenue to explore.

Pip · #5 08-14-2011, 05:28 PM

I own an Eastman 605CE (Jim Fish) that has mahogany sides and back. It is less bright than maple indeed. I like the sound of it played fingerstyle.

goshawk · #6 08-14-2011, 09:43 PM

My Eastman ER-1 has mahogany back and sides (and neck, for that matter) with a spruce top. It's mellow, but I don't think it lacks punchiness at all...it's pretty much exactly the tone I was looking for.

Dookychase · #7 08-15-2011, 08:06 AM

I have a Foster St. Charles model 7 string. Mahogany sides and back, mahogany neck and cedar top. I love the way it sounds. To me, its warm and clear.

Its a 15" model. Jimmy would carve the back and sides out of one thick solid piece of mahogany.