Mahogany neck and body Questions???

[MortyMoose]

Hey All-I'm looking at used gear and have stumbled across a couple of guitars with a mahogany body and a mahogany neck. These are G&L guitars. One model is a S-500 (rosewood fingerboard) and the other is an ASAT Vintage (ebony fingerboard).

What will a mahogany neck do to the tone of a guitar compared to a maple neck? What about the mahogany body compared to ash or alder wood bodies?

I know that strings, pups, and how I play will also have a significant impact on tone, but just am curious about the differences regarding the above questions.

Thanks-MortyMoose

 

[gulliver]

All I can say is that I had one all Mahogany guitar, an old '70s guild. It was so dark, I had to sell it (back to the original owner) ... it's a soft wood for more mellow tone, YMMV and those guitars may be different, but hear before you buy.

 

[Jef Bardsley]

I've played the S-500, and I think in a blindfold test, you'd be hard-pressed to tell it was mahogany. The MFD pickups make it sound like a G&L.

I'm not familiar with the "ASAT Vintage".

 

[mad dog]

The all mahogany guit I had was a Godin Signature. It sounded very nice. Not dark. Just right.

 

[Jef Bardsley]

Due respect, guys, what Godin and Guild do with mahogany has no bearing on what a mahogany G&L sounds like. G&L has made many mahogany guitars over the years. Several of their Custom Creations are all mahogany. Most of them have that "Fender" sound, and cannot be compared to Gibsons or PRSi. Even my ASAT Junior with a TOM bridge is still great for chicken-pickin'. A few, such as the ASAT Super with overwound MFDs, and the 25th Anniversary with MFD humbuckers, do get more Gibsonesque in tone, but they still play like a guitar that Leo built.

G&Ls made of maple and ash tend to have a lower frequency resonance than a similar Fender, so using mahogany doesn't make a big difference in a G&L. They may have a warmer, more resonant midrange, but as I suggested in my first port, it's rather subtle.

And now that I think about it.... is the 'ASAT Vintage' deep trans red with a belly cut? They've done quite a few short runs that aren't listed on their website. These "special projects" of the Custom Creations Dept aren't marked in any way, nor are they promoted. They just get shipped to dealers like ourselves and Buffalo Brothers, and some customer walks in and gets lucky.

 

[TDJMB]

I've got a mahogany Chapin Stratahoula. Mahogany body and neck, African Blackwood fretboard. It's got 2 single coils & a P90 in the bridge. The pickups can be combined for single, humbucking, and all 3. It's got a wonderful, meatier character than a standard strat but still sounds plenty Strat-y (and Tele-y). The only drawback is the weight.

 

[justabubba]

thanks to Tonedaddy i acquired a mahogany Melancon P90. my others are swamp ash and none have a P90. they are noticeably lighter in weight - but recognize Melancon uses light, wonderfully resonant swamp ash; so, while heavier, the P90 is not a heavy instrument. the mids are more pronounced than the swamp ash and the tone somewhat thicker. while this is a great platform for P90s, i am not sure how well it would work for other single coils
if you love it when you play it make yourself buy it. but if it does not grab you then keeping looking - you will find one that will. can't imagine a better time than now to be in the market for a great used guitar


... and welcome to the gear page. better hide your wallet

 

[MortyMoose]

Hey All-Thanks for your input. I agree, about the time to buy. There are some deals to be had, unfortunately, many are on eBay, so I won't get to play before I buy. With that, I'll only buy when it is a smoking deal and then if I don't like it I can just resell it and likely not lose much at all... eventually I'll find the one or two to keep and shoot, it is a lot of fun!