Calling all woodgrain experts

[Guest MoJo]

I bought a P bass copy yesterday, claimed to have been made in the 70's. It bears the brand name Craftsman. The body is solid wood, thankfully, not ply. I removed the neck and took a photo of the grain. Can anyone identify what wood it is?

http://i1332.photobucket.com/albums/w614/markmojo1962/20140830_113816_zps28mpjuin.jpg

[Bradwell]

Pretty sure that's mahogany. Pinkish brown colour and relatively tight grain. Quite dense - so if it's solid I imagine the guitar will be relatively heavy.

[Guest MoJo]

Yep.....its pretty heavy. I thought it might be mahogany but wasn't sure

Edited August 30, 2014 by MoJo

[paulbass]

It looks like mahogany or beech judging by the picture.

[HowieBass]

Yeah I immediately thought mahogany before I looked at other replies, just from the wood colour and grain alone. I don't know if you'll get any tone colouration from the body but I'd bet it has good sustain.

[Grangur]

Beech wood grain:


There's a bit of variety in [url="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=mahogany+wood+grain+pattern&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=4ewBVJeHEcua0QXJ24GwAg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1242&bih=585"]mahogany[/url]

My guess is beech. That was my first thought when I saw it.

Edited August 30, 2014 by Grangur

[Roland Rock]

I'm pretty certain that that is mahogany, not beech

Edited August 30, 2014 by Roland Rock

[steve-bbb]

+1 for the mahogany

-1 for the beech

[Big_Stu]

Looks very much more like mahogany, similar tight grain to beech but mahogany has more grain figuring - and much more likely in a 70s build. If you blag a drop of teak oil off a joiner/wood yard and put a bit on it you'll see the shimmer off the grain, even on that patch, beech doesn't do that.

[HowieBass]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1409412978' post='2539500']
I'm pretty certain that that is mahogany, not beech
[/quote]

... and after seeing that incredible table of yours, I'd be inclined to believe you.

[Booooooom]

Definitely looks like mahogany but probably a similar looking cheaper alternative as it's painted.

[Bradwell]

I would reckon it's painted because it's probably made from more than one piece glued together. Still a solid block but the paint will cover up the join lines.

If I had a solid lump of mahogany big enough for a whole guitar body, the last thing I'd want to do is paint it.

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='Bradwell' timestamp='1409416689' post='2539551']
I would reckon it's painted because it's probably made from more than one piece glued together. Still a solid block but the paint will cover up the join lines.

If I had a solid lump of mahogany big enough for a whole guitar body, the last thing I'd want to do is paint it.
[/quote]

Probably this

[ead]

My old Antoria is a butchers block of mahogany:

[attachment=170475:Antoria Jazz 1975 06.JPG]

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1409420775' post='2539594']
My old Antoria is a butchers block of mahogany:

[attachment=170475:Antoria Jazz 1975 06.JPG]
[/quote]

Lovely

[Dom in Dorset]

Looks like sapele to me (I think it's a relative of mahogany)

[Bradwell]

I think sapele is the african relative of mahogany, true mahogany comes from south america. Doesn't help that the terminology changes and there's multiple names for each. There's always variations in colour but sapele tends to be a more purple tinted brown.

[HowieBass]

I think my kitchen chopping board is a nice big hunk of sapele - every time I look at it I imagine it being used to make a bass body from

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1409428347' post='2539673']
I think my kitchen chopping board is a nice big hunk of sapele - every time I look at it I imagine it being used to make a bass body from
[/quote]

If it's good enough for Martin & Co, it should be good enough for a bass

Edited August 30, 2014 by MoJo

[paulbass]

[quote name='Bradwell' timestamp='1409416689' post='2539551']
I would reckon it's painted because it's probably made from more than one piece glued together. Still a solid block but the paint will cover up the join lines.

If I had a solid lump of mahogany big enough for a whole guitar body, the last thing I'd want to do is paint it.
[/quote]

+1 on the timber being glued together. Having pieces glued together helps the timber from moving too much (cupping and bowing etc)

[oggiesnr]

It's probably Mahogany. My other thought was sapele but there are machining issues with sapele that a more budget guitar company might not want to handle. Definitely not beech, the way the grain has lifted and the ragging round the screw holes IMO discounts that.

For cost reasons it's also probably glued, even then large chunks of wood fetched a premium.

Steve