Mahogany mando

[Wayne Webb]

I'm looking at a Morgan Monroe solid mahogany mandolin on Ebay. It's supposed to be set up and all.
Does mahogany give a rich, sweet sound, is it deep? Or can it cut through a banjo?? I know a mahogany guitar sounds nice.
Will it sound OK for bluegrass?

Thanks

[Ken Sager]

Every instrument is different, but typically mahogany won't give the cut and projection that maple will. I think a more appropriate question would be if anybody has ever seen/heard a Morgan Monroe that could cut through a banjo.

Ok for bluegrass? Most folks would say no, but again, every instrument is different.

Good luck on your quest,
KS

[glauber]

Best thing to cut through a banjo is a sharp knife.

But the word on the street is that mahogamy gives a darker sound, less brilliant than, say, spruce. I have a M-11 Mid-Mo, which is all mahogamy, and it sounds nice.

g

[Michael H Geimer]

Can't comment about the MM model, but I am a big mahogany fan in general.

I have a solid mahogany Mid-Mo (M-11) that is sweet, as well as an all mahogany Martin (000-15s). I play them both everyday, but rarely in ensembles. I have louder instruments to handle those situations.

Mahogany has a warm, rich tone that is very intimate. Maple might provide that banjo-cutting tone you seem to favor. Mahogany is about warmth and complexity, not volume.

- Benig

[ShaneJ]

I had a Weber Hyalite a couple of years ago that was mahogany (except for spruce top). It had a very nice, warm sound. It had good volume too. It wasn't a sound that would drown out a banjo though (if such a sound exists, I doubt I'd like it any better than the banjo twang!). It didn't sound like Bill Monroe's Gibson, but it was a nice sounding instrument.

[Bob A]

While I really like mahogany guitars, it does not seem to be the first choice of tonewood for a mandolin, at least to my ears. In fairness, however, the only mahogany mandolin I've had to play for any length of time was a Vega cylinder-back. It was interesting to play, but was always on the bottom of my list when it came time to pick up and play something.

[GBG]

Wayne, you need to stick to a solid wood spruce top, maple back and sides for a traditional bluegrass mandolin. Get that used A model like I tol ya before!

[Pedal Steel Mike]

After my Gibson died, I have a cheap Korean all mahogany mandolin I bought to tide me over till I could get something better. It's not bad, but it doesn't have the power or projection of either my now deceased Gibson or my new Rigel. I would NOT recommend it for use in a bluegrass band.