The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #31614   Message #411940
Posted By: kivatrader
06-Mar-01 - 09:31 AM
Thread Name: The Martin 000-15S
Subject: RE: The Martin 000-15S
murray; The 00-15S is a more traditional instrument -- very similar to pre-war guitars with the slotted head and traditional neck. I also am surprized to hear you mention that you have been told the Mahagony is an "inferior" tone wood. Mahagony is a proven, tonewood used for it's warmth of tone and beauty. Spruce and cedar are "soundboard" tone woods, not used for backs and sides because of their relative soft nature and inability to resist the kind of wear that a guitar back gets. They are also very light relatively, for their strength and stiffness which translates to a soundboard able to reproduce the vibrations the strings produce quickly and cleanly. Mahagony has also been used as a soundboard on occaision -- Martin used to make an all Mahagony guitar, and probably still does. Another wood, similar to Mahagony whioch is used for backs sides and soundbaords is Acacia Koa, from Hawaii. I play an instument with Mahagony back and sides that is about 30 years old, and because of the daily frequency it is played, it has achieved a depth of warm tone that I have not seen in any hand-built instrument I have auditioned that cost under $2700.00! Keep playing your new guitar, daily and it will surprize you with warm tone and fast transients!