Cocobolo » Cocobolo is a tropical, Mexican hardwood used for sides and backs. Rot Resistance: Heartwood ranges from moderately durable to very durable in regard to decay resistance. I just made a cutting board with some sapele offcut I got for free! Then I repeated this process with the polyurethane,… Read more », Hats off to your patience and love to the wood and table you are making. How did it come out? I will… Read more », Dear, Is there any one who can send me photos of Pomelle Sapele/Quilted sapele logs …how its look like …only quilted sapeli logs photos…….I am awaiting for may be some ones kind can reply soon …thanks.thanks. Sapele would then be a 2 or 3. It’s   sold both in lumber and veneer form. Fine uniform texture and good natural luster. And fun to work. Your article was very helpful and I will go for the sapele, since I prefer the sound of steel strings. I made a dining table with a sapele top and finished the tabletop with three coats of boiled linseed oil on the top, bottom, and sides, and 10 coats of polyurethane on the top with 2 coats on the bottom and sides. I ended up to your site, trying to understand the difference between sapele & mahogany, as I’m considering to buy an inexpensive nylon strung electroacoustic crossover guitar, and the 2 candidates are full sapele the one and full mahogany the other. I would appreciate your advise, I’ve installed bunks on a 135 foot schooner made of sapele and have used Daly’s FloorFin and it has held up very well. b) The definition of the Pernambuco was unreal. The piece was then sculpted. A question: Before applying grain filler + top coat, is there still any merit to rub in a few coats of danish oil? Gibson’s arch-top acoustic guitars prove popular on into the 1920’s and 30’s. They will be painted. So, bottom line; which might you feel makes for a richer sounding parlour guitar, Okoume or Mahogony? The next step was to rub in an 8-1 mix of amber lac shells and alcohol. Tonally, I think it’s going to be more in line with ash. https://thompsonmahogany.com/african-mahogany-vs-sapele-vs-utile/, What’s the best wasy to stain or dye sapele to a dark mahogany color. That said, the action is on the high side. No staining, but I’m sure you could use a mahogany wipe on type finish, or a mahogany stain followed by several coatings of Tung oil, or Danish oil, or whatever you prefer. Nate, an excellent, succinct article on these two woods. Yeah it’s hard to know if yours is Sapele or Hog. In fact some retailers sometimes even just say Mahogany, when it’s actually Sapele, just because less people have heard of Sapele. I just feel like it’s too soft. These include: Honduran Mahogany is generally considered to be a better quality tonewood. This was a well presented education on the different qualities of different woods . Are Rosewoods (and Bubinga) really banned by CITES? Thanks for the message. Don’t yet know the acoustic resonances and vibrations on this guitar. This was the first time I came across Sapele Wood, and naturally I had some questions about it. What’s your experience with these tone woods? It was interesting to find this information about the sound qualities as well as some other qualities discussed here. I was also more of a Martin guy before starting this website but over the last couple of years Taylor have become equals for me. It brings out the wonderful glow of sapele as well. I knew it was going to be absolutely beautiful. My only reason is that I used the polyurethane on beech before, which look nice and also quite tough for everyday use in the kitchen. Most british kilns will not dry below 12% because it would be pointless. Color tends to darken with age. Dear all This of course doesn’t mean better or worse – it’s just to illustrate in terms of tonal characteristics how Sapele fits between Mahogany and Rosewood. It definitely had the strong mid-range of the D18 (which I eventually inherited, selling the Taylor). Copyright © 2008-2021 Eric Meier | All Rights Reserved. Whatt type of neck and so forth. Besides the common ribbon pattern seen on quartersawn boards, Sapele is also known for a wide variety of  other figured grain patterns, such as: pommele, quilted, mottled, wavy, beeswing, and fiddleback. Both Mahogany and Sapele have warm, mid-range-heavy tonal characteristics with subtle overtones. Preordered Tofino X and while waiting for this sweet guitar I bought a Martin mahogany to play for the interim. My contractor sanded it well before I started applying the wax, but it doesn’t seem smooth any more. The only real way to tell would be b ya visual inspection if you were familiar with the how the woods differed in looks. Vertically it is not too problematic to keep a finish on. Should I be worried about cracking? I would expect you have to resend it before you apply another finish they may not stick to the wax. It was a 14-¼” x 109″ 4/4 S3S at $5.10 bf. Thanks for the technical differences. https://www.dalyspaint.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12. So, in the battle of Sapele vs Mahogany, which is the better tonewood? This may be your friend’s problem due to contact with his bending pipe. Common Uses: Veneer, plywood, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, boatbuilding, musical instruments, turned objects, and other small wooden specialty items. Question from a friend; when steam bending Sapele for the sides of a 3/4 guitar it seemed to develope blackish purple mold spots. Polyurethane is. You will not be disappointed. Bass Guitars Our Bass Guitar Dept. Juts did 8 coats on a plank of Sapele. It’s much harder. Sikkens Cetol 1,23 system or Cetol Door & Window is what I’d recommend for finishing Sapele. Last updated: August 22, 2019 by Nate 19 Comments. To better understand the differences between the two, let’s first take a look at each wood individually. Thanks! I was looking for wood textures and came across sapele when looking for mahogany. Although I’ve been a die -hard Martin guy, I find that Taylor is now producing some very high quality, affordable guitars. It is occasionally used as a substitute for Genuine Mahogany, and is sometimes referred to as “Sapele Mahogany.” Technically, the two genera that are commonly associated with mahogany are Swietenia and Khaya, while Sapele is in the Entandrophragma genus, but all three are included in the broader Meliaceae family, so comparisons to true mahogany may not be too far fetched. While the arch-top remains quintessential to “Spanish” style players, dance bands, swing orchestras and Western outfits, the decade gives way to flat-top acoustic guitars and other manufacturers were already making waves in the new market. Pretty much any finish is going to be food-safe. Is a wood that with such a beautiful grain the right choice for window framing that will just be covered up? My friend used a Sapele log to make a table with a piece of toughened glass on it. X 87? I don’t think it glues well at all. I had some problems routing the outline. A lot of woods are normally used in the folk mandolin and this includes rosewood, mahogany, walnut and even cedar as well. Oh by the way tried to post an image if you upload too many images the max is one it won’t let you remove the extra image to allow for one. Has anyone had experience with such? It’s not half way between Rosewood and Mahogany but it’s closer to Rosewood than Mahogany is, if that makes sense. I was told Sapele is very photo sensitive. Please advise. By a very competent luthier. They used those woods interchangeably for those models as far as I know. I operate a retail building supply and special ordered six sheets of 3/4″ sapele plywood for a home owner. I see you posted your question in September, so I imagine you went ahead and finished your door by now. We recently built a large wood sculpture using 4″ thick by 6″, 8″, 10″, and 12″ wide Sapele timbers. It’s as hard as epoxy once cured but unlike epoxy or polyurethane finishes is incredibly easy to repair as surface do not require stripping back but just a light, localised surface sanding before reapplication. It will also react when put into direct contact with iron, becoming discolored and stained. Sapele has a slight blunting effect on cutters, but it turns, glues, and finishes well. We put together this write up comparing Sapele vs African Mahogany vs Utile if that might be helpful. Simply, this guitar is capable of producing great sound quality and therefore, it is mostly used as a concert guitar. Odor: Sapele has a distinct, cedar-like scent while being worked. Honduran Mahogany (aka genuine mahogany, Tropical Mahogany, American mahogany, Big Leaf Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany), Sapele – yes sometimes, just to be confusing, some manufacturers call Sapele “Sapele Mahogany”, Stronger treble presence than Mahogany – that will be the main difference. I had sapele countertops installed a few months ago. Sapele is less heard of than Mahogany. Anyhow, the sound quality of this guitar is amazing. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Enough so that you’d likely notice the difference on the top and maybe slightly when used as back and sides in place of Mahogany. but not sure how it may turn out for Sapele. I am purchasing an online guitar with Spruce top, Sapele back and sides. There are exceptions but these tend to be specialised users. This is no surprise given that it’s quite a hard wood but is still easy to carve. It is similar to freijó, a medium density wood, whose resistance is exceptional, in addition to its beauty. You should look into hardwax-oil. The next and final coats were rubbed in using rotten stone powder and olive oil. This guitar has iconic, vintage and woody sound that will take you back in time to the 1940 and 50’s though there is a doubt if you are that old and excited enough to go back to that time but still. My cynical mind tends to think sapele has a negative reputation, deserved or undeserved, and now the name of Okoume as a mahogany is exotic enough for people to take a chance on it. Whether you get Honduran Mahogany (probably more commonly referred to as Tropical Mahogany these days because it is sourced from a number of Central and South American countries now), or African Mahogany, the sound characteristics are going to be pretty close. I recently began a search for a mahogany top guitar like a D15 and learned that Martin uses both tropical mahogany and sapele interchangeably. Sapele is definitely a real wood! It’s harder than both Honduran and African Mahogany. Most are made with either spruce/sapele or mahogany/blackwood, which is a unique departure from more typical tonewood configurations. A very well done article. your information on both Mahogany and Sapele tone woods was very helpful. This combination resulted in a final finish remarkably beautiful and… Read more ». Can send photograph. If it is just the finish, I’d recommend stripping off the old finish, sanding it down to bare wood, and then refinishing it with several coats of a spar urethane for good protection from the elements. I recently got a Martin Backpacker 25th edition. In UK (where I live), the closest match I could get was mahogany grain filler, so the wood turns a bit reddish, but feels… Read more ». Hi, I am Cleaton. I work with Sapele almost daily in a custom door manufacturing plant. From my experience, both methods can finish Sapele with super smooth surface and stood up so far for the heavy use in the kitchen, but oil+polyurethane is easier to apply. P.S. Being a novice in guitar playing, I have not yet posted on guitars in my blog, but I believe this year I will. From my experience, both methods can finish Sapele with super smooth surface and stood up so far for the heavy use in the kitchen, but oil+polyurethane is easier to apply. Any advice is helpful. Your email address will not be published. Add another coat of oil and rub with wool again. I am think of a few coats of danish oil, then finishing off with solvent-based polyurethane. Little by little I’m building some experience. Thanks for your comments. Workability: Sapele can be troublesome to work in some machining  operations, (i.e., planing, routing, etc. Is his bending pipe dirty? Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; large pores in no specific arrangement, few; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; reddish brown deposits occasionally present; parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates, unilateral, and marginal; rays narrow to medium, spacing normal; ripple marks present. It’s very close to a pommele but maybe not perfect enough to be sold as such (which this lumber yard doesn’t sell anyway). Love the education. olyurethane (3 coats), which made the chairs slightly darker/richer than the table (grain filler + Polyurethane). (I have five 1’x6″x24″ blanks of the stuff) However, I use all natural beeswax to seal my completed products by heating it (and the wood to reduce warping or splitting) and boiling the instrument in the wax. Is it truly just a different type of mahogany or is it closer to a sapele? very helpful. Your email address will not be published. I am still working on the table top. It wouldn’t be a 5. But this is only a subtle difference really. I would love to keep the finish food safe, but the three or four coats of beeswax I applied is faded and getting dull. I realized that the 25th edition is made of Sapele both top and back, while the original Backpacker is made of Sitka Spruce and tonewood. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information. Its so natural and STUNNING!!! He carefully cut and banded his sheets to acheive a sequence pattern for his kitchen cabinet doors. It was a waste of beautiful lumber, but I was making tambour door breadboxes for Christmas gifts and used most of this just to make… Read more ». After much thought , I finally arrived at the best combo of woods that I feel produce the best tonal sound for me and my style of playing, a mahogany top with Sapele back/sides. I second the Tung Oil. Large door panel 40? I’ve been playing guitar for several years, and now I’m looking to get myself a Ukelele. Most guitarists would have heard of Mahogany and it is a very popular back and sides wood and wood for necks. The stain/varnish applied to your sapele may be blistering because it was never treated with a stripper prior to applying the stain. It sounds like the finish is the problem, and not necessarily the wood? Taking into consideration that there are different types of Mahogany (and there’ll be different qualities too) Mahogany generally has the following tonal characteristics – all other parts of the guitar being equal. That said, it is becoming more and more widely used and it will likely be more known as time goes by. So, in the battle of Sapele vs Mahogany, which is the better tonewood? Your advice is much appreciated. It is also popular as a top wood. Pain in the butt to stain due to grain going in every direction and density variation in the same piece. Sapele just smells better. Glad the article helped with your decision and glad that you’ve found the tonewood combo that suits you the best. I absolutely love it to sawdust and use it for all my decorative pieces. ), resulting in tearout due to its interlocked grain. Would appreciate your opinion. The effect is amazing and certainly resembles rich dark mahogany. I agree that Taylor is making some really nice guitars. Usually, when someone asks what Sapele is, the answer is invariably – “it’s like Mahogany”. You’ll likely notice the difference when used as a top wood – but not so much for the back and sides. Scientific Name: Entandrophragma cylindricum, Tree Size: 100-150 ft (30-45 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter, Average Dried Weight: 42 lbs/ft3 (670 kg/m3), Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .50, .67, Modulus of Rupture: 15,930 lbf/in2 (109.9 MPa), Elastic Modulus: 1,746,000 lbf/in2 (12.04 GPa), Crushing Strength: 8,750 lbf/in2 (60.4 MPa), Shrinkage: Radial: 4.8%, Tangential: 7.2%, Volumetric: 12.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.5. Is this normal for sapele? has grown immensely over the last few years and we’re proud to offer some of the best bass brands in the world – including the likes of Warwick, Spector, Fender Music Man. Odies Oil, plant based, non toxic, food safe, resists water and stains. Chris you cal lay out the cabinet doors in brigght light (not direct sunlight though) and they probbley will even out. Required fields are marked *. It isn’t as hard as African Mahogany or Sapele. Medium woods, cedar, not oily, always stick very well. It is similar to Mahogany, and it’s fair to compare the two because Mahogany would be the closest to Sapele. I ended up with an Eastman all solid sapele guitar which, I believe delivers stonger output from the high strings that the D15 I played, presumably because it’s a harder wood than tropical mahogany. I’ve just made some pieces out of Sapele and after about 7 coatings of Tung oil, the finish is so deep and luxurious, very reminiscent of mahogany. As mentioned on this site, Sapele stains when in contact with iron. They may darken some but should even out in color. 21 Guitar Playing Tips Every Beginner Should Know, Tips for Learning How to Play the Guitar and Sing at the Same Time, Acoustic Guitar Stands: Ways to Keep Your Guitar When Not Playing, Takamine Serial Numbers: What They Can Tell You and How to Decode Them. Another way to put it might be if you were to think of Mahogany as 1 on a scale of 10, and Rosewood was 10. Wouldn’t come out. The first couple of coats were done using pumice stone powder to help smooth and fill with olive oil as lubricant. Would you please differentiate the two woods and the effect the woods have on the guitar? I have patio doors and others doors made of sapele and they have gone horrible and whatever was put on them to treat them has gone all blistery. It shattered the lower point of my RG shaped body. You’ve probably heard these two woods compared a fair bit. X 5/4. After sanding down, the bare sapele looks quite porous, so seems to me a good idea to use grain filler to fill the pores before applying top finish. This seems like it would be a perfect wood for a baseball bat. I am not a musician; I am a 3D enthusiast. All else being equal, Sapele will be a lot like Mahogany, to be fair, but with some subtle differences. Sapele mahogany should be cleaned with a Trisodium Phosphate Solution before applying any stain. For example I have already “discovered” the silk & steel strings (Martin) you suggest for beginners, which I use on my parlors , Dimitris (zaosan) – hitthewave.wordpress.com. Any other comments or questions welcome in the comments section below. A lot of guitarists, especially new guitarists might not have even heard of it. Like Mahogany, Sapele is used as both a top wood and a back/sides wood. Great post and very helpful….Now if I could only find out if my 2007 Martin 000-15 was hog or Sapele…that would be great…lol. When used as a back/side wood to compliment a brighter sounding top wood, Mahogany is good for mellowing out the brightness and adding some warmth and a stronger mid-range plus softening the highs and reducing the overtones. Also, it’s hard to keep crumb free, as the finish is not really smooth. There are actually a couple of different woods that are referred to as Mahogany, when talking about tonewoods for guitars. I, too, have only recently become aware of this wood. Just my thoughts. This strips the tannins from the wood, opening up the surface to fully accept a stain. But I’m glad you found the info helpful for your purposes. It’s closer to Rosewood than Mahogany is but it’s much more similar to Mahogany than it is to Rosewood. I compared boiled linseed oil to danish oil and pure tung oil on some smaller pieces of sapele before choosing boiled linseed oil. I had to repair with epoxy and Sapele shavings. Some sites referred to them as the same thing and they do look so very similar, but other sites claimed differences, so to be sure I googled sapele vs mahogany wood. Ripping Ash, H Maple and Sapele on the table saw are very much different. They’re not exactly the same, tonally, but they are close. Looks great. Glad the article could help. To give some perspective the following is the hardness of the woods discussed here including Rosewood. If it were me, I would apply a grain filler to the wood before final finishing, especially for a table top, but that’s just my aesthetic preference. Honduran Mahogany is preferred as a top wood over African Mahogany. Of course, this hardness isn’t the only thing that determines the sound qualities. Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Sapele has been reported as a skin and respiratory irritant. First wood I had problem gluing. It is fast, responsive and produces a bright sound. https://www.dalyspaint.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12, (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). For people comparing the different options. Comments: Sapele is a commonly exported and economically important African wood species. someone knows if sapele can make a good bow? The problem seems to be that the wood we have been receiving has been in the 11-13% range, not the 9-10% we believe to be a more correct range. My dad’s old Martin D18 was the guitar I grew up with so when I went looking for a new guitar, Taylor’s description of sapele in their 300 series, helped me decide on a 310. It should also be noted that Sapele on one guitar (with different materials and construction) will sound different to Sapele on another – and the same goes for Mahogany. The neck is mahogany with a satin finish, which helps all of you beginner acoustic guitarists to play easier. Odor: Sapele has a distinct, cedar-like scent while being worked. It should also be noted that Sapele on one guitar (with different materials and construction) will sound different to Sapele on another – and the same goes for Mahogany. I finished 4 kitchen chairs with boiled linseed oil + oil-based polyurethane (3 coats), which made the chairs slightly darker/richer than the table (grain filler + Polyurethane).