drizzt Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Hey guys. I just got an Epi Les Paul. It is a beauty, it looks great and it plays fine. The serial number looks legit - 1997 (December), built in Korea in the Saein Plant. The back of it is painted with reddish lacquer but you can see the wood grain trough it. When I was changing the pickups I saw the wood inside the control cavity and it is very light. The wood grain does not look mahogany either. Are there any models that were not mahogany. The maple cap is real though - it is easily seen when removing pickups. So here it is (pics are taken with my phone so not the greatest)- it looks more yellow live: What do you say about that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 What do you say about that? Your posted pics don't seem to be posting. http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/51292-the-d0-it-yourself-thread-look-here-for-tech-related-questions/ Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 There are many species of tree that can be called Mahogany, while the Gibsons were all originally made from real Mahogany from south America, Guitars made of so called Mahogany in the far East are made from "Eastern Mahogany" which again could be one of several species of tree all having similar tonal characteristics to real Mahogany. some of the species of eastern mahogany can be a light colour. I reckon this is the most likely explanation, But it doesn't rule out use of wood other than one the myriad of tree species that are described as "Mahogany" . quotes from wiki----> Agathis (also known as Commercial Grade Mahogany or Poor Man's Mahogany) is a type of pine that grows in East Asia. It is a plantation-wood used mainly for building cabinets. It is cheap and usually used in the construction of budget guitars. Its tone is similar to mahogany but more bland sounding with a less complex response. Nato is another type of eastern mahogany though most current stock now comes from South America. It is also a commercial grade mahogany originally designed for cabinet building. Typically used as a mahogany substitute for budget guitars. It has a bright tone with pronounced midrange but lacks in sensitivity and punch compared to other varieties of mahogany. B.C. Rich used Nato for their Assassin range. and that is partly why Epi's are a fraction of the cost of a Gibby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 The vast majority of Epiphones are made from Nato which is what you are seeing. If it sounds good why worry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EpiEric Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 It could also be Alder. A few years ago some of the Epiphone Les Paul models had alder bodies. The published specs for a while said "mahogany/alder" for body construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 I didn't clock the date in the OP - I was refering to current production. As EpiEric rightly said yours could indeed be alder at that age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeluck Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 http://www.ehow.com/about_5330156_types-mahogany-wood.html basic info: http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.htm and on the Gibson board: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/4991-honduras-mahogany-or/ I had to purchase a vennier and communicated with the woodworker in OR... the denisity is what your after...and even in the Hard Mahogany group they have to test it to tell. Density = more sustain. Thats why an American made Gibson has more sustain-better wood-better electronics...not just labor cost. Its a better quality product by product used ..like beef is prime, USDA, choice etc.the mahogany is graded. A, AAA, AAA but the density is what your after: but this topic is best covered by: http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/luthiers-corner/90778-mahogany-grades.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drizzt Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 I was going to say that it looks alder, but I didn't know that there are such Les Pauls. It sounds bright but nice. I put Seymour Duncan '59 set in it. Pots are perfect and make no noise at all and do their job smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 It could also be Alder. A few years ago some of the Epiphone Les Paul models had alder bodies. The published specs for a while said "mahogany/alder" for body construction. + 1. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearhead Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 Now don't be mislead! "Nato" wood is NOT mahogany! It comes from Mora trees. Here's a link to the Wiki-pedia definiton: NATO WOOD Here's another to an article on "Tone Woods": Tone Woods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.