An example of Mahogany

The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored wood, originally the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban Mahogany. Swietenia mahagoni, commonly known as the West Indian Mahogany, is a species of Swietenia, native to southern Florida, and the It was later used also for the wood of Swietenia macrophylla, which is closely related, and known as Honduras Mahogany. Swietenia macrophylla (also called Big Leaf Mahogany, Big-leaf Mahogany, Bigleaf Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany, Honduras Today, all species of Swietenia are listed by CITES, and are therefore protected. Swietenia is a genus of trees in the Mahogany family Meliaceae. CITES (the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments drafted Species of Swietenia cross readily when they grow in proximity, the hybrid between S. mahagoni and S. macrophylla is widely planted. Mahogany is also the national tree of Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with It is also part of the national seal of Belize which was known as British Honduras before independence.

The name "mahogany" is also commonly used to refer to the African genus Khaya (closely related to Swietenia), hence the term African Mahogany. Khaya is a genus of seven species of Trees in the mahogany family Meliaceae, native to tropical Africa and Madagascar.

"Mahoganies" may refer to the wider group of all the timbers yielded by the three related genera Swietenia, Khaya and Entandrophragma. The timbers of Entandrophragma are traded under their individual names, sometimes with "mahogany" attached as a suffix, for example "sipo" may be referred to as "sipo mahogany". Entandrophragma is a genus of eleven species of Deciduous Trees in the mahogany family Meliaceae, restricted to tropical Africa

In addition, the timber trade deals with various FTC defined "mahoganies", under a variety of different names, most notably "Philippine mahogany". Philippine mahogany is a common name for several different species of Trees and their Wood.

Uses

Mahogany has a generally straight grain and is usually free of voids and pockets. It has a reddish-brown colour which darkens over time, and displays a beautiful reddish sheen when polished. It has excellent workability, and is very durable and slow to rot. These properties make it a favorable wood for boat making, as tradition has shown, as well as for making furniture and upholstery (see Chippendale), musical instruments, and other durable objects. Thomas Chippendale ( Otley, near Leeds baptised - November 1779 was a London Cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian Some of the gift shops in the Caribbean especially St. Croix offer Cuban Mahogany in the form of jewelry.

Mahogany is a very popular material for drum making, because of its great integrity and capability to produce a very dark, warm tone compared to other more common wood types like maple or birch. The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone. Acer ( maple) is a Genus of Trees or Shrubs They are variously classified in a family of their own the Aceraceae, or Birch is the name of any Tree of the genus Betula ( Bé-tu-la) in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the The famous Beatles sound of the 60s was made with Ludwig Drums in mahogany shells. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Ludwig-Musser is a Drum and Percussion instrument Manufacturer owned by Conn-Selmer Inc Today, several drum manufacturers have rediscovered the features of mahogany shells, resulting in several high end series offering shells made in this wood.

A wide variety of electric guitars are also made from mahogany, like Gibson's Les Paul line and most of the PRS guitars among others. The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s It is noted, again, for its dark properties, as well as its weight (Gibson Les Pauls may weigh as much as 15 pounds), the combination of which produces a warm, rounded tone with huge sustain, for which the guitar is famous. The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s

Mahogany is a very popular choice of material for luthiers constructing all grades of acoustic guitars. A steel-string acoustic guitar, is a modern form of Guitar descended from the Classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter louder sound Often mahogany is used for the back and sides of the guitar, while cedar, spruce, or another lighter-colored and more loosely-grained wood is used for the top. Cedar ( Cedrus) is a genus of Coniferous Trees in the Plant family Pinaceae. Spruce refers to Trees of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of Coniferous Evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae

Mahogany is now being used for the bodies of high-end stereo phonographic record cartridges^[1] and for stereo headphones^[2], where it is noted for “warm” or “musical” sound.

References