Body Wood ID

[rv_bass]

No problem, Mario, thanks for the info! 

Rob

[WalterSandoval]

Rob:

I have another candidate for you: koa.  Your core looks very, very similar to the koa core on my '76 Series I (76-414), and to my inexpert eyes it looks more like koa than cherry.  According to Mica, the cores back then weren't nearly as standardized as they are now, and koa and cherry were commonly used.  And, to make matters worse, when she pulled my wood card I learned that my neck was made of birch - not maple. That was pretty common in 1976, so yours might also have a birch neck.

Steve

I too think that this wood could be Koa. Koa, Cherry, and Mahogany, all three are so similar and confusing.

[tomhug]

First thing I thought was, "Looks like my bass" which is Cherry. Also from 1976.

[rv_bass]

Thanks, Tom.  After comparing it side-by-side with two other basses from the 70s that have confirmed cherry cores, I came to the same conclusion.  Although ID with certainty will be revealed if the card is found in the future. 

[SamuelThacker]

Rob:

I have another candidate for you: koa.  Your core looks very, very similar to the koa core on my '76 Series I (76-414), and to my inexpert eyes it looks more like koa than cherry.  According to Mica, the cores back then weren't nearly as standardized as they are now, and koa and cherry were commonly used.  And, to make matters worse, when she pulled my wood card I learned that my neck was made of birch - not maple. That was pretty common in 1976, so yours might also have a birch neck.

Steve

I too think that this wood could be Koa. Koa, Cherry, and Mahogany, all three are so similar and confusing.

I'm no expert, but I don't think this would be cherry. But yes, I'm also confused between Koa and Mahogany.

[lbpesq]

Here's a Koa core:

http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/25119.jpg

Bill, tgo

[rv_bass]

I’ll bet that sounds good, Bill.

[rv_bass]

For reference, 1978 mahogany on the left and 1976 cherry on the right...neither of these basses are the one in question (I unfortunately let that one go by mistake)...

[edwardofhuncote]

76-265 remains in my mental top-10 list of all-time favorite Alembics. That was the iconic model, Standard Point, Series I. That particular one had just enough little custom features to be extra special and somewhat unique. http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8486.0

Always hoped the card would show up so we'd know, but I still think it had a mahogany core. 

[rv_bass]

Yes, a nice bass, Birdseye maple standard point Series I seemed popular in 1976

[PaulJohnson]

It's very nice and it does look like cherry.

The 4-digit ID Number may be shown on the diamond-shaped placard or on an adjacent ... identify and/or read the placard or orange panel.

[gtrguy]

How close does the body wood look to the neck stringers? Those are often mahogany.

[DerekBottoms]

I think the neck wood affects the tone of a guitar by impacting the way that the vibrations produced by the strings sound.

[SophiaDecent]

Rob:

I have another candidate for you: koa.  Your core looks very, very similar to the koa core on my '76 Series I (76-414), and to my inexpert eyes it looks more like koa than cherry.  According to Mica, the cores back then weren't nearly as standardized as they are now, and koa and cherry were commonly used.  And, to make matters worse, when she pulled my wood card I learned that my neck was made of birch - not maple. That was pretty common in 1976, so yours might also have a birch neck.

Steve

I too think that this wood could be Koa. Koa, Cherry, and Mahogany, all three are so similar and confusing.

I'm no expert, but I don't think this would be cherry. But yes, I'm also confused between Koa and Mahogany.

This is not a big deal. Mahogany acoustic guitars sound warmer and fuller compared to koa acoustic guitars which sound brighter and clearer. Koa acoustic guitars are usually rarer and more expensive, and they have a more unique grain. Both woods are dark although there are some variations in the shades between guitars.

[gtrguy]

Looks like Walnut to my poor eyes?