Mahogany or Luan? Difference?

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How would one tell the difference if they're thinking of buying a kit or drum being labeled as mahogany. Oh, and what's mahogany sound like?

Case in point.....

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I love mahogany...good low end..dark. I also love Luan...VERY pourous and cheap kits were built with it which I loved. I'm not a 100% maple guy. I like some kind of filler wood with it. That's why I adored ludwig drums with their filler which I can't frikkin think of now.
 
There's a factional standoff between proponents of African mahogany and defenders of other types. The first group says African is superior. I love African mahogany (it's what my Session Studio Select shells are composed of), but I don't like biases that obscure reality. We'd be better off listening to each drum without regard for its makeup, then choosing a winner based upon its tonal qualities. If it sounds good, who cares what it's made of?
 
C.M. Jones said:
There's a factional standoff between proponents of African mahogany and defenders of other types. The first group says African is superior. I love African mahogany (it's what my Session Studio Select shells are composed of), but I don't like biases that obscure reality. We'd be better off listening to each drum without regard for its makeup, then choosing a winner based upon its tonal qualities. If it sounds good, who cares what it's made of?
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Well, seeing as many people buy things sight unseen these days (internet shoppers), I'm just looking for some anecdotal evidence with regard as to how to determine if there's a significant difference soundwise between the African stuff and the SE Asian Luan. I'm not buying either anytime soon if ever. Just wondering aloud.
 
Yes the one thing that can be stated as fact is that there can be big tonal differences between luan and different mahoganies from around the world. But one mahogany can sound very different from another mahogany! And some wood labeled as mahogany is the same or similar to wood labeled as luan. Both names encompass a lot of different actual trees. Other factors include new growth vs old growth, and environmental conditions.
 
Lauan is increasingly sold as Asian Mahogany these days (my Pearl Export kit being a case in point) which seems to grind some gears amongst the community…the sound of the drum always comes first for me so they can sell it as unicorn sh@t for all I care as I very rarely listen to the advertising blurb when buying gear… :unsure: :)

For those not familiar: 😁
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Al Strange said:
Lauan is increasingly sold as Asian Mahogany these days (my Pearl Export kit being a case in point) which seems to grind some gears amongst the community…the sound of the drum always comes first for me so they can sell it as unicorn sh@t for all I care as I very rarely listen to the advertising blurb when buying gear… :unsure: :)

For those not familiar: 😁
View attachment 107299
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I LOVE that kit!
 
C.M. Jones said:
We'd be better off listening to each drum without regard for its makeup, then choosing a winner based upon its tonal qualities. If it sounds good, who cares what it's made of?
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While your idea idealistically is a really secure way of looking at things, the majority including me is so spec happy that the above is an improbability. It drives people absolutely insane it seems when they don't know what they are playing. OH NO! How can they know what to buy?

Brand, wood, thickness, weight, hardware, splayed lugs, finish...all these things are MUCH more important than sound.

I need a thin shell with light hardware, suspension mounted, and solid wood. How would I know these things without specs????

I'm just poking fun at the whole situation mainly. I'm just as bad as everyone else.
 
This is my 1970s Premier African mahogany 13/9 Tom that I just updated. It’s a produces a tonal dark, fat sound with little sustain. Great for blues, jazz, rock.
 

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C.M. Jones said:
If it sounds good, who cares what it's made of?
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Yes, yes, yes.
Bozozoid said:
I love mahogany...good low end..dark. I also love Luan...VERY pourous and cheap kits were built with it which I loved. I'm not a 100% maple guy. I like some kind of filler wood with it. That's why I adored ludwig drums with their filler which I can't frikkin think of now.
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100% with you on the maple/poplar/maple (3 and 6 ply) and earlier maple/poplar mahogany (63-68 3 ply) Ludwig shells.

I too, also love a good sounding luan (Philippine Mahogany, Lauan, Meranti, Balau, etc). Tama's early Imperialstar (and Royalstar) shells were 9 ply Philippine Mahogany with a Zola coated interior. Some guy names Stewart Copeland kinda made a name for himself playing one of those kits;)

I have a Royalstar kit with those shells. Almost a baseball bat type bearing edge ..... gives 'em a really warm, round, vintage tone.

My Yamaha Manu Katche Jr. kit is Philippine Mahogany shells. Surprisingly deep sounding, for such small sizes. (16, 10, 13 kit).

And my Yamaha 8000's are Philippine Mahogany sandwiched between Birch. Yamaha was late to the party, in coming out with a maple shell (1991 Maple Customs). Pearl was first at it, in the late 70's (some say Keller shells, drums assembled in Tennessee). Tama second (1986 Artstar II). I think the Japanese were trying to get that warm, American drum sound, without going to maple. Philippine Mahogany was their weapon of choice.

Darth Vater said:
How would one tell the difference if they're thinking of buying a kit or drum being labeled as mahogany. Oh, and what's mahogany sound like?

Case in point.....

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Shop Drum Center of Portsmouth for quality used and pre-owned drum sets and percussion gear. See our complete selection.
www.drumcenternh.com www.drumcenternh.com
Click to expand...
These particular type kits are built to capture that early American drum sound. Ludwig was probably the "best known" mahogany shell, but Slingerland also made beautiful mahogany shells. Even at 1935, Gretsch used maple/poplar/maple in the Broadkaster. There's argument over at "another" forum as to if Rogers ever used mahogany (perhaps a single ply) ...... suffice to say it's the early Ludwig/Slingerland sound drum kits like your George Way example are built to capture. One look at that center lug design ...... screams Club Date ......
 
I think they just followed plywood trends in layers with available woods but it evolved to get fancy. No mention of basswood that is another cheap wood used in layers. My old Pearl Vision was first line of birch/basswood before all birch and all maple. I think it sounds better than all birch later version. The wood industry has always taken liberties using a common name thst is actually a bunch of species ( many not even related to true order- like P. Mahogany none of species under that net are even a mahogany). It’s really the workability of wood, density, weight, and then mcroscopic structure of the wood- so they will group similar for purposes. Rock maple and birch have similar Janka hardness but they really sound different. We can jump in our shrinking scanning electron microscopic bus and drive through the woods- we will need a drill to go through glue layers. And don’t forget the stop and smell the wood , which I bet will be a favorite.
 
larryace said:
While your idea idealistically is a really secure way of looking at things, the majority including me is so spec happy that the above is an improbability. It drives people absolutely insane it seems when they don't know what they are playing. OH NO! How can they know what to
Brand, wood, thickness, weight, hardware, splayed lugs, finish...all these things are MUCH more important than sound.

I need a thin shell with light hardware, suspension mounted, and solid wood. How would I know these things without specs????

I'm just poking fun at the whole situation mainly. I'm just as bad as everyone else.
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I like specs too. It's fun to know what constitutes a drum or cymbal, as well as how those ingredients influence the totality of a drum or cymbal's character. But trouble surfaces when we become slaves to specs at the expense of sound. For instance, "The Lauan shell sounds better than the African mahogany in this case, but African mahogany is the superior wood, so screw my ears. I'll take the African instead." That's a status game that has nothing to do with music.

In the end, a drum is really no better than it sounds, just as a broom is no better than it sweeps.
 
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Appreciate all the psuedo psychological takes and thinly veiled condescension. All I was asking was how do you tell the difference and what are the sound characteristics of mahogany. Never mind.
 
Darth Vater said:
Appreciate all the psuedo psychological takes and thinly veiled condescension. All I was asking was how do you tell the difference and what are the sound characteristics of mahogany. Never mind.
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I think most would agree that mahogany is at the darker end of the spectrum, with a generally soft and polite tonal quality. In ply shells, mahogany is often paired with something more assertive (e.g., birch) to add punch and projection to the equation. Does Lauan sound different from African mahogany? As with all shells, the question depends on a host of factors, which is why we have to listen to a drum to develop a definitive perspective. Without auditory knowledge of a specific model, a guessing game unfolds, one that may very well lead to shattered expectations.
 
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This looks a good read. "

PHILIPPINE MAHOGANY​


The wood name Philippine Mahogany is a loose term that applies to a number of wood species coming from southeast Asia. Another common name for this wood is Meranti: while yet another name that is commonly used when referring to plywood made of this type of wood is Lauan. (And even though it’s called Philippine Mahogany, it bears no relation to what is considered to be “true” mahogany in the Swietenia and Khaya genera—see the article Mahogany Mixups: the Lowdown for more information.)
Scientifically, the name Philippine Mahogany has been used to encompass most commercial lumber found in the Shorea genus, where it is very commonly used in it’s native southeast Asia. There is an abundance of variety between the difference species: each with different working properties, appearances, and mechanical strength values.
The five main groupings for Philippine Mahogany (Meranti/Lauan) are: Light Red Meranti, Dark Red Meranti, White Meranti, Yellow Meranti, and Balau.
 
harryconway said:
Significant ...... probably not. Nuanced, yes.
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Now there we are -even with my cell phone I can hear a difference so all the “ it’s all in the head” can suck on it. The addition of re-enforcement rings really changed the maple/poplar/maple that was stunning. The mahogany really adds that fat old school tone. Awesome video
 
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