i dare you to email him and ask him ;)
i know what the huff would say from his posts on the subject over at PG - he would tell you its a silly question because:
1) all wood varies from piece to piece
2) mahogany is a generic term that means little more than brown wood
3) 'mahogany' can be bright and snappy as well as dark and warm - so your usual assumptions about mahogany tone do not apply
i largely agree with the first 2 points, they are the same for any wood generalisations - but i still distinguish between mahogany and sapele because i find it a useful distinction.
guitars were traditionally built with south american mahoganies, this is woods from the Swietenia genus of the Meliaceae (mahogany) family. of course they vary between pieces, but these are the mahoganies people tend to refer to as warm sounding and tehse are the ones that created the classic tones we lust after.. they are also almost all CITIES protected. IF you want a traditional gibson tone the easiest way to get it is with these woods. ... but, mahogany used by modern factories is not the same, can come from all over the world and can vary a hell of a lot - so it is more of a generic term
Sapele is still part the Meliaceae family so is a type of mahogany, and will have some crossover with those other mahoganies we are used to. But in general terms its stiffer and has a more interlocked grain. this can make is slightly harder to work than the Swietenia's as tear out is more of a potential problem. tonally i would argue that its a little brighter than most would expect of a mahogany due to its extra stiffness. it does look different too.
So i know patrick doesnt like tonal generalisations about wood at all, but i still think they are a useful starting point for a builder. if a customer asked me for a mahogany like tone with a bit more bite i may start considering sapele over honduras, but it still comes down to individual pieces of wood.
