[eric34]

I have a chunk of Mahogany to make a solid body guitar but would like to make my first one out of another hardwood for practice. I got Oak and Maple would this make a decent body?? What is the best wood?

[NeedKarma]

BuildYourGuitar.com - Guitar building books and guitar making resources.

[Clough]

Yes, mahogany has gotten incredibly expensive because it is now so hard to obtain. I would suggest using the maple because it will be more evenly dense for the conduction of sound, whereas, oak tends to be unstable and variable in density. Birch would be a good choice, also.

[nanea1975]

I agree with Clough: go with the Maple.

Warmoth, a Puyallup, WA, manufacturer of guitar bodies and necks has a handy web page complete with discriptions of wood characteristics (below):

Warmoth Direct - Options - Body-Woods

Have fun!