Guitar woods: how do they help us define our sound?

Guitar woods: how do they help us define our sound?

Guitar woods can be very different, and its choice is key to the sound of the instrument. We will have to take into account different issues that we will see below, since they are very important factors when building a handmade guitar.

As a luthier, choosing the different woods that will be a part of the instrument, is something that I’m passionate about. Whether you want me to advise you on the best types of woods, or you want me to choose them for you, you can buy a handmade guitar in guitarrasfuentes.com, and we will find the best solution for the sound you are looking for. 

Points to consider when choosing guitar woods

As I said before, when choosing guitar woods, three points are important:

• Geographical origin: this depends on the type of tree and climate in which it can develop, therefore, some species are harder to find than others.
• Tree species: depending on the type of tree family, the wood will have particular characteristics, therefore, it is an important issue. Even within the same tree family, there can be variations with different properties that will end up influencing the sound of the guitar. 
• Wood quality: even if they come from the same tree species, guitar woods can have different qualities, so they will be classified according to this. This includes issues like the knots, the aesthetic appearance, density or quality of the parenchyma tissue, which is studied in the laboratory.

Types of woods by botanical species

Spruce

This is a fragile wood that requires care, but offers a warm sound, widely used for the soundboard in classical guitars. There are different varieties of spruce:

• German spruce: for high-end guitars, it is a difficult wood to find.
• Engelmann spruce: it has been gaining followers and market-share since the German variety is in short supply and this one is similar.
• Sitka’s spruce: this type of spruce wood is robust but light, so it’s frequently used in the construction of soundboards for acoustic models.

Maple

One of the most used guitar woods for being dense and resistant, offering high durability with medium and medium-high sounds. In this case, we also find different types of maple:

• Hard maple: as the name suggests, it’s the hardest of the maple types. Frequently used in the construction of electric guitars’ necks.  
• European maple: in this case, we’ll find medium density.
• American maple: very similar to the European one in terms of density and characteristics, but differs in image.
• Quilted, flamed and bird’s-eye maple: both the European and the American maple can have different fiber shapes in the cut. These pieces have great aesthetic value for the construction of violins, jazz and electric guitars, and the body of classical and acoustic guitars.

Alder

Among guitar woods, this one offers great durability and resistance to humidity. It’s a type of tree very common in Europe and gives guitars a very clean tone and great resonance. Mostly used in electric guitars.

Mahogany

This is a very dense wood, which offers a warm sound with a good sustain and rich low frequencies, although the mediums are slightly cut off. Frequently used in acoustic and electric guitars.

There can be certain confusion in this type of wood since there can be several different species denominated “mahogany”, the most appreciated being the American mahogany or Swietenia Macrophylla.

Canadian red cedar

Cedar’s wood is soft, perfect for Spanish guitar sounding boards, with a powerful but warm sound, but weak in treble. There are other species called “cedar” but they have nothing to do with the Canadian red cedar.

Honduras cedar (Cedrela Odorata) would be another species used for the construction of classical guitar necks or even electric guitar bodies. It has some characteristics similar to American mahogany.

Ebony

One of the favorite woods for fingerboard thanks to the sensations it offers. It gives us good sustain and high durability. 

Ash tree

A very balanced wood in all sound frequencies, with a good sustain. We are talking about a type of wood quite porous but resistant. Mostly used in electric guitars. 

Koa

Contrary to the previous case, we find one of the densest guitar woods, offering a lot of sustain. This is an expensive wood due to its origin, Hawaii, but also because of the aesthetics it offers to the guitars. 

Walnut

Just like the koa tree, we find a very dense wood which has good sustain and therefore a great tonal balance.

Rosewood

Palisander, commonly known as Rosewood, is one of the most used guitar woods, and we can find different varieties depending on their origin.

• River Rosewood: this wood produces high quality guitars that are becoming scarce, so  its commercialization is highly regulated. 
• Amazon rosewood (Jacaranda): good alternative to river rosewood.
• Indian rosewood: similar to the previous varieties, it’s still a great alternative for the construction of guitar bodies, offering good bass and definition.
• Madagascar rosewood: similar to the Indian one, offers great volume and sonority. 
• Rosewood from Santos or Pau Ferro: it’s not a wood from the Dalbergias family. It may give us a darker tone, but round at the same time.

Nowadays, new species with similar behaviors to rosewood are incorporated, resulting in instruments with the same sound quality that allow us not to make a massive exploitation of the aforementioned species.

Pine

It is worth mentioning because it’s very common, but it’s usually used in cheaper guitars since it is not as resistant to humidity and offers a more opaque sound. It was used in the first Fender guitars, being replaced by other more stable species.

Linden tree

Good balance in bass and medium tones, linden guitars are light and have low density. This wood is used mainly in superstratum electric guitar bodies.

Combination of guitar woods in sound definition

As you have seen, each wood is used more for one part than for another. This is a very important issue to consider since each part of the guitar requires a certain density and hardness, and we must avoid the resonance interferes in such a way that the sound quality is impaired.

Therefore, to know how to combine the different types of wood, you must be experienced in the creation of handmade guitars. If you want to know what my process is like, I leave you this interview, where I talk more in depth about the types I choose for each part and why. Do you want the perfect guitar for you? Contact Rafael Fuentes.