Tonewoods
Along with body shape, scale length, and construction, the choice of wood also influences a guitar’s voice. Certain species commonly used for instruments are known as tonewoods because of the way their density, grain, and stiffness affect resonance and response. Wood is a natural material that develops unique characteristics as a tree grows and ages, which means no two pieces are exactly alike. For this reason, guitars built from the same type of wood may vary slightly in appearance, weight, and tonal character — one of the qualities that makes every instrument unique.
Tonewoods used for tops
Most of the sound of an acoustic guitar comes from the top. That’s why it’s also called a soundboard.
Western or American Red Cedar
Red cedar is a very resonant tonewood. Notes will seem to have a softer attack than spruce, with a warmer tone and focused midrange. Red cedar has less headroom for a heavy attack but offers sweet harmonics and a broad tonal palette when used with a lighter touch. Cedar makes quieter tones louder and imposes a ceiling on high volume levels from an aggressive attack.
European Spruce
European spruce may be the single most popular tonewood for acoustic guitar tops. It's slow-growing, lightweight, and shows a high grade of rigidity. European spruce has a distinctive sonic profile relative to other spruce species, which are known to be loud and bright. Tonally it blends power and headroom a touch of warmth.
African Mahogany
African mahogany is valued for its strong acoustic response and excellent stability. As a top wood, it produces a warm, focused tone with clear projection and a rich midrange character.
Tonewoods used for back and sides
The wood for the back and sides is often thought to add to how a guitar projects sound. Those woods add to the overall tone, so choosing those when pairing with a top wood is essential.
Exotic Ebony
Exotic ebony is a dense hardwood admired for its dramatic contrasting grain patterns. As a back and sides tonewood, it produces a clear, focused voice with strong projection, crisp trebles, and excellent note definition.
Ziricote
Ziricote is a striking tropical hardwood known for its dramatic grain patterns and rich tonal character. Tonally it offers deep, piano-like bass response with clear, bell-like trebles and excellent sustain. Its dense structure produces strong projection and clarity.
Patagonian Rosewood - Curupay
Patagonian rosewood a beautiful exotic hardwood with unique, varying grain that makes it very interesting. It offers solid projection with a balanced tone.
European Beech
European Beech has tonal properties close to African mahogany. The grain is straight with a fine, even texture, usually reddish-brown and slightly coarse with conspicuous rays and tiny pores. It offers excellent sustain and a warm midrange tone.
Cypress
Cypress is a beautiful tonewood with a rich complete tonal profile. A light, soft wood that’s also very resistant, Cypress has a brilliant and percussive sound, making it one of the most treasured tonewoods for flamenco guitars.
Bulgarian Walnut
Bulgarian walnut offers a density and stiffness to yield bright treble notes, but a bold midrange splits the difference between rosewood and mahogany. The bass tones initially produce a woody character that will grow richer as it's broken in with performance.
West African Sapele
Sapele's tonal output is consistent and balanced across the tonal spectrum, making it compatible with a diverse range of playing styles. It's comparable to mahogany, but its higher density produces a slightly brighter sound with more top-end shimmer.
Cocobolo
A dense, stiff tropical hardwood from Mexico, cocobolo produces a fairly bright overall tone emphasized by sparkling treble notes. Sonically it resembles mahogany but resonates a little deeper on the low end. The tone is fast, responsive, and articulate.
Pau Ferro
Pau ferro is warm in the low-end with well-defined, pronounced clear, and articulate high-end attack. Its response is fast and clean, representing the entire frequency spectrum while maintaining superb clarity.
African Mahogany
With its excellent acoustic properties, African mahogany offers a deep projecting sound. It’s prized for its beautiful large pore grain, excellent stability, and warm midrange tone.
Indian Rosewood
Indian rosewood offers an excellent frequency range from low to high. It’s one of the most popular and musically rich tonewoods with deep lows that can assert a throaty growl, while bright, sparkling treble notes ring out with bell-like clarity.
Tonewoods used for fingerboards and bridges
The wood for the fingerboard and bridge of a guitar also affects the tone. While not exactly taking a huge part of the overall sound as a top does, the fingerboard and bridge add elements to the attack and sustain of the notes while playing.
Ovangkol
Ovangkol is a durable hardwood often used for guitar fingerboards and bridges. Its dense structure supports efficient vibration transfer, producing a balanced response with clear articulation and warm midrange character.
Indian Rosewood
A traditional tonewood for guitar fingerboards and bridges, Indian rosewood is valued for its durability and smooth playing feel. Its dense structure transfers vibration efficiently while contributing a warm, balanced response with clear note definition and strong sustain.
Ebony
The traditional wood choice used for fingerboards on many classical instruments is also popular for guitars. Ebony is a hard, high-density wood that’s ideal for the transfer of vibration. Compared to rosewood, ebony produces a drier and brighter tone.