Spruce Spruce. Spruce is the most popular wood used for guitar tops, and recognisable by its pale colour and (usually) understated figuring. The reason for its popularity is because it has a tone that makes it a very good ‘all-rounder’.
Contents
What is the best tone wood?
Top Woods. Arguably the most common tonewood, Sitka Spruce is a well-rounded tonewood, one suited for many styles of playing. It’s known for its tight grain pattern and its high stiffness and relative lightness, translating to a broad dynamic range that stands up well when strummed heartily.
Which is better mahogany or spruce?
Mahogany will produce a deeper warmer tone than the spruce top will but even the spruce top will become warmer with age but not as warm as the Mahogany top. Spruce would be the best choice if you are looking for a brighter sound.
Is rosewood The best tonewood?
Rosewoods. Rosewood, which takes the name from its characteristic floral scent, is an ideal tonewood for backs and sides. Rosewood is dense and heavy compared to other woodsalmost so heavy that it sinks in water, Boak says. And it produces extremely warm and resonant tones.
Is meranti wood good for guitars?
Meranti is a low cost timber which is used for it’s strength rather than tonal properties. This allows factories to build low-cost guitars that still work, although the tone will be poor when compared to the woods above.
Is Walnut better than mahogany?
Yes, walnut is marginally stronger than mahogany but since both woods are mostly used in furniture applications, ultimate strengths are less important than appearance.
Is NATO wood good for guitars?
Nato. Often referred to as ‘Eastern Mahogany’, Nato is a species which offers similar looks and similar characteristics to regualr mahogany. It offers a cost effective way to build a guitar with great looks and great tonal output.
Is Basswood a good guitar wood?
Basswood has been used in many high-end guitars for decades and is considered a great tone wood for instruments throughout the industry.
Is NATO wood heavy?
Nato wood is a collective name for wood from Mora trees (the best-known species are Mora excelsa (Mora) and Mora gonggrijpii (Morabukea). … The wood is dense and it is not particularly easy to dry or to work, although it finishes well.
Is Koa wood good for guitars?
Lightweight, rigid, yet bendable, Koa is a great material for guitar manufacturers to work with. When paired with the right soundboard, it also has a wonderful tonal quality. … If you’re a hard and heavy pick player, Koa might not be your bag it’ll get very bright very fast.
Is Sitka spruce good for guitars?
The most commonly used wood for guitar tops, Sitka generates a broad dynamic range and accommodates numerous playing styles, from aggressive strumming to fingerpicking. As a guitar soundboard, or top, Sitka spruce is the tonewood standard of the modern era. It’s used on 85-90 percent of the guitars that Taylor makes.
Is Cedar good for guitars?
Traditionally used on classical guitars, cedar is becoming increasingly common in steel-string instruments. It’s a less dense wood than spruce, providing you with a slightly darker tone. Cedar tends to produce slightly richer overtones, and this results in a tone with less sparkle but more character.
Is Black Walnut good for guitars?
Black walnut also tends to be louder and more projective than koa, so that in combination with its simpler tonal profile makes it a fine choice for instruments used when playing with other instruments – it cuts well. Black Walnut is softer and less dense than rosewood and mahogany but is still very resonant.
Is Oak a good wood for guitars?
Oak can be used as a tonewood and is somewhat commen for acoustic guitars but when compaired to other tonewoods it’s hard to work with. It’s also a bit heavy and dence for electric guitars so if you use it, it won’t sound normal.
Is Walnut a tonewood?
Walnut is a more neutral tonewood (like maple) and does not add as many overtones or as much color to the sound, so you get a more pure and bright sounding fundamental tone. Mahogany is (usually) a lighter, more porous tonewood and offers a more airy warm sound for the instrument.
Which is better mahogany or Meranti?
Meranti is actually a better exterior grade species than the original Philippine Mahogany ever was. The Philippine Mahogany that was made so famous by the classic Chris Craft boats of last century was actually not terribly rot resistant, and the bugs loved the stuff.
Is NATO a hardwood or softwood?
Nato is one of the softer hardwoods like Mahogany, Walnut, Koa and Maple. It’s a good, but less expensive alternative to Rosewood. It’s also known as Eastern Mahogany; due to the fact that the species used in guitar construction is from South East Asia. It is a reliable, strong wood.
Is Rosewood heavier than mahogany?
Due to the higher density, rosewood is usually a bit heavier and subtly reacts to your playing. Mahogany is often lighter and very direct.
Is oak better than mahogany?
Mahogany is harder, more stable and more durable than its oak counterparts. Santos mahogany has a hardness rating of 2200, which is exceptionally hard. … Even though white oak has a slightly higher hardness rating than red oak, it’s 22 percent less stable than red oak, according to the National Wood Flooring Association.
Can you mix mahogany and walnut?
The key to mixing woods is keeping the undertones consistent. Woods with warm undertones will look yellow or red – think Cherry, Mahogany, and Hickory. These woods will work well together, even if they vary in darkness and grain. … Walnut has soft purple undertones that work with warm and cool toned wood alike.
Is walnut or oak more expensive?
Walnut typically costs more than Oak. Since Oak is more readily available and Walnut is more rare, Oak is generally cheaper.
What does Takamine mean?
high ridge Takamine ( or ) is a Japanese family name, translated literally as high ridge or high peak.
Is mahogany better than NATO?
Nato still has the same depth and warmth as regular mahogany, but I find it has a little extra crispness to it, and it doesn’t get as muddy with high-output pickups.
What is the best wood for a guitar fretboard?
The Big Three Fretboard Woods
- Ebony. Considered the supreme tonewood for fingerboards due to its solidity, resiliency, and firmness, ebony was the primary fretboard wood in use from the 15th century till very recently. …
- Rosewood. …
- Maple. …
- Indian Laurel. …
- Ovangkol. …
- Padauk. …
- Pau Ferro. …
- Walnut.
Is poplar or basswood better?
Poplar is one of the softest/lightest hardwoods, ranking down with Basswood. On the plus side, it’s pretty smooth stuff – kinda like Alder. Doesn’t require as much prep to finish. It’s normally finished opaque, as it often has green streaks that would interfere with most transparent finishes.
Is Basswood really that bad?
basswood isn’t bad, it’s a matter of taste. I’d say the only two really BAD woods are plywood and agathis. gotta watch out for those agathis LTD guitars, look nice, sound shiite. Basswood can be great for guitar wood.
Is Basswood heavier than Alder?
It depends on a lot of things,like body size,density and quality of the two woods,and so on,but in general basswood is the lighter of the two.
What is Sapele wood?
Sapele is a type of African Mahogany used for boats, fine furniture, and cabinetry. COMMENTS. Color is similar to South American Mahogany (Sweitenia Mahogoni) and also to African Mahogany (Khaya Ivorensis). We have a great supply of Sapele lumber.
Is NATO a mahogany?
Nato is a wood species commonly referred to as Eastern Mahogany because it’s grain is very similar to Mahogany, although it bears no actual relation to Mahogany and tends to be more dense. … Its density makes for more stable necks than Mahogany and tighter tone with more treble on acoustics and archtops.
Is Pine good for guitar bodies?
I chose pine because it’s one of the best tone woods in the world. It has the best resonance and the best vibration from the string. Pine is a very close relative to spruce and cedar, which have been used on acoustic musical instruments for thousands of years.
