Various types of wood used in manufacturing a guitar

Tone Wood - What is it?

The different types of materials used is a predominant factor that affect the guitar's tonal qualities. Tone wood is a term synonymous with wood that is noted for its acoustic qualities.

When choosing an acoustic guitar there are many factors to take note of; for example, the types of wood that is used, for different wood used will produce different tones. Also the approach of each craftsman towards each instrument is different, so it is common to note why acoustic guitars do take on different characteristics in different models.

Solid Top

When the term solid top is used for an acoustic guitar, it is used to describe the materials made from two sheets of wood and each piece of wood forms a separate half of the sound board. Hence we see the line in the middle which shows where the join was made on the acoustic guitar. A feature of the solid top is it has long continuous grain lines in its structure. Solid topped soundboards definitely give out a clearer tone and it will last longer than a laminated top described below. The picture on the right shows an example of a solid top.

Laminated Top

Laminated top is comprised of several pieces and layers of wood structured by joining many thin sheets of material one on top of the other to form a sheet.
The thing with laminated bodies is that there are multiple grain layers going in different directions which causes problems because it will not vibrate so well and with time the layers become loose.

Names of the Type of Wood Used

Brazilian Rosewood
This type of wood that is used in acoustic guitar making helps in bringing out the best tonal sounds. Known for its favored overtones and good sound velocity, it also has a lot of power in the bottom end, while in the rest of the range the tone sounds darker.

Good mids and highs do add to the richness of tone in the upper registers.

Due to delays in certain harmonics, a reverberant type tone is produced on rosewood acoustic guitars. The qualities of the Brazilian rosewood is that it gives a lot of clarity in the bottom end, and a lot of brilliance in the top. Sparkle and ring are two added qualities found when Brazilian rosewood is used for the neck.

Indian Rosewood
Known for its wide range of overtones and sound velocity, it has a good strong bottom end and a little darker tone in the rest of the range.
Indian rosewood has strong mids and highs, which helps to add richness in the upper registers. Overall, it does have a thicker mid range sound. Indian rosewood when used for necks does help to thicken up the mid range.

Mahogany
When compared to other wood materials, acoustic guitars made from Mahogany has a lower velocity of sound.

It gives out a strong tone due to its lower overtones and density.
 
Using Mahogany for the top helps give the upper end of the dynamic range a lot of boost, and when used for the neck it gives out a warm woody tone quality. Due to its strong super tone, Mahogany is best used for country blues type music. Why Mahogany is used for the back and sides is because of its high velocity of sound, which adds to the overtone structure. Compared to rosewood which has a more metallic tone, the Mahogany acoustic guitars have a more wood type tone. Just like the characteristics of the rosewood, the harder thicker Mahogany wood also do possess the same characteristics.
It will be noticed that the Mahogany back and sides do have more emphasis on the bass and treble.

Koa
This wood has been used for soundboards as early as 1920's, it has quite a low velocity of sound, good density and low overtone effect. Koa produces a good strong tone which is best at the upper end of its dynamic range.

This wood gives out a more mid range sound and this helps when one is playing rhythm and Hawaiian slide guitar playing.The back and sides are much similar to the Mahogany wood in terms of tone color, but Koa is known for its good reputation for having a good mid range.

 

Sitka Spruce
This wood is usually chosen for soundboards, and the species used is Sitka.
As with softwoods, Sitka has a high velocity of sound due to the synergy of its high hardness and light weight qualities of soft wood.
Having a good strong overtone  range, it allows for much clarity even when played harshly. Most guitar players look for this particular top wood as it has a large dynamic response and a good strong tone. In Sitka there is also a lack of complex overtones which can produce a thin sound when it is played with a light touch.



Basswood
This wood has good low end response. It is light, stiff and reliable and is best used for making necks, and also for bass instruments.

Red Spruce
This wood displays the highest stiffness across and between the grain as compared to other Top woods. It is quite heavy and possesses a high velocity of sound. It has a complex overtone range and a strong basics. The highest volume is produced from its top, and good strong clarity of tone can be heard at all dynamic levels.

Due to all its characteristics red spruce is the top wood choice for acoustic guitar players.

Followings are woods preferred for electric guitars so even if your beginner guitar is not an electric guitar, just read on for some interesting information.  

 

Maple
It has a flat sounding tone, the reason behind this is because of its heavy weight and low sounding velocity. The positive thing about this flat tone is that the flat tone helps a lot when one is playing at loud levels. So we see why Maple is the preferred choice when making electric guitar tops.

 
The softest and lightest of the maple woods is the big leaf maple which has wood grain that looks like waves. These wave patterns of the curly maple help the grain fiber to vibrate easily. It also brings down the long grain stiffness thus giving out a rich strong clear tone.
 
The different types of maple are big leaf, sugar and bear claw. Of these three woods, sugar and bear-claw have a lower velocity of sound and a higher threshold of internal damping. This causes the tonal structure of the top to be more up front, without adding any more coloration to it. Having maple necks fitted brings about a clear brilliant tone which helps the top end of a large bodied guitar.

Ebony
Ebony has good  damping qualities of all the woods used in guitar making  It has the lowest velocity of sound and is normally found on the violin necks, classical guitars and expansive acoustic steel guitars. Ebony is also good on smaller guitars which sometimes need less resonant tone  woods for the  tops and back of the guitar.


Alder
This wood is lightweight. It is also highly resonant and has a rich tone.
When used for making electric solid body guitars, Alder produces a good low end and sounds best in the lower mid range. The Alder gives good sustain and bright high end qualities.


Poplar
Characteristics of Poplar are that it is dense, stringy and very resonant even though it comes from lightweight hardwood. When used on solid electric guitar models it gives out a solid full gutsy, brilliant, spirited sound. Poplar guitars are favored by guitar players whose preference is for single coil and clear sound. All these characteristics and quality of materials used for acoustic guitar or professional guitar making is a big help when choosing your acoustic guitars. The type of timber, tone quality and feel of the instrument is personal and one has to hear, touch and play the instrument for a more accurate decision.