Here I have collected a choice of the most common woods in guitarmaking for you The described tonal properties are valid expressly for acoustic instruments. Tonal characteristics for solid body instruments can differ strongly. If you miss a certain species, you can send me a message here.
Alder	Amazon rosewood	Brazilian rosewood	Bubinga	Cedro
Cherry	Cocobolo	Cypress	Ebony	Honduras rosewood
Indian rosewood	Jacaranda	Koa	Mahogany	Maple
Nato	Ovangkol	Padouk	Pear	red cedar
Redwood	Santos rosewood	Sitka spruce	Spruce	Tulipwood
Walnut	Wenge	Yew	Zebrano	Zirikote

European spruce (Picea Abies, Picea Excelsa):
in common:	The spruce is a coniferous tree with a light coloured wood. The structure is mainly determined by the darker annual rings. Although Spruce is lightwheight, it is still very firm. For instrument making, only medium or finely grown qualities are acceptable. Especially for the tops, only faultless and perfectly cut pieces should come into use.
origin:	all over North-, Central- and Eastern Europe
used for:	top, bars, linings, blocks
tonal properties:	usually somewhat clearer and more transparent than cedar. Although spruce instruments bear a wider range of tonal possibilities, they are more difficult to handle for some players.
back to menu

Western red cedar (Thuja Plicata):
in common:	The red cedar is a coniferous tree with a red-brown coloured wood. The structure is mainly determined by its darker annual rings. Cedar is very lightweight and soft, much lighter and less firm than spruce.
origin:	Northern USA, Canada
used for:	top, bars
tonal properties:	Usually rounder and more mellow than spruce. Although easier for the player to handle, Cedar is generally less transparent and variable.
back to menu

Sitka spruce (Picea Sitchensis):
in common:	Sitka spruce is a light coniferous wood tending into pink. Compared to European spruce it is slightly more brittle.
origin:	Westcoast of North America
used for:	top, braces, linings, blocks
tonal properties:	a little bit harder than European spruce. Slightly less responsive
back to menu

Redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens):
in common:	Redwood is a lightweighted coniferous wood with properties very similar to Western red cedar. This is true for the appearance as well as for the tone colour.
origin:	Westcoast of North America, California
used for:	top, braces, lining, blocks
tonal properties:	similar to red cedar
back to menu

Indian rosewood (Dalbergia Latifolia):
in common:	indian rosewood is a very dense wood. Its colour is usually dark-brown with a tendency into violet. Compared to its south-American relatives, it proves to be more resistant against cracks and warping.
origin:	India, Indonesia
used for:	back, sides, bridge, fingerboard
tonal properties:	As with all types of rosewood, it produces a round and mellow sound with a good projection.
back to menu

South American rosewood-species (Dalbergia Nigra, Dalbergia spruceana, D. Stevensonii and others):
in common:	I would like to treat the large number of rosewood types originating in South America all in one. The reason for this is that they are almost all identical, technically as well as in their appearance . Furthermore they can vary remarkably within one species. Actually, a lot of wood sold as Brazilian-rosewood is, in fact Honduras- or Amazon-rosewood. South American rosewood is on average slightly more dense than Indian rosewood. The colour can vary between black-purple and light-orange or olive-green even within a single trunk. It often bears a very attractive texture.
origin:	South America
used for:	back, sides, fingerboard, bridge
tonal properties:	Similar to Indian rosewood, but because of its higher density, it is still on average more mellow.
back to menu

Padouk (Pterocarpus Family):
in common:	Although Padouk is relatively lightweight, it is nevertheless very hard. Botanically it is a close relative to the rosewood family. Its colour is orange-red when freshly cut, slowly darkening into red-brown.
origin:	West-, Central- and East Africa, Southeast Asia
used for:	back, sides
tonal properties:	Padouks sound is close to that of Indian rosewood, but because of its lower density, it tends to sound a little brighter. P. is a very interesting tonewood, which unfortunately has not been able to establish itself alongside rosewood.
back to menu

Cocobolo (Couroupita Nicaraguaensis):
in common:	Cocobolo is an extremly dense and heavy wood. Its firmness is approximately similar to Ebony. The colour is usually a lively orange-brown with attractive dark lines.
origin:	central America
used for:	back, sides, (bridge)
tonal properties:	Cocobolo, because of its similar characteristics, sounds very close to South-American rosewood.
back to menu

Tulipwood (Dalbergia variabilis):
in common:	tulip wood is botanically closely related to rosewood, but has a different appearance caused by its pink stripes and its overall lighter appearance.
origin:	Brazil
used for:	binding, (back, sides)
tonal properties:
back to menu

rock maple (Acer Pseudoplatanus):
in common:	Maple is certainly one of the tonewoods with the longest tradition of all. Up until now, it has been used for the back and sides of practically every bowed instrument made up until this very day. Maple is a medium-hard wood with an almost white colour. For instrument making, pieces with special growth-irregularities are preferred. The first is the so-called "flamed"-maple, whose fibres run like waves (top picture). More rare is "birds-eye"-maple (bottom picture) with its knot like structure. Besides the described rock maple, there are a number of further maple-species, which do not play a major role in instrument making.
origin:	European mountainous regions except Scandinavia
used for:	back, sides, neck, lute-backs
tonal properties:	maple produces a very transparent, silvery coloured tone. Although the projection capabilities of maple are perhaps not quite as strong as those of rosewood, it is still an interesting alternative to the more mellow rosewood instruments.
back to menu

Cherry (Prunus Avium):
in common:	A timber of medium density. Cherry is a light-coloured wood, tending into red. It has an attractive appearance, caused by the occasional variations of colour into green or violet. Sometimes it is also deeply flamed.
origin:	Europe, near East
used for:	back, sides, lute backs
tonal properties:	comparable to maple
back to menu

Alder (Alnus Glutinosa):
in common:	Alder is a rather plain , light-coloured wood, tending into red. It is very stiff in comparison to its weight and is also very resistant against twisting and warping. Because of these qualities it is a very good alternative wood for necks, especially for maple-instruments, whose colour it closely matches.
origin:	Europe
used for:	neck, lining, blocks
back to menu

Cedro (Cedrela Odorata):
in common:	Cedro is a medium-lightweight wood. It is very stiff in comparison to its weight and is also very resistant against twisting and warping. It has a brown-red colour without a very characteristic structure. C. looks similar to several Mahogany species.
origin:	Central-America
used for:	neck, back-bars, linings, blocks
back to menu

Ebony (Diospyrus family):
in common:	The Ebony family consists of a large number of very hard and dense woods. Predominantly, the black species of Ebony is used in instrument making for fingerboards. It is less known, that this type represents only about 15% of all Ebony. In recent times, some of the figured species, e.g. Macassar-Ebony (bottom picture) have established themselves as suitable material for back and sides.
origin:	Central Africa, South-East Asia, Central America
used for:	fingerboard, bridge, back and sides (Macassar E.)
tonal properties:	close to Cocobolo, round and mellow
back to menu

Bubinga (Guibourtia Arten):
in common:	Bubinga is a hard and heavy wood, The colour could be described as "brown-pink". It has an interesting appearance caused by its dark stripes and an unusual spotted texture.
origin:	Central-Africa
used for:	back, sides
tonal properties:	close to rosewood
back to menu

Mahogany (Swietenia-, Entandophragma, und Khaya species):
in common:	Mahogany is a general name covering a huge number of botanically different timbers, which are, however, similar in appearance. Mahogany is mostly a medium weighted timber with a brown-red colour. Many species show a structure changing between light and dark, caused by the alternating direction of the woods fibres. Weight and firmness can vary remarkably between different species, strongly influencing the use of the particular piece of wood.
origin:	Africa, Central-America
used for:	neck, back-braces, linings, blocks, back and sides
tonal properties:	bright, sometimes tending into shrill
back to menu

Pearwood (Pirus Communis):
in common:	red-coloured wood of a medium density, almost without any visible structure. Flamed pieces can appear rather attractive.
origin:	Europe, Northern-America
used for:	bridges, pegs and fingerboards of historical instruments, (back, sides)
tonal properties:
back to menu

Walnut (Juglans Regia, Juglans nigra):
in common:	Although somewhat porous, Walnut has a density comparable to other fruit woods. There is a distinction between American and European Walnut. American W. (picture above) has a homogenous chocolate-brown colour whilst European W. (pictute below) is remarkably lighter, sometimes with interestingly interchanging colours.
origin:	Europe, Asia, Northern-America
used for:	back, sides, binding
tonal properties:	similar to Mahogany
back to menu

Ovangkol (Guibourtia Ehie):
in common:	Ovangkol is a wood of medium density. It has a light-brown colour with dark stripes. Remarkable are also frequent shades to to green and red, which leads to a quite attractive lively appearance.
origin:	Westafrica
used for:	back, sides
tonal properties:	similar to Mahogany
back to menu

Cypress (Cupressus Sempervirens):
in common:	Cypress is one of the few coniferous woods, which are suitable for backs and sides for their comparable high density. It is mostly used for Flamenco guitars. Besides its light-yellow colour, its appearance is typical for coniferous woods. Remarkable is its intensive, aromatic smell, which lasts for years.
origin:	Mediterranean countries
used for:	back, sides
tonal properties:	bright, brilliant
back to menu

Yew (Taxus Baccata):
in common:	The yew tree provides a wood with a pretty high density for a coniferous wood. Therefore it has been traditionally used for lute backs. Yew trees grow very slow and may become extremely old. The species was fairly common some Centuries ago, but then was decimated strongly. Today, yew is very seldom and therefore protected. It has a red-brown colour with fine annular rings. The splint-zone is almost white, which is often used for a light - dark effect on lute backs.
origin:	central-Europe, North Africa
used for:	Lute backs, binding
tonal properties:	tending into bright
back to menu

Koa (Acacia Koa):
in common:	Koa has become popular for a number of years now. It has a medium high density. Its colour is gold-brown with dark stripes. Especially flamed pieces can look very attractive.
origin:	Hawaii
used for:	back, sides
tonal properties:	comparable bright
back to menu

Ziricote (Cordia Dodecandra):
in common:	Ziricote is a hard wood whose properties come close to rosewood. Therefore it is sometimes also titled "Mexico-rosewood". It has a brown colour with an often wild black striped texture which looks very attractive!
origin:	Mexico
used for:	back, sides
tonal properties:	round and mellow in tendency
back to menu

Honduras rosewood (Dalbergia Stevensonii):
in common:	Honduras rosewood is an extremely heavy and hard wood (reamarkably more dense than most other rosewood species). Its colour varies between a pale beige and chocolate-brown. Its appearance is often close to Brazilian rosewood and pretty attractive.
origin:	Honduras
used for:	back, sides
tonal properties:	for such an heavy wood unusually bright with fine projection
back to menu

Home