Because of the above characteristics, Cedar is considered as the best tonewood for fingerstyle guitar. Mahogany Mahogany is generally used as a tonewood for guitar backs and sides. However, Mahogany is occasionally used as a top material. Mahogany has a denser wood, with a darkened surface, and close grain.
What is the best tonewood for an acoustic guitar?
Let us check the guitar tonewood comparison for acoustic guitar tonewoods. An acoustic guitar has a large guitar body which consists of the top and the back and side. Usually, the same type of tonewood is used for both of the main parts for acoustic guitars. Spruce is the most popular tonewood used for acoustic guitar tops, and it has a pale color.
Is cedar a good wood to build a guitar?
From a builder’s perspective, cedar is a fine wood to work with. As it is slightly brittle and soft, it is more often used for classical guitars than steel strings. Cedar tops can be instantly spotted by their darker hue, which sets them apart from spruce tops.
Is alder a good tonewood?
Overview: Like ash, Alder gained fame as a tonewood of choice for Fender guitars during the ‘50s and ’60s. The wood is more readily available and affordable than ash and featured on several Fenders. It is light to medium weight with a brownish hue. Sonically, it has a well-balanced and full-bodied tone which makes it ideal as a body wood.
What is alternative tonewood?
So, when we say ‘alternative tonewood’ what we really mean is an alternative to the tradition of using certain woods in guitar making; but keep in mind that rarely do these alternative woods veer very far from the traditional because all these woods must be functional guitar woods.
Is spruce or cedar better for a guitar?
Spruce guitars typically have a quite direct sound with a bell-like tone. They seem to be more clear, balanced and sometimes have more sustain. Cedar however, makes the guitar sound darker, warmer and generally fuller.
Is Red Cedar a good tonewood?
Together with Sitka spruce, red cedar is the most common tonewood used in the construction of the soundboard of acoustic guitars. The stability, close grain, and rigidity of red cedar makes it an ideal choice for guitar builders because it allows the soundboard to be tuned very accurately, similarly as Sitka spruce.
What does cedar sound like?
Cedar is generally darker in tone and visible color than spruce, creating a warm, mellow sound. It is also an incredibly soft and fragile wood, this alone is reason to know what you are getting in a guitar.
Which tonewood is the best?
The tone of alder is often said to be the most balanced of the regularly used tonewoods. It provides a good balance of low, mid and high frequencies, delivering a full-bodied tone.
Is cedar good for guitar bodies?
Is Cedar A Good Electric Guitar Body Tonewood? Though rare, cedar can be used in electric guitar bodies to decent effect. It's lightweight like swamp ash, basswood, poplar and alder (all common solidbody materials) but isn't nearly as popular.
Is cedar good for electric guitars?
For electric guitar it's prolly too soft of a wood to use for a full body, Cedar is about as soft as Pine, but sounds like Spruce. I would use it in the construction of acoustic guitars, and it sounds great, every cedar acoustic guitar I've seen played and sounded awesome.
What is harder spruce or cedar?
Is Spruce Harder Than Cedar? Red Cedar is harder than Spruce, but white Cedar is slightly softer than Spruce. There're is a significant difference in hardness between red Cedar and White Cedar.
Is spruce the same as cedar?
Cedar (Cedrus) and spruce (Picea) trees may seem similar, but they are very different trees. Cedar belongs to the genus Cedrus, which is part of the family Pinaceae (pine family), of which there are roughly 40 species native to the northern hemisphere. Spruce trees are coniferous evergreens.
Which wood is best for acoustic guitar?
Sitka Spruce One of the most popular woods for acoustic guitar tops. Sturdy and lightweight, it's known for imparting clear, powerful tone.
What wood is a Les Paul made of?
Its typical design features a solid mahogany body with a carved maple top and a single cutaway, a mahogany set-in neck with a rosewood fretboard, two pickups with independent volume and tone controls, and a stoptail bridge, although variants exist.
What is the best wood for a guitar top?
SpruceSpruce. This evergreen, found in northern temperate regions of the globe, is literally top choice: the ideal wood for the soundboard, or top, of an acoustic guitar.
What wood is used for Telecaster bodies?
There are two types used to make guitar bodies—northern ash, and southern or “swamp” ash. The latter is more commonly used, and was chosen by Leo Fender for his first Esquire, Broadcaster and Telecaster guitars. Found mainly in the wetter environs of the U.S.
Does cedar wood have a lot of knots?
Pieces may contain up to 4 sound, tight knots per 12' of board and pin holes may be present.
What does a cedar top guitar sound like?
Cedar tops sound full and voluminous Cedar's tone responds quickly and percussively to the player as well, making the sound quite different than the spruce top. This makes cedar-topped guitars especially popular with guitar students and beginners.
What is cedar tone wood?
Cedar tone wood is chemically pressure-treated wood that is meant to be more sturdy and durable than untreated wood. The process begins when the wood – usually a pine – is placed into an airtight chamber. Thousands of small incisions to it are cut into the wood to allow the chemicals to properly soak up.
What is clear red cedar?
Clear Vertical Grain is the highest grade of Western Red Cedar available. It consists of all Clear Vertical Grain (edge sawn) Heartwood. The 1″ material is S1S2E, which means it has one smooth face, two smooth edges, and one rough face. The 2″ material is S4S, meaning it is smooth on all four sides.
A Word of Caution Regarding Tonewoods & Design
Woods and design affect each other mutually. So, if I generalize that cedar is fuller sounding than spruce, this is not necessarily true. The wood...
Some Generalizations About Spruce & Cedar Soundboards
Bradford’s generalization of the sound of spruce: I find that spruce has a very direct sound with a golden bell-like sound. It is maybe a bit more...
Types of Cedar & Spruce Tonewoods
Since I’m not an expert on woods or a luthier please feel free to leave a comment and correct me. However, I’ve tried to use information that I’ve...
Which is better, spruce or cedar?
In general, spruce is clearer, yet with a denser, more complex sound and longer sustain. Cedar is “punchier”, often with more headroom and is sometimes described as “darker”. It may seem louder to the player but in large halls spruce often carries better, perhaps because of its clarity. Spruce is usually more colorful.
What is the difference between cedar and spruce?
Spruce is light blonde in color, almost sometimes with a honey/amber tint, while cedar is darker and appears in various shades of brown. Cedar bears a distinct, pleasant odor and is slightly more porous, which may contribute to a faster responding sound.
What is Sitka spruce used for?
Sitka Spruce: Sitka is the standard wood for steel-string guitars. This is partially due to it wide availability, large diameter logs and high yield. Therefore, it is available in high grades despite the quantity used. It is also used in classical guitars.
Is cedar guitar warmer than spruce?
Bradford’s generalization of the sound of cedar: I find cedar guitars to be warmer, darker, and fuller sounding than spruce guitars. Maybe they don’t project as directly or clearly but can fill a room with lots of sound. They are generally easier to play, that is, more responsive (due to their light weight).
What wood is used for acoustic guitar?
Alternatively, some softwoods, are ideal for this purpose as they provide a good balance of flexibility along with tensile strength. Spruce is a good example of this and is one of the most commonly used tonewoods for acoustic guitar soundboard construction along with Cedar.
What are the characteristics of timber?
This is due to the characteristics of the timber e.g. density, moisture, strength, and flexibility. There are many thousands of species of timber, but many are unsuitable for building guitars.
What is the most important component of a guitar?
Other components including the back and sides, bridge, and neck of the guitar all play a role in shaping the sound we hear further, but the soundboard is the most important component, behaving much like a speaker diaphragm, projecting soundwaves from the body of the guitar.
Is mahogany a hardwood?
Mahogany is defined as hardwood but it is perhaps better identified as a ‘soft’ hardwood. More often seen as a back and side pairing for acoustic guitars, full Mahogany guitars (soundboard, back, and sides) aren’t uncommon, however, and can look very good.
Is tone subjective on acoustic guitars?
Tone, being completely subjective with regard to the acoustic guitar means there is no ‘perfect choice’ just many different colors. The table below demonstrates how some of the different characteristics of wood manifest themselves with regard to tone, volume, and response. Property. Impact On Sound.
Is rosewood good for guitar fretboard?
And while frustrating, this is a larger issue for acoustic guitars with rosewood being not only a good fretboard option but also ideal for the body back and sides. While frustrating for manufacturers, the restrictions are not without reason. Rosewood has long been exploited due to high demand, mostly for furniture.
What is tonewood used for?
Different wood varieties posses different tonal properties. For years, instrument makers have used these woods to craft the sound of their musical instruments. Figuring out what tonewood to pick can be daunting for new comers trying to pick out ...
What is the color of maple wood used on electric guitars?
Like maple, this makes it a popular option on electric guitars and basses. This rich dark brown wood was actually temporarily put under protective status by CITES, an environmental organization that banned international commercial trade for this instrument.
What is the color of spruce on a guitar?
It has a light blonde color that yellows with age. Spruce is the most common tonewood on acoustic guitars. It’s also become increasingly popular in ukuleles and other fretted string instruments. It is also favored for its well-rounded qualities that suit a wide range of playing styles!
What wood is used for guitar strings?
Spruce. Spruce is a popular tonewood often used on acoustic guitars. This wood is stiff and light which makes it good for full-on strumming. It is quite responsive to delicate fingerpicking as well. The sound is bright, full, and familiar to guitar players. It has a light blonde color that yellows with age.
What wood is used for ukuleles?
Many ukulele manufacturers use Mahogany as a staple wood for all their entry level models. That’s because Mahogany looks great and is easy to work with! Check out our guide to the best beginner ukuleles. You’ll see that most of them are made with mahogany tops.
Why do guitars have maple?
The sound of maple is clear and uncolored. That’s why many guitar luthiers use it for the back and sides of their guitars. It reduces feedback and unwanted overtones. Maple has a transparent quality to it’s tone. This means it neither adds nor takes away from the sound of the instrument.
Can ebony be used on piano?
Ebony can sound huge on the right instrument! Give ebony a try if you like a full bodied sound with plenty of sustain. Acoustic instruments also benefit from ebony’s great bass tone. This is also a very sturdy and heavy wood. It’s often used in piano keys and to make up other smaller parts of an instrument.
What wood is used for guitar tops?
Maple is another hard wood. It’s also an attractive wood. It’s commonly used to finish the top of electric guitars due to it’s good looks. Maple produces bright and punchy tones thanks to it’s coloring and density. It produced good resonance and balances high ends well producing a reasonable bass.
What are the factors that affect the tone of an acoustic guitar?
Although tonewood leads you down a certain tonal path, things like the body shape, pickups, nut and bridge material will also have a bearing on tone.
What is a spruce top?
Spruce is most commonly used as a top material for solid top guitars. It’s very light in color producing a bright and resonant response. It balances this well providing some warmth so that the tone doesn’t feel too thin. There are two types of Spruce but Sitka Spruce is most commonly used.
Is alder wood a good wood for a guitar?
Alder is still quite a lightweight wood. It’s quite dense so provides decent resonance. It’s harder to work than basswood or poplar, which inevitably adds to the manufacturing cost. As mentioned above many Fender guitars use Alder, from the lower end player series right through to the American made guitars.
Is mahogany wood heavier than other woods?
Mahogany is heavier than other woods. There are many different varieties of mahogany. It can be plentiful and therefore reasonably cheap. It’s very dense which contributes to better resonance and natural sustain. The color of the mahogany depends on the variety.
Is mahogany a good guitar?
As we know mahogany is a hard wood, much harder than Cedar or Spruce. The density gives good resonance but it’s not a bright. Instead it produces warm bass with a rich tone. Solid mahogany or mahogany top guitars are good for folk music because they’re not as bright as Spruce.
Is rosewood a sustainable wood?
Rosewood is not a sustainable wood. In fact it’s classified as protected. That’s why we’re seeing more fingerboards made from alternative woods where they once would have been made from Rosewood. It’s still possible to buy rosewood guitars, either solid wood or solid top.
What wood is used for guitar backs?
Mahogany’s stability and remarkable lifespan have made it a staple tonewood to craft most acoustic guitars’ back and sides. It works well when paired with brighter tonewood tops, especially the industry favorite, spruce wood.
When will guitar tonewoods be available in 2021?
Guitar Tonewoods Guide (Acoustic and Electric) Christopher D. Schiebel. May 18, 2021. April 28, 2021. The tone of your guitar is a result of several factors including body shape, strings, and pickups. But the tonewood used in your guitar’s fretboard, neck, and body also plays an important role in what your instrument will sound like.
What is the difference between spruce and sitka?
Its wide dynamic range and clear, powerful projection can generously accommodate a range of playing styles and musical genres. Sitka is the most widely available, well-rounded tonewood that responds well to both subtle playing and aggressive strumming.
What is rosewood used for?
Rosewood is also great for building back and sides and is often seen on high-end flat-top acoustics. According to many guitarist enthusiasts, a spruce top and rosewood body is a dream combination of acoustic guitar tonewoods, to create the perfect all-rounder guitar.
What is the best guitar top?
Spruce is the eternal favorite for guitar tops and for a strong reason. Ideal acoustic tops should be sturdy enough to sustain the pressure levied during playing and at the same time low in density for greater resonance. That is where spruce delivers. It projects and amplifies your music, whether you choose to strum aggressively or fingerpick.
Why is spruce used for guitars?
Spruce’s low density backed by high stiffness is the reason for its undisputed popularity for guitar soundboards. This ideal balance of lightness and strength makes spruce tops sturdy, loud, and resonant.
Where is basswood harvested?
Affordable and abundantly available, this sustainably sourced softwood is harvested in the USA. Although mostly seen in entry to mid-level guitars, some makers have used it on high-end models with satisfying results. Basswood’s performance as a tonewood is often a topic of debate at several guitar forums.
What is the strongest tonewood?
Maple . Maple is classified as the strongest and hardest tonewood. Maple is not a commonly used guitar tonewood, however, it has featured in some of the finest guitars ever made. Maple delivers a bright sounding tone beside great projection and superior note definition. Also, check the most popular birds eye maple guitar neck blanks.
What is a tonewood?
They are special wood varieties with unique tonal qualities. These tonewoods can be used in the making of electric guitars and acoustic guitars. The use of a variety of tonewoods in the guitar has changed in recent years because of the CITES permit and other restrictions.
Why is rosewood so rare?
Rosewood is one of the most commonly used tonewoods in musical instruments. Rosewood has now become rare, because of the CITES restrictions. This makes it very expensive among tonewood varieties. Moreover, it is very hard to come by.
Which is better for guitar: cedar or acoustic?
However, Cedar is much warmer and takes a shorter time to relinquish its full tonal potential. Because of the above characteristics, Cedar is considered as the best tonewood for fingerstyle guitar.
What is the color of rosewood?
Rosewood has a smooth warm tone with complicated harmonious overtones. Rosewood has a dark chocolate brown color and generally used in the back and side of the guitars. A combination of rosewood and spruce forms an astonishingly stable and varied palette of tones.
What is the most commonly used wood for electric guitars?
Basswood. Basswood is the most commonly used electric guitar tonewood. This American wood is lighter and easily machines well. Because of its soft composition, it can't be used as fretboards and necks. Tonally, Basswood gives mid-range energy with a great sustain.
Which species of rosewood produces warm harmonics?
Indian Rosewood is the commonly used species that produces warm, but singing harmonics. Brazillian Rosewood another rare species used. Now we will jump into Electric Guitar Tonewood comparison. An electric guitar has a smaller body and thin necks compared with an acoustic guitar.
What is the most common tonewood?
Sitka Spruce. Arguably the most common tonewood, Sitka 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.
What is Taylor's tonewood?
When Taylor Guitar redesigned its popular 700 series this summer, the company turned to Lutz spruce, a natural hybrid of Sitka and white spruce that provides a higher volume ceiling. Taylor is no stranger to Lutz; the world’s largest acoustic-guitar manufacturer introduced this tonewood into its lineup in January with the revoiced 500 series. According to Pacific Rim Tonewoods, it grows naturally in a relatively small area in Central British Columbia and the Alaskan panhandle. The supplier hails Lutz spruce for its “hybrid vigor.”
What wood is used for guitar backs and sides?
Rosewoods. The back and sides contribute far less than the soundboard to a guitar’s sound, but their composition is nonetheless important. Rosewood, which takes the name from its characteristic floral scent, is an ideal tonewood for backs and sides.
What is the best wood for soundboards?
Maple is occasionally used for soundboards, but more often for backs and sides, due to its flatness of sound and for its relative shortness of decay—an attribute that happens to make the wood more resistant to feedback in amplified situations than rosewood or mahogany. Not all builders find maple to be a suitable top material, though. “I wouldn’t typically recommend maple as soundboard tonewood,” says Andy Powers, Taylor Guitars’ master luthier. “One of its singular characteristics is that it’s almost perfectly transparent—it doesn’t sound like anything, which isn’t usually how you want a top to respond.”
How does wood affect guitars?
More than just the species of wood will have a big influence on how a guitar sounds. The way it’s cut, for instance, will affect both its workability for a guitar maker and its sonic performance. Quarter-sawn lumber—in which the wood is sawed at a radial angle into four quarters—is optimal for tops, as it lends stiffness. “A quarter-sawn top is stiffer [than a plain-sawn one],” Chris Herrod, sales manager at Luthiers Mercantile International, explains. “Great stiffness gives the wood greater resonance, all other things being equal, and allows the luthier greater leeway to alter the tone and response of the top by changing the thickness.”
What is the difference between fundamental and overtones?
“The fundamental is the root frequency as a tone generator would make it,” luthier Bruce Sexauer wrote on the Acoustic Guitar Forum. “So the fundamental of A440 is exactly 440 cycles per second. Overtones [are] the harmonic sequence above the fundamental. The first is the harmonic fifth, then the octave, and then things get complicated. The higher [you] go up the series, the looser the direct relationship with the fundamental.”
Who cut rosewood for Musser?
Martin actually used to cut Honduran rosewood logs for Musser, a premier maker of marimbas. The wood rings like nothing else when it’s hit with the right type of mallet, and whenever we use it on a custom guitar, the results are quite extraordinary.”.
What is the difference between cedar and redwood?
A new cedar guitar will have rich harmonics and a crispness that is somewhat lacking in a brand new spruce-topped guitar. The only significant alternative to cedar is redwood. Redwood has come into its own as a legitimate tonewood.
What wood is used for guitars?
It should be mentioned, however, that many guitars have been made from pine, fir, and larch, though generally these woods are considered poor choices as far as tone is concerned.
Why do luthiers choose to leave the traditional?
Some luthiers have set out to carve a unique professional identity by using a particular alternative wood. Others seek a more environmentally responsible alternative to a wood that is endangered.
Why do they use rosewood for guitars?
For instance, rosewood was often used on many of there higher-end guitars, simply because it functioned so well as a guitar wood. It is resonant, beautiful, stable and so on.
What wood is used to build violins?
When Engelmann spruce was first being discovered by luthiers, it was touted as an inexpensive replacement for German spruce and in fact, it has many of the same fine qualities- a robust sound rich in harmonics with good projection. German spruce is the wood commonly used to build instruments in the violin family.
What is veneered guitar?
A veneered guitar is one that is made out of very thin plywood to which an even thinner layer of veneer is attached in order to make the guitar look good.
Why are some woods better suited to guitar making than others?
Some woods are better suited to guitar making than others and there are two main reasons for this- function and tradition. The physics of the guitar are rather delicate.
