| Guitar Woods
Wood is one of the largest determining factors on a guitar’s sound and longevity. Specific woods used to build guitars, acoustic and electric are called tone woods. Tone woods have resonant properties that other woods do not. For example, oak is a beautiful and strong wood, but it has no resonant properties, so it would not work for guitar building.
Nato
Nato wood, also known as Eastern Mahogany, is a reliable, strong wood used on guitar necks. It is a value-priced wood used more for beginner instruments. However, it still embodies all of the properties of more commonly used mahogany.
Spruce
Spruce is a the most commonly used wood on acoustic guitar soundboards. The soundboards on acoustics are generally made of tightly grained spruce. Naturally yellow in color; spruce is a light wood that has a very high degree of resonance, so it is a perfect match for acoustic guitars.
Mahogany
Mahogany is a moderately dense and very durable wood. It is commonly used for the backs, sides and necks of acoustic guitar. It is sometimes, used on electric guitar bodies and necks. Because it is very sonorous and durable, mahogany is also used in banjos, resonator, ukuleles and acoustic guitar soundboards. It is lighter than maple and specifically provides acoustic guitar with great sustain. Mahogany also provides great weight balance between the neck and body of a acoustic. It is reddish-brown in color and is incredibly strong and resonant giving the guitar big and beautiful tone.
Solid Spruce
Solid spruce refers less to a difference in th wood than to how it is actually cut for the guitar. Laminate spruce soundboards are built as layers of cross-grained wood glued to each other. Solid spruce soundboards consist of one piece of wood running all the way thoroughly. This gives the guitar a richer sound because the solid wood soundboard can vibrate more freely and thoroughly.
What is a dovetail neck joint?
The dovetail is a common woodworking joint that is used in furniture as well as musical instruments. The dovetail is considered one of the strongest wood joints. With musical instruments it is still debated as to whether the neck joint improves the sound, but everyone agrees that the dovetail gives the guitar the most stable neck angle.
Canadian Sitka Spruce
Canadian Sitka Spruce is a harder to find, more expensive type of spruce. It has a light yellow color and is also used for acoustic guitar soundboards. It gives guitars a bigger, more resonant sound, flush with crisp highs. It also improves with age more than other type of spruce.
- Information sourced from The Music Link Inc.
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