guitar wood faq - wood types & tones

7/30/2019 Guitar Wood FAQ - Wood Types & Tones

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Guitar Wood FAQ - Wood Types & Tones

Quick Jump: Body Woods| Body Tops| Neck| Fretboard| Extended Range| Neck Thru Body

Guitar Wood Types & Tones FAQ by FrankFalbo

for jemsite.com Discuss on the forum here

last updated 3/8/2004

Body Woods

Basswood:Basswood is a soft wood with tight grains. Its relatively inexpensive ofall the usual guitar woods, and its easy on

router bits in the factory, easy to sand, and easy to seal and finish. The softness ofbasswood means that sharp

highs are dampened and smoothened. That helps offset the tinny sound associated with knife edged tremolo

contacts. The softness also fosters a weaker low end. Its light in weight, but not because oflarge pores. Rather it

low in mass overall. Deep, breathy sub-lows arent resonated in Basswood. The reduction in these outer

frequencies leaves the mids pronounced in a hypothetical response curve. Its very suitable for the typical guitar

range, and very suitable for lead guitar, because ofits pronounced out front sound. Complex overtones are mute

along with the highs leaving a strong fundamental tone.

Production notes: Japanese factories like Ibanez seem to get a tan colored, more uniform Basswood while otherAsian factories get a more flawed yellowishbasswood. And there seems to be a big difference in tone. A clearer,

darker Basswood should produce more sound, while the yellowish lower grade seems to have more ofthe

undesirable tonal qualities ofPoplar. A hardtail emphasizes the reduced dynamics ofthe outer frequencies.

Alder:

Alder is light in weight with soft tight pores like Basswood. But there is a large swirling grain pattern to it with

harder rings and sections. So imagine a Basswood type texture but with harder rings peppered throughout. That

adds to the stiffness, and the complexity ofthe tones. It retains more ofthe highs that Basswood softens, but also

gives some room to the lows. You have a broader spectrum oftones, which leads to the perception ofa little less

mids than Basswood.

Production notes: Not much difference between factories, production.

Swamp Ash:

Not to be confused with Northern Hard Ash Swamp Ash has huge, open pores with hard and soft layers within

each ring ofthe tree. So youbasically have a very rigid skeleton with open and softer pores throughout. It is very

resonant across the whole frequency spectrum. It has clear bell-like highs, pronounced mids, and strong lows. It

has some random combing away ofmid frequencies, which will vary the sound per guitar more than Alder or

Basswood. Two Ash bodies are more likely to sound more different from one another, whereas Basswood and


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Alder are more consistent. A heavier piece, or a piece from higher up on the tree will be more dead and lifeless.

More dull sounding, because the wood is harder and more uniformly dense. So the sweetness ofthe soft open

pores is gone, and left is the compressed sound ofa rigid, non-responsive wood, without all the brightness and

sustain ofa harder wood or the openness ofa softer wood.

Production notes: An Asian mass produced factory guitar should be checked for weight, and openness ofgrain if

the finish allows. Ash used at the big factories has a higher ratio ofpoor pieces than with smaller boutique builders

or other US builders, probably because it is a US wood.

Mahogany:

Open grained with large pores, Mahogany has a more uniform grain pattern and density than Swamp Ash. Its

density is constant within the ring and from one ring to the next. So its rigidity is inherent in its composition, not in

skeleton with soft sections in between. Its constant density compresses the mids a little, and this can be

considered a thick sound, because it does still produce good lows and low mids. Without the mids popping out,

being responsive to dynamics, its more ofa wall ofsound Its not that it isnt midrangey, because it resonates

those guitar frequencies well, but its not as responsive to them as an Alder or Ash. It also combs away more uppe

midrange frequencies for a more nasal sound. It has a good balance offundamental and overtones for higher

register soloing. High notes are richer and thicker than Alder or Ash.

Production notes: There are many different kinds ofMahogany, and unless it has a sparkle to it like some ofthe

Japanese and US guitars it will have a similar sound from one piece to the next. A nicer piece ofmahogany has an

iridescence to it usually combined with what looks like wide stripes, almost as ifits beenpieced together by

multiple 1 strips. Catalog photos often reveal that the endorser gets a better piece than the production line.

Walnut:

A darker wood with Ash-like grains, but like mahogany, the density is uniform. It is harder and denser than

Mahogany so the tone is brighter, but the open grains make for a complex midrange that seems to be compressed

in some frequencies, but dynamic in others. Theres a nasal response to rhythms, while solo notes jump out. It haslot ofadvantageous features ofthe other main guitar woods. It has a snappy attack and solid lows like Ash, but

with smooth highs like Mahogany, and textured mids like Alder. The drawbacks are that its heavier, and more

stubborn in its sound. It doesnt respond to randompickup changes. The pickups have to be well suited to the

guitar. A Walnut body will dictate the tonal signature ofthe guitar more than the other main woods. A heavy piece

will dampen the mids to produce an overly nasal and lifeless sound, so it needs to be light and open grained enoug

to resonate the main guitar frequencies.

Production notes: Again watch for heavy pieces. The extra weight adds nothing good to the sound except perhaps

more sustain. But sustain is abundant in Walnut already.

Koa:

Oilier than Mahogany or Walnut, its denser than Mahogany but not as bright as Walnut, due to its actual makeup.

Its an oilier wood like Rosewood, and that dampens some highs in the attack. But then its density makes up for it

little. Think ofthe highs as present, but compressed. They dont jump out like glass breaking. They are more

omnipresent. And they are more in the upper midrange than the highs. Thats either a very musical sound for

someone interested in fundamental, or a less expressive sound for someone into playing hard picking blues.

Production notes: Koa is rare, and its expensive with dramatic price fluctuations. Its often a high cost upgrade.

Figured Koa is very expensive, more rare, and cut for tops.


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Korina:

Somewhat ofa super-mahogany or mahogany deluxe its grains are similar and so is its sound. Its said to have

a sweeter midrange, and be more responsive. Although the grains look similar the material itselfis slightly less

dense. So ifit weighed more than a same-sized mahogany piece it would more likely be due to higher moisture

content than higher density.

Production notes: Rarely used, it is more expensive and rare than garden variety Mahoganies. The price ofa Korin

guitar usually reflects this, plus a little extra markup.

Soft Maple:

Used extensively in Korea, its not as hard as hard maple. But its a little heavy, bright in the upper midrange, and

dull sounding in the lows. The extreme snappy highs arent there either because the pores are so tight that the high

get compressed. Some redeeming qualities canbe brought from it with the right pickups, ifyou like a brassy,

searing upper midrange sound for the bridge or a dry, combed rhythm sound.

Production notes: Korean factories love it, for some reason its abundant and cheap for them. Its harder on route

bits than basswood, but they seem to be less concerned with clean, sharp cuts over there, indicating that they do

not compensate with more frequent bit sharpening and replacement.

Hard Maple:

This wood shouts. It is loud with a strong upper midrange, bright highs, and tapered offbut very tight lows. A

pickup that produces good lows will find them in a Hard Maple body, but they will be tight and will not interact wi

a loud halfstack.

Production notes: Very heavy and hard on tools, its rarely used in factories. It makes a good slimbodied guitar.

Spruce:

Very soft to the touch, it is extremely stifffor its overall density. Like Alder, its another wood with a hard skeletoand soft meat. So in a solid body, it will produce tremendous resonant, open midrange, while retaining high

frequency attack, and having good low end breath. Because ofthe low density overall the sound wouldnt be

perceived as having less midrange than Basswood. The mids will be just as powerful and dynamic amidst the

addition ofclear highs and lows. Probably the most full frequency body material accepted.

Production notes: Rarely used because its softness requires a heavy finish, or a composite shell like the Parkers.

The Parker isnt the best representation ofthe sound ofa Spruce body since there are many other unique

construction methods and synthetics used in the Parker. Would work well with veneer caps or a top, and would

offset some ofthe compressed sound you get with neck through construction.

Lacewood:

Lacewood is a true multi-density wood. The rum colored skeleton is hard like Koa or Walnut, and the fleshy,

grayish tan interior portions like Alder. The dual densities will augment different tones, while combing others out.

Its brighter than Alder, and richer than solid maple.

Production notes: It canbe difficult to finish, because the sections absorb finish differently. Oil finishes and heavy

poly finishes work better than a softer nitrocellulose or acrylic lacquer. The lacquer finishes will sink over time

telegraphing the grain.


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Extended Range notes: Another wood well suited for extended lows. Its dual density provides a good skeleton for

keeping the lows tight. Theres less ofa tradeoffto the higher strings because ofthe warmth ofthe softer sections.

Body tops:

Tops seem to create a situation where the attack ofthe notes will be more like the top wood, while the resonance

and decay more like the bottom wood. The thickness and carve ofa top dictates the degree ofits effect on thesound. The glued unit will be more rigid than a single piece, so generally sustain increases.

Maple top on Basswood:

The clean attack and even highs ofMaple will make up for Basswoods inherent reduction ofthose frequencies.

The lows will still taper off, but the overall result is more frequencies covered than with either piece alone. Dynami

arent reduced, except for in the upper register, where they were less present in Basswood alone. So the

improvement in high response is a little more compressed, and not as crisp and responsive in the attack as Swamp

Ash for example.

Maple top on Mahogany:

The staple ofvintage construction, the Maple adds crispness to the mahogany, but the lows and low mids of

mahogany are still as apparent. The Maple combs out some ofthe upper mids, not because Maple lacks in these

areas, but because it is vastly different from mahogany in its handling ofthe upper midrange. There is fighting going

on in that range between the two pieces that results in a canceling out ofsome ofthose upper midrange frequencie

Thats part ofthe smoothness associated with the Les Paul & PRS types.

Maple top on Alder:

Takes Alder to a tone closer to solid Swamp Ash, but without the dynamics. The open resonance ofthe Alder

comes through with the sharper attack and brightness ofthe Maple on the top end. The effect on the Alder is simil

to the effect on Basswood. The upper mids ofMaple come through, as Alder does not suppress upper mids.

Maple top on Swamp Ash:

A good addition to Swamp Ashbut reduces the open, airy dynamics ofsolid Ash. It mutes the expanded midrang

but doesnt really comb out any sections. They work well together. It adds a little more rock and country

compressed scream to the sound at the expense ofAshs complex lows and low mids.

Rosewood tops:

Rosewood tops will add some sustain, by virtue ofthe density, but also the lamination itself. Its oiliness will dampe

the attack and the higher treble frequencies. So Rosewood over Mahogany will really be smooth, while Rosewoo

over Ash will retain some open midrange resonance. Rosewood over Alder or Basswood will be a sustainboost

with little affect on the tone besides the high mid combing from the lamination, since the high dampening from

Rosewood is redundant.

Koa tops:

Figured or plain Koa tops will sound similar to Maple tops with the exceptionbeing that it wouldnt fight Mahogan

backs so much in the upper midrange. Although Maple resonates more upper mids, a Koa top on Mahogany

would have less combing and compressing ofthose frequencies.

Walnut to s:


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Like Koa, the tops would have just a little less high frequency than Maple, but have less compression and combing

with Mahoganybacks.

Lacewood tops:

Lacewood has a hard swiss cheese type skeleton, with soft bits inside the holes. Because ofits combination o

soft and hard sections, its more likely to take on the tone ofthe back wood. Only when thicker will it start to app

its own tonal signature to the body. Its like drilling holes in Koa and filling them with Alder plugs. It has good

top end and sustain from the harder skeleton, and a heavily combed midrange and low end from the smaller, softesections throughout.

Neck woods:

Maple:

The most common electric guitar neck wood, Maple has a uniform grain, its strong and stable, and it has less

reaction from environmental changes than other hardwoods. Its tone is highly reflective, and focuses more energy

onto the body wood. All things being equal, bolt-on Maple necks are less ofa factor on the guitars tone and

emphasize the body wood.

Mahogany:

The even density makes stable necks, and the open pores make the neck a little more responsive than a maple

neck. The Mahogany will absorb a little more ofthe string vibration than Maple will, and compresses the attack an

the highs a little.

Koa:

The tone is somewhere between Mahogany and Maple with a little sweeter top end.

Rosewood:

Heavy, oily wood, a Rosewood neck will produce excellent sustain while also smoothening out the highs. Generall

with greater sustain comes a brighter top end. This is not true ofRosewood. It mutes the high frequency overtones

producing a strong fundamental that still has the complexities ofmid and low mid overtones.

Wenge:

Stiff, strong, and stable, Wenge trims some high overtones like Rosewood does, while resonating more fundament

mids and low mids due to its multi-density stripes combing away a little more ofthe mid and low mid overtones

Fretboard Woods:

Perhaps more significant than neck wood, the fretboard is the place your string launches from. It is the bridge on

the other side. Fretboard differences are as dramatic as those between a hardtail and a tremolo.

Maple:

Very bright and dense, Maple is highly reflective. When used on a fretboard, Maple encourages tremendous

amounts ofhigher overtones and its tight, almost filtered away bass favors harmonics and variations in pick attack.


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Rosewood:

The most common fretboard, Rosewood is naturally oily, and works well for any surface that sees frequent human

contact. The sound is richer in fundamental than Maple because the stray overtones are absorbed into the oily

pores

Ebony:

Ebony has a snappy, crisp attack with the density ofMaple, but with more brittle grains, oilier pores, and a strong

fundamental tone than Maple. It has a tremendous amount ofpercussive overtones in the pick attack, that mute oushortly thereafter to foster great, long, sustain.

Pao Ferro:

Quite simply, Pao Ferro is a wood that falls between Rosewood and Ebony, and the tone follows suit. It has a

snappier attack than rosewood, with good sustain, and its warmer sounding than Ebony. Some consider Pao Ferr

to represent their favorite aspects ofthe two.

Extended Range notes:

Basswood is not stiffenough for a tight, well-defined low end, especially with a shorter scale. Low notes will have

good harmonics, and a good fundamental, but a midrangey tone overall.

Alderhas a tighter low end than Basswood, with slightly deeper lows.

Swamp Ash is stiffenough for a crisp low end without becoming muddy. The open pores help resonate low tones

Higher overtones become more apparent in lower registers, for good harmonic content and a sharper attack.

Mahoganys warm lows and a thick sound overall make extended lows very full and can produce muddiness in

the signal. The low notes are very strong and sometimes overbearing for a pickup. A bright, crisp active pickup ththins out the low end could be a good combination.

Walnuts tight low end and combed midrange dynamics make it well suited for extended range. It wont get mudd

unless its a poor specimen with softer yellowish orange areas.

Like Walnut, Koais a good Mahogany alternative. It will have a tighter low end with less muddiness. The slightly

dampened higher overtones will produce a stronger fundamental than Walnut at the expense ofa sharper attack.

Korina should respond to extended lows in the same manner as Mahogany. Soft Maples dull lows also mean no

muddiness in the extended range. It canbe a good alternative to Basswood ifthats your main concern. Thepickups will have to compensate for the bright upper mids.

Hard Maple will have the tightest lows for the extended range. Low notes will have a sharp attack, plenty of

harmonics, and excellent sustain.

Spruce, while capable ofreproducing extended lows, is too soft not to get mushy. A neck through, a laminated

top, or both would provide the needed rigidity while still highlighting the good points ofSpruce. Any laminated to

1/8 or thicker will improve the tightness ofthe low end. The existence ofthe lamination will tighten any bodys

muddiness. The same qualities hold true in the laminate top descriptions.


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Neck Through notes:

The neck through construction method produces excellent sustain. The neck wood strongly influences the tone of

the guitar, because it occupies perhaps the most important part ofthe body: the center. There is a nasal, thinner

quality to the sound, often augmented with a figured wood top. Your side woods make up far less ofthe tone than

on a bolt on or set neck guitar. You first have to estimate what that neck woods tone is like as a body wood, and

then accentuate or counteract that with your side woods. So a Hard Maple neck through will be very bright and

cutting. Ifyou want to warm it up youd use Basswood or Spruce sides. But ifyou like that quality, you might use

Ash or Soft Maple sides. The effect is very different than the laminated top sound. A maple top on Basswood is

nothing like a Maple neck through with Basswood wings, which sounds more like a Maple body. Generally, the

softer woods excel as sides because they add back some low end resonance missing in the construction method,

while dampening the highs.

jemsite.com / jemsiteforum.comExcerpted from Guitar Wood FAQ - Wood Types & Ton

http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.h

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