The kind of wood used for making a guitar must be given special consideration while buying a guitar as this will ultimately reflect on the quality of the instrument. The wood will determine to a great extent the kind of sound it will create.

Different kinds of wood resonate differently, accentuating the vibrations in a specific manner.  A guitar will also cost more or less, depending on the wood used. The wood also determines how long the guitar will last, especially in the case of a guitar.

Sitka Spruce

Sitka spruce is widely used for soundboards since it is quite stiff and lightweight. Notes played on Sitka soundboard retain their clarity when played with force. While its fundamentals are strong, the overtones however tend to lack, thus producing a thin sound when played lightly. Sitka-made a guitar are a favorite with players who require a robust sound.

Red Spruce

Red spruce has all the advantages of Sitka spruce without the shortfalls. It has strong fundamentals and resonates with great clarity when played loudly. It also has a complex mix of overtones that produces a full, rich sound even when played softly. It is stiffer and slightly heavier than spruce, giving it a high velocity of sound. When you are considering checking out a guitar, a red spruce is well worth its money.

Alder

Alder is a lightweight wood and when used in guitar tops it produces good resonance. The resonance makes the sound produced highly rich. If you’re buying a guitar with an alder top, you will get its best performance while playing the lower mid range.

Poplar

Poplar is popular choice in solid-body electric guitars. Because the wood is dense and stringy, it produces a crisp sound which, on an electric guitar, creates a funky or a crisp sound. If you prefer a clean sound and single-coil snap, then poplar wood a guitar are worth a consideration. 

Koa

Koa is a hardwood and has a low velocity of sound, good density but lacks overtones. When purchasing a guitar made of Koa wood, consider that its sound is best at the upper end of the dynamic range and for playing rhythms, much like the slide-playing guitars in Hawaiian music.

Mahogany

Mahogany, like Koa has low velocity and overtone but good density. It produces a good sound at the upper end of the dynamic range. If you consider mahogany topped a guitar, then they produce a ‘punchy’ tone good for playing the blues. If the guitar’s sides and back are built out of mahogany, then it will have a higher density and more overtone coloration. The sound produced, thus, will have accentuated bass and treble. Choose mahogany full body or top accordingly.

Maple

Although Maple is better suited for electric guitars, such acoustic a guitar are found in plenty. It produces a flat sound being a heavier wood and having a lower sound velocity. The west coast big leaf maple is quite popular with guitars since it is the lightest maple and also a ‘curly’ maple i.e. its fibers are wavy and allow for more vibrations. If maple is used for acoustic guitars, the sound tends to be transparent thanks to the low velocity and high internal damping. Therefore, in acoustic maple a guitar, the tonal characteristics of the soundboard will be heard as they are, without any coloration coming from the wood.

Brazilian rosewood

Brazilian rosewood has a high sound velocity and produces a broad range of overtones. This gives Brazilian rosewood guitars high scope for tonal coloration. Brazilian rosewoods have strong mid and high and thus the upper notes tend to be rich and full. If you buy a guitar that are made of Brazilian rosewood, then expect a lot of clarity in the bottom and ‘sparkle’ in the top notes.

Indian rosewood

The Indian rosewood produces effects very similar to the Brazilian rosewood since it shares many of the traits, namely: high sound velocity, significant tonal coloration, strong high and mid notes, strength and complexity in the bottom notes. If looking among a guitar, remember that the Indian rosewood helps fatten up the midrange when used in the neck.

Basswood

Guitars made of basswood give an excellent response in the low end. It is light, stiff and stable. In case you are a bass player and want something that is more specific for your needs, go for basswood made a guitar.

How important is the wood?

The tone coloration of a guitar depends a great deal on the wood used. However, one cannot ignore other factors like design, maker and the precision and quality of skill. Selecting the right kind of wood, however, will go a long way in ensuring that you get the kind of tone you require. Thus, knowing beforehand which wood produces what change in tone will help you make a better selection.

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