Tone Woods and the GuitarAndy Shaffer

Main Parts of the Guitar

Neck

Fretboard

Body

Common Neck Woods

MapleUniform grain

Strong and stable

Doesn’t react as much to heat and humidity

Not much impact on tone

MahoganyDenser than Maple

Open pores in the wood

Tends to remove or even out the higher frequencies

Common Neck Woods

KoaMiddle ground between Maple and Mahogany

A little extra high frequency

RosewoodDense and oily

Porous

Increases sustain

Removes higher frequencies and emphasizes the fundamental frequency

Common Fretboard Woods

MapleTends to reflect higher frequencies

Encourages the higher overtones, while filtering away bass frequencies

Easy to play harmonics and vary the picking attack

RosewoodEmphasizes the fundamental frequency

The porous wood absorbs much of the overtone sound

Most common fretboard wood

Common Fretboard Woods

EbonyDense like Maple, but more porous, like Rosewood

Strong fundamental tone

Very long sustain

Common Body Woods

BasswoodSoft wood with tight grains

Highs are tapered off, as are extreme low frequencies

Strong fundamental tone

AlderSimilar in structure to basswood, but with harder rings in the wood

Increases volume of highs and lows

Common Body WoodsMahogany

Open grain with large poresConstant rigidity throughout, and very denseImproved lows and low mid frequenciesHigher notes are richer and thickerGood balance of fundamentals and over tonesDescribed as a “wall of sound”

Hard MapleTight poresStrong upper midrange and high frequenciesTapered off lows

Examples

Mahogany body and neck, Rosewood fretboard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en7EKL1pX5w

Alder body, Maple neck, Rosewood fretboard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bxiH8G0XIE

Alder body, Maple neck and fretboard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayt9hCVjiiM&feature=related