Best Wood For Acoustic Guitar Back And Sides

Heartwood color varies from a light pinkish brown to reddish brown.

Best wood for acoustic guitar back and sides.

Rosewood is a very popular wood for guitars and has been used a lot traditionally too. But the most common building material by far is still good old fashioned wood. Changing one tonewood for another regardless of the component e g. All guitars are at risk of extreme climate temperature swings and dryness so you still have to be careful with a 500 guitar or a 5000 all solid wood rosewood acoustic.

Mahogany is a wood that is used for both acoustic guitar tops soundboards and for back and sides. It resembles the wood of south american mahogany to which it is related. This reduces overall stiffness as compared to quartersawn wood to predictable effect. Mahogany as a guitar top dense mahogany has a solid punchy tone with low overtone content and good high end response.

When used as a top it produces a warm earthy mid range dominant sound with subtle overtones. The colour of the wood will darken in time with exposure to light into a gorgeous rich amber colour. A bit more on the mellow side of half way. It is fairly light in weight.

The top back and sides of professional grade guitars are made of meticulously gauged cuts of solid wood while beginner and intermediate models are built partly sometimes entirely with pressed plywood. Also called cigar box cedar because of its aromatic scent and its wide use in tobacco humidors. Maple is a very light coloured wood. Mahogany back and sides often emphasize bass and treble with more overtone coloration and a woody sound as opposed to the more metallic sound of say rosewood back and sides.

Highs are typically soft and not overly pronounced. Sound wise it falls between rosewood and mahogany. They have been set aside for their exceptional color match of the back and sides and the dark color of the sets. These sets have been seasoned for over 25 years.

Cherry is a superb tone wood. Top or back and sides can influence the entire sound of the instrument. Once again having a solid top should be the minimum requirement for anyone wanting a nicer acoustic and should be within everyone s budget. Mahogany is a fairly dense hard wood and is relatively heavy and strong ish.

Rosewood for example is a hardwood that is often used for the back and sides of acoustic guitar bodies and under some circumstances will accentuate note articulation or clarity. Most maple guitar back and side sets are cut on the slab which shows off any grain figure to best advantage. East indian rosewood seasoned dark.