Choosing the right woods for your custom guitar is a crucial step in creating an instrument that aligns with your preferences and playing style. Furthermore, the woods selection is paramount to increase the connection between you and the musical instrument and to make it completely feel at your ease with it.
Here's a guide to help you navigate the wood selection process:
Mahogany: (Swietenia)
Typically originating from South America and tropical Africa. As for the classics, the Gibson Les Paul Jr., Les Paul Special, and SG were made of solid mahogany (with mahogany necks), and countless makers have used the wood in both solid and semi-solid designs over the years.
The tone of this wood is extremely dependent on the thickness of the billet. A thinner piece, like an SG, has a warm growly tone with lots of bite and presence. A thicker piece, like a Les Paul Junior, has a thicker, chunkier, meatier tone with softer highs and more push in the lower mids.
Known and appreciated for its ability to produce a full and warm sound, it is, in fact, one of the most used woods in the world of guitars, both for the body and the neck. Its only drawback is its weight.
Okoume (Aucoumea klaineana), typically originating from Gabon and small areas of neighboring countries (Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea). Okoume is often considered an Asian species of mahogany, however, technically it isn’t. It’s very similar, though.
In terms of tone, Okoume is a hardwood very similar to the one mentioned above, it has a dark sound, with strong mids and a cut-off in the higher frequencies. But the biggest difference is its durability and lightness.
Alder (Alnus), typically originating from Europe and North America. It’s impossible to discuss alder without making reference to Fender, which first used alder prominently in the late ’50s and early ’60s.
It’s a medium-weight wood, Alder has a strong, clear, full-bodied sound, with beefy mids and excellent lows, and it offers a decent amount of sustain. In terms of tone, Alder is a very balanced option all across the frequency spectrum, with a slight bump in the upper-midrange, the sweet spot for cutting through the mix.
Maple, plain or Flame (Acer), typically originating from Europe, North America, Asia. Maple is a dense, hard, and heavy wood that produces an extremely bright, precise tone with tight lows.
Maple enhances upper-mids and high frequencies particularly; however, it also produces a tight, well-defined low end. This is a dense, hard wood that’s being used on necks, fingerboards, tops.
European Ash or swamp ash (Fraxinus), typically originating from Europe, North America, but also from Southeast Asia and Oceania. Best known as the wood of classic ’50s Fender guitars, ash is most desirable in the form of swamp ash.
Good swamp ash is both light and resonant and generally carries a broad grain that looks great under a translucent finish. The swamp-ash sound is twangy, airy, and sweet. It offers firm lows, pleasant highs, a slightly scooped midrange, and good sustain.
Ash from the upper portions of the tree has also been used, as has harder northern ash. Both tend to be denser and heavier and have a brighter, harder sound that might be more useful when cutting, distorted tones are desired.
Yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a plant of the Pinaceae family, endemic to the United States.
Of all the woods used to make guitars, pine is one of the oldest. Some of the first electric guitars were made using pine. This is one of pine wood’s biggest advantages over many other kinds of wood.
It is very lightweight. Pine features a very lovely warm tone with a gentle top-end. It has a very open midrange, making it great for chords.It is also a fairly resonant wood, giving it quite a big and full tone. It does, however, fall a bit short when it comes to its sustain.
Pine has a very nice blend of boomy low-end and shimmering highs, without the mids sounding scooped.
Rosewood, (Dalbergia), typically originating from South America, tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Rosewood, known for its rich, complex, and bell-like tonal qualities, produces a more balanced overall tone. Rosewood is more adaptable to environmental changes, so it’s better suited for traveling musicians and also beginners due to its softer feel. Rosewood is well renowned for having a highly balanced overall tone. The wood has a wonderful even frequency response and is neither too shrill nor too boomy.
Ebony (Diospyros ebenum), typically originating from South America, tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Ebony is a much harder wood compared to Rosewood and feels slicker to touch. It produces brighter and snappier tones.
The ebony fretboard contributes to a little more tightness, clarity, and definition compared to the rosewood fretboard. A very dense, hard wood, ebony makes for a fast attack from the instrument—all else being equal—and it offers a muscular, controlled bass and snappy, sizzling highs. Ebony’s fine grain allows for it to produce a spritely and bright tone.
This makes it a popular choice for guitar-heavy genres like hard rock and metal. It’s also a very popular choice for acoustic guitars due to the bright tone.
This article is meant to guide you around your selection process. Don't forget I provide help and guidance according o your needs and preferences. Shoot me and email and let's start creating together!
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