Tone
Woods
The
woods used in the construction of musical
instruments are called tone woods. The
guitar's value and quality are strongly
influenced by the manufacturer's choice of tone
woods.
Soundboard
The
soundboard is the most vital component
because it vibrates to create the guitar's sonic
personality. Soundboards in better guitars are
made from solid spruce or cedar,
soft woods that vibrate easily. As a solid wood
soundboard is played over months, even years, it
grows in beauty of tone and volume, i.e., it
breaks in. Veneer soundboards are less
resonate than solid wood and don't break in.
However, veneer is considerably stronger than
solid wood and thus makes a good choice for
children or outdoor use. Moreover, a quality
veneer top will sound better than a poorly made
solid top. Nevertheless, design and construction
quality being equal, solid wood sounds better
than veneer.
Detail
of a Cedar Top • Takamine
NP-15C • Cedar
tends to have straight grain and a medium brown
color.
Detail
of a Spruce Top • Ibanez
R001 •
Spruce
tends to have straight grain and a light yellow
to amber color.
Back
& Sides
The
back and sides, constructed of hardwood,
provide structural support for the soundboard
and neck. They also form a resonating chamber;
that is, they amplify the sounds from the
strings and soundboard. Rosewood is
traditionally used for backs and sides. Softer
hardwoods such as nato, mahogany,
walnut, koa and maple are
excellent and less expensive alternatives to
rosewood. Hardwood veneers are used in the back
and sides of most guitars costing under $2000.
Hardwood veneers have 95% of the musical
properties of solid hardwood but are stronger,
less prone to cracking and relatively
inexpensive. Nevertheless, if you can afford it,
a well designed and constructed solid wood
guitar offers the ultimate tone.
Woods
Used in the Back & Sides •
From
the rear: mahogany, oak, rosewood &
koa
Necks
& Fingerboards
Necks
are primarily constructed of mahogany, but other
hardwoods such as maple or nato may be used.
Fingerboards take a beating and thus are made
from dense hardwoods such as ebony or
rosewood. Ebony is preferred due to its
durability and stiffness but is normally found
in guitars costing over $1000, e.g., Hirade H5.
Rosewood fingerboards are the norm in mid-priced
instruments, e.g., Takamine C132S. Nato, veneer
or soft woods are used in fingerboards of budget
guitars.
Wood
Choice & Quality Influence
Sound
The
choice of tone woods exert a substantial
influence on timbre (tone color). Cedar
soundboards take several months to break in and
sound relatively dark and robust. Moreover, they
are more forgiving of sloppy right-hand
technique than spruce. Spruce soundboards take
several years to break in and offer more clarity
than cedar, but less warmth.
The
density of the hardwood used in the back and
sides also influences timbre. Dense hardwoods,
e.g., rosewood, produce the darkest timbre.
Softer hardwoods, e.g., maple, koa, walnut or
mahogany, have a brighter timbre.
The
combination of tone woods also influences
timbre. Spruce and cedar sound boards are
traditionally coupled with rosewood back and
sides, yielding a balanced timbre. A spruce
soundboard and soft hardwood back and
sides--e.g., maple or mahogany--yields the
brightest sound. A cedar top and soft hardwood
back and sides--e.g., koa or walnut--yields a
full-bodied voice with a touch of
crispiness.
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