Tonewood

How Wood Influences the Sound of an Electric Guitar

Does the wood used in an electric guitar have any influence on the final sound of the instrument? This is a question that beginners in particular often ask themselves - and it is of course a legitimate question. After all, the sound of a guitar is produced by the pickups. But if you take a closer look at how the pickup works, you will see that the way in which the string vibrates in the magnetic field of the pickup is important for the sound production.

And this is where the wood comes into play: the vibrations of the struck string are transferred to the wood and from there passed back to the string - so the string and the wood influence each other. The vibration of the wood becomes particularly clear if you put your ear to the body and strike a string - that's how sound is created!

It is probably well known that woods vary in their composition (density, water content, fiber length, etc.). These differences in the wood are also noticeable in the sound production. I have selected and described the most important differences and sound characteristics of individual woods.

Sound Characteristics and Differences

How a guitar sounds and what potential it has in its ongoing sound development depends largely on the choice of wood. Apart from the processing, the sound of a guitar wood is characterized by 3 essential characteristics. These differences have a direct influence on the sound of a guitar:

Density of the wood
Hardness of the wood
Elasticity of the wood

Attak

Attack is the length of time a note needs to fully develop. The explanation is relatively simple: the string that was set vibrating by the attack needs a certain amount of time to make the wood vibrate. The lighter the wood, the faster it can be made to vibrate. So if you are looking for a crisp, direct sound, you should look for guitars made of light woods such as alder. A classic example: the Fender Stratocaster.

Sustain

Sustain, or reverberation, describes the duration of the sound. The longer the sustain, the longer the sound can be heard once a string has been struck. Unlike the attack, the speed at which the wood absorbs the vibration is less important here. What is more important is how long the wood "resonates". Simply put, the physical law of inertia states that a heavy body retains its kinetic energy longer than a light one. Translated into guitar terms, this means: the heavier and denser the wood, the longer it resonates. Tonewoods such as mahogany or maple are particularly popular - these woods resonate for a particularly long time. An example of this combination is the Gibson Les Paul .

Resonance

Resonance indicates how strongly a wood vibrates. Some woods are so dense and immobile (e.g. robinia or oak) that they are completely unsuitable as "tone woods". The special "vibrational qualities" of tone woods have been researched over the centuries; even the violin makers of the 17th century knew about the special sound properties of some woods and only used these. Particularly popular examples from the world of electric guitars are: mahogany, maple, alder, ash, rosewood and ebony.

What distinguishes cheap and expensive woods

When selecting a wood for the electric guitar, especially for high-quality instruments, care is taken to ensure that the woods:

Long dried
Free from cracks and damage
Can be processed in one piece if possible
Of very high quality are

Cheap guitars are usually made from cheaper woods. These can

Be made up of several pieces / be laminated
Use extremely cheap wood
Have bad grain
Contains fast-growing and poorly dried wood

Hear the sound difference yourself

Attak

Sustain

Resonance

Popular types of wood in guitar making (acoustic and electric guitars)

Mahogany Swietenia

Common Names: Real Mahogany, Honduras Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany

Scientific name: Swietenia macrophylla

Origin: Central and South America, Caribbean

Average weight after drying per m3: 590 kg

Janka Hardness: 900 Tree height: 45-60 m Tree diameter: 1.2 m

Mahogany Khaya

Common name: African Mahogany

Scientific name: Khaya spp.

Origin: Tropical Africa

Average weight after drying per m3: 545 kg

Janka Hardness: 850 Tree height: 30-60 m Tree diameter: 1-1.8 m

Mahogany Sipo

Common name: African Mahogany

Scientific name: Entandrophragma utile

Origin: Tropical Africa

Average weight after drying per m3: 635 kg

Janka Hardness: 1180 Tree height: 45-60 m Tree diameter: 1-1.5 m

Mahogany Sapele

Common Name: African Mahogany

Scientific name: Entandrophragma cylindricum

Origin: Tropical Africa

Average weight after drying per m3: 665 kg

Janka Hardness: 1360 Tree height: 30-45 m Tree diameter: 1-1.5 m

Use: Backs, sides, bodies, necks

Features: Lots of sustain, warm and balanced, rich bass and plenty of mids

As a popular wood for making back, sides and neck, mahogany is sometimes also used for the top. These instruments are usually made entirely of mahogany. These are rather simple instruments (although made by excellent guitar makers), but they can deliver a good sound for all types of guitarists. Guitars with mahogany tops tend to sound less open than those with spruce or cedar tops, but at the same time have articulate mids and punch. They are often used in the blues, but also in the singer/songwriter genre, and behave more forgivingly in combination with pickups than the more sensitive cedar and spruce top instruments. The combination of solid mahogany guitar with soundhole pickup has won many fans.

Alder Europe

Common names: European alder, black alder

Scientific name: Alnus glutinosa

Origin: Western Europe

Average weight after drying per m3: 535 kg

Janka Hardness: 650 Tree height: 20-25 m Tree diameter: 0.3-0.6 m

Alder Amerika

Common names: American alder, red alder

Scientific name: Alnus rubra

Origin: Coast of Western North America

Average weight after drying per m3: 450 kg

Janka Hardness: 590 Tree height: 30-40 m Tree diameter: 0.6-1 m

Use: Bodies

Characteristics: Sufficient sustain, balanced, rich bass, good mids and highs rich in overtones

As the title already shows, there are various types of alder from the genus Alnus. American red alder and European alder are used. The wood is quite soft and very easy to work with and varnish. Alder is used almost exclusively for building bodies for electric guitars. The body of the Stratocaster and some of the Telecaster is made of American red alder. The attractively priced wood gives the instrument a very balanced sound. There are plenty of rich basses, mids and highs rich in overtones without being too dominant in relation to one another.

Cedro

Common name: Spanish cedar (does not come from Spain and is not a cedar but a type of mahogany)

Scientific name: Cedrela odorata

Origin: Central and South America, Caribbean

Average weight after drying per m3: 470 kg

Janka Hardness: 600 Tree height: 20-30 m Tree diameter: 1-1.5 m

Cedro is a relative of mahogany, but it is much lighter and just as resonant. A very good alternative to Swietenia mahogany, which is hard to get in light quality anymore. This makes it a perfect wood for replicas of 50s Paulas, which were mainly made from the light Swietenia. Very round and powerful, mid-range and woody rock sound with a quick response and lively sustain. Unfortunately, this great tonewood has also been under CITES regulation since 2023.

Maple Flamed Maple

Common names: figured maple, sycamore maple

Scientific name: Acer pseudoplatanus

Origin: Europe

Average weight after drying per m3: 615 kg

Janka Hardness: 1050 Tree height: 25-35 m Tree diameter: 1-1.2 m

Maple Bird's Eye Maple

Common name: Bird's eye maple

Scientific name: not a separate maple species (see description)

Origin: North America

Average weight after drying per m3: 705 kg

Janka Hardness: 1450

Use: Backs, sides, tops, necks and fingerboards

Characteristics: bright, brilliant sound, beautiful overtones, fast attack, assertiveness, rather quiet due to the hardness

Figured maple is a growth anomaly of maple, the origin of which cannot be fully explained. The fibers of the wood do not grow straight, but in a wavy shape. This creates a very decorative grain when the wood is cut. There is no difference in sound to 'normal' maple, but there can be a loss of stability, especially if the flames are very pronounced. This may make it necessary to block the neck (glue it to the same or different wood). Bird's eye maple is not a separate type of maple; it is considered a growth/grain anomaly. Although there are rare exceptions, bird's eye maple is almost exclusively harvested from hard maple (Acer saccharum). Another growth anomaly, in which many small knots are enclosed in the wood - the "bird's eyes". Very decorative. Otherwise the same applies as for figured maple. Canadian maple (hard maple) has a much higher density than domestic maple, is hardly prone to warping or warping and has excellent stability and vibration transmission. It is therefore considered THE standard wood for necks in the electric guitar sector.

Ash Europe

Common name: European ash

Scientific name: Fraxinus excelsior

Origin: Northern Europe

Average weight after drying per m3: 680 kg

Janka Hardness: 1480 Tree height: 20-35 m Tree diameter: 1-2 m

Ash Swamp Ash

Common name: Swamp ash

Scientific name: none (see description)

Origin: North America

Average weight after drying per m3: 520 kg

Use: Bodies

Properties: Compared to normal ash, the lighter tonewood, decent bass, airy and powerful sound

Ash wood has a bright, defined, brilliant sound with a lot of sustain and plenty of attack. Despite all its brilliance, however, ash sounds beautifully balanced, making it one of the most popular tonewoods for electric basses and guitars. The term "swamp ash" does not refer to a specific species of ash (genus Fraxinus), but is used by luthiers in general to describe light wood obtained from ash trees that are usually found in damp or swampy areas. The sound properties of swamp ash differ slightly from those of "normal" ash, so swamp ash sounds a little warmer and a little more homogeneous, but does not have quite as much attack as its direct relative.

Spruce Europe

Common name: Native spruce

Scientific name: Norway spruce

Origin: Northern and Central Europe

Average weight after drying per m3: 405 kg

Janka Hardness: 380 Tree height: 35-55 m Tree diameter: 1-1.5 m

Spruce Engelmann

Common name: Engelmann

Scientific name: Picea engelmannii

Origin: West of USA

Average weight after drying per m3: 385 kg

Janka Hardness: 390 Tree height: 40 m Tree diameter: 1 m

Spruce Sitka

Common name: Sitka Spruce

Scientific name: Picea sitchensis

Origin: Northwest USA

Average weight after drying per m3: 425 kg

Janka Hardness: 510 Tree height: 40-50 m Tree diameter: 1.2-1.8 m

Spruce Adirondack

Common name: Norway spruce

Scientific name: Picea rubens

Origin: East of USA

Average weight after drying per m3: 435 kg

Janka Hardness: 490 Tree height: 24-34 m Tree diameter: 0.6-1.4 m

Spruce has been the most popular wood for the tops of flat-top guitars for more than a century and a half. It is light, hard and inelastic - properties that are essential for a well-vibrating sound body. Spruce also has a round and soft sound character with good treble response and a clear and defined sound. The most common type of spruce is the Sitka spruce from the northwest coast of the USA. This is a wood that convincingly reproduces the essential sound characteristics of the guitar and expresses them with a loud, bright style. The rarest and most expensive type of spruce is the American red spruce from the east of the country. Due to its origin in the Adirondack Mountains in the state of New York, it is also known as Adirondack spruce or, more rarely, Appalachian spruce. In addition to its darker, slightly yellowish appearance, it is characterized by its full sound, wonderful complexity and excellent volume. The most expensive flat-tops of the pre-war period were made from this wood. There are now only a few warehouses with old stocks of this wood, so guitars made from this wood are very expensive. Other high-priced variants of spruce are Engelmann spruce and European and German spruce. In general, a spruce top needs to be played in to mature and develop its full sound. (Incidentally, the bracing on high-quality acoustic guitars is also made from spruce).

Koa Hawaii

Common Name: Hawaiian Koa

Scientific name: Acacia koa

Origin: Hawaii

Average weight after drying per m3: 610 kg

Janka Hardness: 1170 Tree height: 20-30 m Tree diameter: 1-1.5 m

This rich honey-colored wood is an exotic variety that is valued primarily for its appearance, but also for its sound. Guitars made from this wood are not necessarily loud, but have a clear, bright sound with a noticeable midrange that appeals to some guitarists. Koa, which is obtained in Hawaii, is usually used to build acoustic Hawaiian guitars that are played with a bottleneck or steel bar. The top is also often made from this wood.

Cedar

Common names: Western Red Cedar, Red Cedar, Giant Arborvitae

Scientific name: huja plicata

Origin: Northwest USA and Canada

Average weight after drying per m3: 370 kg

Janka Hardness: 350 Tree height: 50-60 m Tree diameter: 2-4 m

Although cedar (also known as Western Red Cedar) is used by some flat-top builders, it is far more commonly used in classical guitar construction. Cedar has a reputation for sounding powerful, open and well-defined, but with softer bass than spruce, and a little less clarity and an overall warmer sound. The sound character of guitars made from this wood is revealed much sooner, so breaking in the instrument is not really necessary. Some cedar tops compress or distort more quickly when played loudly, although the fact that some good cedar sounds louder than spruce without having to be struck harder counteracts this impression. Cedar is also a little darker than spruce, which can be visually appealing.

Palisander Rio

Common name: Rio rosewood

Scientific name: Dalbergia nigra

Origin: Brazil

Average weight after drying per m3: 835 kg

Janka Hardness: 2790 Tree height: 30-40 m Tree diameter: 1-1.2 m

Indian Rosewood

Common Names: Indian Rosewood

Scientific name: Dalbergia latifolia

Origin: India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia

Average weight after drying per m3: 830 kg

Janka Hardness: 2440 Tree height: 30 m Tree diameter: 0.6-1.2 m

Rosewood Madagascar

Common name: Madagascar Rosewood

Scientific name: Dalbergia spp. (D. baronii, D. greveana, D. madagascariensis, and D. monticola)

Origin: Madagascar

Average weight after drying per m3: 935 kg

Janka Hardness: 2720 Tree height: 15-23 m Tree diameter: 0.3-1 m

Use: Fingerboards, bridges, backs and sides, headstock veneer

Characteristics: Powerful bass and brilliant overtones, hard and durable, lots of sustain

Often used in better or even high-end models, rosewood adds excellent depth, warmth and fullness to the basic sound of a good acoustic guitar, delivering powerful bass and detailed, balanced mids. East Indian rosewood is the most common variety in guitar making, although some manufacturers now prefer to use Madagascar rosewood for their higher-priced models. Both have similar tonal properties, although some guitar makers believe that Madagascar rosewood is closer in sound and appearance to the legendary Rio rosewood, which is now on the CITES list of endangered species and therefore can no longer be imported. Guitars that state that they are made with Rio rosewood are either several years old (usually before 1969) or, if new, were made from old rosewood stocks that were imported to Europe or America before the wood was blacklisted.

Walnut Europe

Common names: European walnut, English walnut, French walnut

Scientific name: Juglans regia

Origin: Europe

Average weight after drying per m3: 640 kg

Janka Hardness: 1220 Tree height: 24-35 m Tree diameter: 1.5-2 m

Walnut America

Common names: American walnut, black walnut

Scientific name: Juglans nigra

Origin: East of USA

Average weight after drying per m3: 610 kg

Janka Hardness: 1010 Tree height: 30-37 m Tree diameter: 0.6-1 m

Walnut has enjoyed steadily increasing popularity in guitar making in recent years. The wood has an attractive color and delivers a very balanced tone, with subtle bass, powerful mids and flattering highs.

Ebony Africa

Common Name: African Ebony

Scientific name: Diospyros crassiflora

Origin: Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria

Average weight after drying per m3: 955 kg

Janka Hardness: 3080 Tree height: 15-18 m Tree diameter: 0.6-1 m

Ebony Macassar

Common names: Ebony Makassar, Striped Ebony, Amara Ebony

Scientific name: Diospyros celebica

Origin: Indonesia

Average weight after drying per m3: 1120 kg

Janka Hardness: 3220 Tree height: 15-20 m Tree diameter: 0.4 m

Ebony black and white

Common Names: Black and White Ebony, Pale Moon Ebony

Scientific name: Diospyros malabarica (syn. Diospyros embryopteris, D. peregrina)

Origin: Laos and Southeast Asia

Average weight after drying per m3: 825 kg

Janka Hardness: 1780 Tree height: 15-35 m Tree diameter: 0.3-1 m

Use: Fingerboards, bridges, as Makkassar also backs and sides, headstock veneer

Properties: Very hard and durable, lots of sustain

Just like rosewood, this tropical wood is characterized by above-average density and strength.

Basswood

Common names: American linden, basswood

Scientific name: Tilia americana

Origin: East of USA

Average weight after drying per m3: 415 kg

Janka Hardness: 410 Tree height: 20-37 m Tree diameter: 1-1.2 m

Use: Bodies (e.g. Fender Squier Bullet series)

Features: mid-weighted

Very light and soft wood, rather inconspicuous visually. In English it is called basswood - the name says it all. In the overdrive range, a very fat, powerful sound with a powerful thrust and beautiful overtones. Clean, a little undefined. But especially in combination with a maple top, a wide sound spectrum, ideal for metal, nu rock and all harder styles.

Ovangkol

Common names: Ovangkol, Shedua

Scientific name: Guibourtia ehie

Origin: Tropical West Africa

Average weight after drying per m3: 825 kg

Janka Hardness: 1330 Tree height: 30-45 m Tree diameter: 1-1.5 m

This African wood has become increasingly popular in acoustic guitar making, especially in recent years, and has become a common wood for back and sides for some manufacturers, including Larrivée and Taylor. It has a distinctive, structured interlocking grain and a coloration ranging from yellowish to dark brown. Ovangkol offers an articulation that combines the rich depths of rosewood with the bell-like highs of maple.