So, what is a tone wood?
If you look at acoustic guitar manufacturers, most of them will expound about the tone woods they use for their acoustic guitars and for good reason. The type of wood used to construct an acoustic guitar will make a difference in how well the guitar projects and what it sounds like. So, what is a tone wood? According to Wikipedia, a tone wood is used to describe a wood species that is suitable for stringed instruments.
So, what are some different types of tone woods? Alder, basswood, Mahogany, Swamp Ash, Walnut, Koa , Maple, Rosewood and more. What type of characteristics change with the type of tone wood selected? The grain and pore size of the wood does and it affects its tone. Alder for instance, has swirling grains and tight pores, which provide higher and lower tones, but not much in mid tones. Basswood is inexpensive, has tighter grains promoting softer highs, but with it being a softer wood, it also has weaker lows.
Mahogany is very popular on acoustic guitars, due to it being economical to use, easy to machine, attractive, durable and resonant. It doesn’t have a super bright tone and it’s not quite as loud as some other tone woods. You can hear this tone wood a lot on early Beatles tunes, as they used Gibson guitars made with Mahogany.
One of the more exotic tone woods is Koa, which is only sourced in Hawaii. This means, it is in relatively short supply. This is a beautiful tone wood with strong grain lines and a rich golden color. It has the warmth of Rosewood and the brightness of Mahogany.
As you can see, nature provides our guitar manufacturers with a lot of tone wood choices that differ in both beauty and function. At the end of the day, it’s the acoustic players choice in the sound they like and the look they desire for their guitar. For some additional information, SoundUnlimited.co.uk has some great descriptions on the properties of various tone woods and their application on a guitar. Have an awesome day. Cheers!