List of Woods Covered
Ervin Somagyi had this wisdom to impart: "As a guitar maker, I prefer woods that are “live,” regardless of their grain, figure, or color. What that means in practical terms is that one will be able to get a live and musical tone from a particular slice or chunk of wood when tapping on it. The reason some woods are called tonewoods is because they literally produce a musical note. And this quality, when used to make a guitar soundbox, will make a better and more acoustically active guitar than would be the case if the woods used made some kind of thud or thunk when tapped.
There are live woods that look rather plain, while there are 'dead' woods that look like Raquel Welch in 3-D. Fine for making furniture, the flash and beauty of the latter have an obvious appeal, and many guitars get made simply because their visual gorgeousness will be a strong selling point. ...
Though the acoustic properties of a given wood might make it a joy for a guitar maker to work with, marketing a new wood can be tricky. No one will have heard of it—much less have had experience with it—so the buying public will probably be resistant to accepting it.
That said, making guitars with...(substitute any given wood)... for the back and sides should not be much of an impediment for younger guitar makers who are still establishing their reputations and styles. It’s the more established guitar makers like myself who meet the greatest resistance to anything new, since we already have reputations for using this wood or that wood, or have a familiar style or feature associated with our work."
An * designates wood used for tops.
And ** is for woods used both for tops and back & sides.
Ervin Somagyi had this wisdom to impart: "As a guitar maker, I prefer woods that are “live,” regardless of their grain, figure, or color. What that means in practical terms is that one will be able to get a live and musical tone from a particular slice or chunk of wood when tapping on it. The reason some woods are called tonewoods is because they literally produce a musical note. And this quality, when used to make a guitar soundbox, will make a better and more acoustically active guitar than would be the case if the woods used made some kind of thud or thunk when tapped.
There are live woods that look rather plain, while there are 'dead' woods that look like Raquel Welch in 3-D. Fine for making furniture, the flash and beauty of the latter have an obvious appeal, and many guitars get made simply because their visual gorgeousness will be a strong selling point. ...
Though the acoustic properties of a given wood might make it a joy for a guitar maker to work with, marketing a new wood can be tricky. No one will have heard of it—much less have had experience with it—so the buying public will probably be resistant to accepting it.
That said, making guitars with...(substitute any given wood)... for the back and sides should not be much of an impediment for younger guitar makers who are still establishing their reputations and styles. It’s the more established guitar makers like myself who meet the greatest resistance to anything new, since we already have reputations for using this wood or that wood, or have a familiar style or feature associated with our work."
An * designates wood used for tops.
And ** is for woods used both for tops and back & sides.
Acacia
Achihua
*Adirondack Red Spruce
African Blackwood
African Walnut
Afzelia (Makamong)
*Agathis
*Alaskan Yellow Cedar
Alder
Amazon Rosewood
Angelique
Apple
Ash
Australian Blackwood (Black Acacia)
*Australian Red Cedar
Avodire
Balsamo
Barba Joleta
**Basswood
Bastogne Walnut
Beech
Beefwood
Big Leaf Maple
Birch
Black Acacia
Black Ebony
Black-Hearted Sassafras
Black Limba (Korina)
Black Locust (Acacia)
Black Mulga
Bloodwood
Blue Gum Euclyptus
Blue Mahoe
Blue Spruce
Bocote
Bois D’Rose (Pallisander)
Bolivian Cedar
Bosse
Boxelder
Boxwood
Brazilian Cherry
Brazilian Rosewood
Bubinga (African Rosewood)
*Bunya
Butternut (White Walnut)
Cachimbo
Camatillo
Cambodian Beng
Canalete
Canarywood
Capriona
**Carbon Fiber
*Carpathian Spruce
Catahua
Catalpa
Cedro
Cha Chen
Chatke Viga
Cherry
Chesnut
Chinese Pistache
Claro Walnut
Cocobolo (Granadillo)
Copaiba
Cuban Mahogany
**Cypress
Dogwood
*Douglas Fir
East Indian Rosewood
Ebiara
Ebony
Elm
*Englemann Spruce (Italian, Alpine, European, Silver)
English Oak
English Walnut
Espave
Estoraque
Eucalyptus
European Beech
Flamewood
Franquette Walnut
Gidgee
Goncalo Alves (Tigerwood, South American Zebrawood)
Granadillo Pittier
Grenadillo
Guanacaste
Guatemalan Rosewood
Heart Rimu
Hickory
Higurerilla
**Honduran Mahogany
Honduran Rosewood
Hormigo
*Huon Pine
Hymiwood
Imbuya (Imbuia, Brazilian Walnut)
Inceana
Indian Rosewood
Ipe (Brazilian Walnut, Lapacho)
Ishpingo
Isigo
Jacaranda (Indonesian Rosewood)
Jarrah
Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry)
Juniper
Katalox
Kauri
Kembang Semangkok
Kentucky Coffeewood
Keyaki
*King Billy Pine
Kingwood
**Koa
Lacewood (Leopardwood)
Lapacho
Larch
Laurel
Leopardwood
Lignum Vitae
Limba
Linden
Locust
*Lutz Spruce
Macacauba
Macassar Ebony
Machiche
Madagascar Rosewood
Madrone (Strawberry Tree)
Magnolia
**Mahogany
Makore (African Cherry, Douka, Baku, Cherry Mahogany)
Malaysian Blackwood
Manchinga
**Mango
Maple (Birdseye, Curly,Flamed)
Meranti
Mesquite
Moabi
Moena Amarillo
**Monkeypod (Rain Tree)
Mopane
**Monteray Cypress
Morado
Mountain Ash
Movingui (African Satinwood)
Mun Ebony
Mulberry
Mutenye
Myrtle (Pepperwood, Bay Laurel)
Narra (Amboyna, Angsana)
Nato (Nyatoh)
Northern Silky Oak
*Norway Spruce
Oak
**Okoume
Olivewood
Osage Orange (Bois D'Arc)
Ovangkol (Shedua)
Paduak
Paldao
Palo Escrito (Mexican Rosewood)
Panama Rosewood
Panguana
Parguana
Pashaco Amarillo
Pashaco Negra
Pau Ferro (Morado, Bolivian Rosewood)
**Paulownia
Pau Rosa
Pau Santo
Pear
Perambuco (Brazilwood)
Persimmon
Peruvian Rosewood
Peruvian Walnut
Pistachio
Plum
**Port Orford Cedar
Primavera (Spring or Paradise Wood)
Pumaquiro
Purple Gidgee
Purpleheart
Queensland Maple
Quillabordon
*Red Cedar
Red Gum Euclyptus
Redheart
Red Myrtle (Tasmlanian Tiger Myrtle, Myrtle Beech - now, that's funny)
*Redwood (Sinker)
Rengas
Requia
Sacha
Sapele
Satinwood (Movingui)
Sequoia
Shedua (Ovankol)
Shihuahuaco
Silver Acacia
Silver Oak (Silky Oak)
Sipo
Siris
Sitka Spruce
Snakewood (Letterwood, Lacewood, Amourette)
**Southern Yellow Pine
**Spanish Cedar
**Spanish Cypress
Striped Ebony
Sweet Cherry
Sycamore
Tamarack (Larch)
Tamarind
Tasmanian Blackwood (Black Acacia)
Tasmanian Tiger Myrtle
Tigerwood
Tigrillo
Tornillo
Tulip Magnolia
Tulipwood
T'zalam (Caribbean Walnut, et. al.)
Umthunzi
Vanuatu Blackwood
Voamboana
Walnut (Claro, Black)
Wandoo
Wenge
White Oak
*White Pine
*Western Larch
*Western Red Cedar
Western Sheoak
*Yellow Cedar (Canadian Cypress)
Yellow Heart (Pau Amarello)
Yew
Zapatero
Zebrawood
Ziracote
