Just as different types of wood are sought after for their durability, color, and unique characteristics for home-building, flooring, furniture, etc, tonewoods are sought after for the exact same reasons. Some people will swear that they can tell the difference between tonewoods in electric guitars, but it seems to be subjective based on each person’s ear. If we’re talking about acoustic guitars then the answer is that it definitely matters. There are a ton of videos where people have experimented with different tonewoods in electric guitars and the conclusion is always that there doesn’t seem to be an objective difference between each wood used. The next step down, which is where you’ll find most guitars that cost $275 upwards are solid topped guitars. It has a distinctive punch for the mid-range tones, but it emphasizes the bright trebles that can be an asset in music when you achieve pitch-perfect intonation. Mahogany is considered as the wood of choice for back, sides and neck for many guitars. Ezo spruce from Hokkaido, Japan, is also highly regarded, but depleted resources have made it hard to obtain new supplies. It is further categorized as Quebec Spruce, Appalachian white spruce, Adirondack spruce, eastern or western white spruce based on origin and shipment. It’s similar in appearance and sound performance as Mahogany. So they have a variety of different sounding guitars – if you can be more specific with the model of Gibson that you are wanting to emulate that would be helpful. However, it has been done to build a guitar body, and it was done well on the famous Gibson J-200 that the Epiphone EJ-200SCE also imitated. This tonewood is strong and dense, and its sound projection is beefy enough to produce some distinct mid-range tones even you’re playing amongst other instruments. It has the double advantage of looking gorgeous (it comes in an astonishing range of browns and purples) and sounding rich, warm and loud. It’s also an attractive wood. Now we know why wood matters and how influential it is on sound impact. It’s very light in color producing a bright and resonant response. An additional benefit of Spruce is that it combines well with other types of wood giving producers more flexibility. Just check out the Fender CD-60CE Acoustic Electric Guitar for proof of a beautiful, all-laminate, highly-popular instrument! Rosewood is an open-grained (porous) wood and requires treatment with some kind of filler before finishing. This may beg the question, “Does tonewood still matter on an Acoustic Electric Guitar?””. One thing Cedar does well is bring out softer play styles. It’s not a particularly common fretboard wood for acoustic guitars, more often seen on electrics. You now have the ability to play plugged-in to amplify the natural acoustic harmonics of your tonewoods, or you can play unplugged when jammin’ it at a Summer bonfire. However, other options arguably have more visual appeal: North American flame maple, for instance, as well as figured ash, bubinga, and the following “exotics.”. Mahogany is softer and less dense wood in comparison to Rosewood and Maple. The acoustic electric guitar construction is still built the same way as an acoustic but with pickups added in the design. The first, and most significant question is whether tonewood actually matters? It produced good resonance and balances high ends well producing a reasonable bass. It originates from U.S and Canada. However, they have been seen on acoustic guitars, like the Seagull S6 Original QI. Your email address will not be published. Did you know certain wood grains, tree defects, and patterns are in high demand for the making of your guitar? What’s the point in paying more for a guitar because it’s made from more expensive materials if it doesn’t matter? But is very commonly used for Electric instruments, violins, violas, double basses and cellos. It’s a typical wood that often sounds better as it ages. Usually you’ll see the wood listed as Swamp Ash. Another exotic tonewood is making a name for itself in the guitar industry. It’s also harder, more dense and heavier than Alder. Different types of woods affect the sound produced by guitar in major ways. It is a very resonant softwood belonging to the pine family. Cocobolo, a dense hardwood from Central America, is stunning in its figuration and color range (from red to black). You can find a solid top maple guitar from around $350 upwards, so you tend to find them in the mid-price range. Retrieved from https://acousticguitar.com/guitar-guru-can-you-hear-the-difference-in-tonewoods/, Benincasa, R. (2019, August 27). You might see a reasonably cheap guitar consisting of a Spruce top paired with mahogany back and sides. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thank you for your interest. We'll walk you through the different types of woods and hopefully help you whilst making you decision. Like rosewood, it’s employed principally for guitar backs and sides, as well as fingerboards and bridges, though all-mahogany models are not uncommon. If getting to know the tonewoods was a little overwhelming, wait until you hear that there’s also a type of wood construction that you’ll need to get familiar with too! In laminated form, these are visually quite attractive. It is used more for back and sides of acoustic guitars. However, within the last century, the Piezo pickup was designed, and it changed the dominant role that tonewood once served. Its lighter colored wood contrasts beautifully with darker tonewoods on the back and sides. The Taylor GS Mini-e Koa guitar sports this stunning exotic tonewood. Resins in the freshly cut tree gives rose flower like fragrance. For acoustic guitars, it lacks the recognition of Rosewood or Mahogany. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In fact it’s classified as protected. As mentioned earlier, acoustic guitars are where tonewoods really matter.