AKARSH SHEKHAR
Tonewood- What Is It And How Does
It Affect The Sound Of Your Guitar
When guitar players develop themselves , they want to create their signature sound through their guitar . This type of music to be chosen is a result of the mixture of guitar amps , guitar pedals , and the effect of wood used in guitar making . You should know the effect of the tree you choose on the tone of your guitar and you should not regret it in the future by choosing accordingly . The type of wood used in making different parts of the guitar usually varies . You don ’ t often get a guitar that is entirely constructed of one kind of wood . The Ibanez PIA series ( Steve Vai ’ s latest signature model ) has an Alder body with a rosewood fretboard and a maple neck . You should be mindful of all the kinds of wood used in your guitar when you are selecting it .
Now , we will try to explain the effect of the most preferred wood species on the guitar tone and the famous guitar brands that use these .
Types Of Tonewood and The Trees They Come From
Red Alder
• It is an inexpensive wood species with a characteristically bright tone .
• Does not have a very long sustain
• The most preferred guitars are the American-made Fender Stratocaster and Jacksons .
• Available in beautiful clean tones as well as a bright and high tone
• It is a type of wood known for being soft , light and flexible .
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• It is frequently seen that famous brands are preferred in the best quality models .
• Guitars made of redwood , which are in the top 3 in the ranking of quality woods , are quite expensive when it comes to the top levels .
• It is frequently preferred in metal music because it has a high and bright sound .
• Because it is a light wood , it is the most preferred wood type in V-shaped guitars .
Maple
• Widely used by numerous guitar makers
• The main reason is that it is a durable tree species .
• There are also guitar models in which the fingerboard is used instead of the neck . It has a brighter tone than rosewood .
• Its wood is quite hard and not flexible
• The tones of maple guitars , which form a heavy guitar , are beautiful and pleasant
• The company that produces guitars with the most maple fretboards is the Musicman brand .
Mahogany
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• It is a very heavy type of wood .
• Bass sounds are quite strong and have plenty of sustain .
• It has a characteristically harsh and dark tone
• It is highly preferred in jazz and blues genres .
• It is used in Les Paul type guitars , but its weight can be a disadvantage .
• ● It is a tree with high resistance , it does not bend .
• It is used in Esp ’ s Eclipse series and is more commonly known as a metalworker ’ s tree .
Rosewood
• Very commonly used in guitar fretboards
• Available in mid and upper segment guitars of almost every brand
• It is not a very expensive tree
• Has a balanced tone
Ebony
• It is a very preferred hardwood type .
• It is darker in color than rosewood .
• It is used quite often on the fretboard as it is a hard textured wood and does not bend .
• The effect of ebony , which can be called the best wood , on guitars is also evident from its prices .
• The prices of guitars with ebony fretboards are quite high .
Linden Tree ( Basswood )
• The Linden Tree is quite thick and provides a lot of wood for making guitars .
• It has a bright timbre and is highly flexible .
• It is a soft wood with a beautiful texture .
• Used on most Ibanez guitars .