Tone Woods: Guitar Tonewoods and Luthier Wood Guide
                     TONE WOODS: THE 
SOAP TO YOUR 
SPINNING.
AMONGST THE DISCUSSIONS OF SERIOUS GUITAR LOVERS AND GUITAR 
BUILDING THERE IS ONE TOPIC THAT THEY ALL AGREE ON: TONE WOODS ARE 
ESSENTIAL. A PROFESSIONAL GUITAR MAKER OR A BEGINNER LUTHIER 
CHOOSING HIS FIRST SET OF HIGH-QUALITY WOOD BLANKS, KNOWING WHAT 
GIVES A TONEWOOD ITS SPECIALNESS IS A NECESSITY FOR MAKING AN 
INSTRUMENT THAT IS FULL OF LIFE AND SPIRIT. EXOTIC WOOD ZONE IS ALL 
ABOUT OFFERING THE FINEST GUITAR WOODS THAT ENABLE THE MAKERS TO 
TURN THEIR MUSICAL IDEAS INTO REALITY.
WHAT ARE TONE WOODS?
SIMPLY PUT, A TONEWOOD IS ANY WOOD THAT IS SELECTED SPECIFICALLY FOR ITS 
INFLUENCE ON THE ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES OF A GUITAR. THESE ARE NOT JUST PIECES OF 
LUMBER BUT THEY ARE WOODS THAT HAVE SPECIAL STRUCTURAL AND ACOUSTIC 
CHARACTERISTICS AND CAN FIT BEST INTO VARIOUS SECTIONS OF A GUITAR. THIS 
ENCOMPASSES THE BODY, THE NECK AND EVEN THE FINGERBOARD OF THE INSTRUMENT. 
ALL WOOD SPECIES RESONATE IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND THIS INFLUENCES THE SOUND 
WAVE TRAVELING IN THE BODY OF THE GUITAR. ONE SPECIES MAY HAVE A WARMER AND 
RICHER SOUND THAN ANOTHER, THE OTHER WITH A BRIGHTER AND SHARPER SOUND. IT 
IS THIS FLUCTUATION THAT IS KNOWN TO PROVIDE THE VARIABILITY OF THE GUITAR. 
WHY TONEWOODS MATTER TO 
LUTHIERS
FOR A GUITAR LUTHIER, WOOD IS THE VERY FIRST STEP IN THEIR WORK. IN A SIMILAR FASHION AN 
ARTIST PICKING PAINT AND BRUSHES A LUTHIER WILL CHOOSE GUITAR TONEWOODS TO GIVE THE 
INSTRUMENT ITS CHARACTER. A WRONG SELECTION WILL RESULT IN A FLAT GUITAR; ON THE 
OTHER HAND, THE RIGHT ONE WILL LEAD TO SOUND OPENING UP, SOLID RESONANCE AND MORE 
SENSITIVE TOUCH FOR THE FINGERS OF THE OWNER.
AT EXOTIC WOOD ZONE, THE EMPHASIS IS ON PROVIDING TONEWOODS THAT ARE NOT JUST 
BEAUTIFUL BUT ACOUSTICALLY DEPENDABLE. THE SOUND OF A GUITAR IS A COMPLICATED 
COMBINATION OF THE DENSITY OF WOOD, THE STRUCTURE OF THE GRAIN AS WELL AS THE 
INTERACTION OF THE GUITAR MATERIAL AND THE OTHER COMPONENTS. ALL THE PARTS - A SPRUCE 
TOP THAT GIVES WARMTH, A ROSEWOOD BACK SO AS TO IMPROVE RESONANCE ETC. - 
CONTRIBUTE TO THE EVENTUAL SOUND. 
POPULAR GUITAR WOODS AND THEIR 
ROLES
UNDERSTANDING GUITAR WOODS IS ESSENTIAL BEFORE YOU START BUILDING OR UPGRADING 
YOUR INSTRUMENT. HERE ARE SOME COMMONLY USED TONEWOODS AND WHAT THEY BRING TO 
THE TABLE:
• SPRUCE: THIS IS A COMMON MATERIAL ON TOP OF GUITAR BECAUSE OF ITS LIGHT WEIGHT AND GOOD 
PROJECTION. IT DOES NOT PROVIDE AN OVERLY HEAVY OR HEAVY-HANDED SOUND. 
• CEDAR: LIGHT AND SOFT WHEN COMPARED TO SPRUCE, CEDAR MAKES LIGHT SWEET SOUND AND 
GOOD IN MAKE-UP WITH FINGERS. 
• MAHOGANY: MAHOGANY IS A FAVOURITE MATERIAL BECAUSE OF ITS RICH AND WARM COLOUR. IT IS 
ALSO USED IN BODIES AND NECKS. IT HAS A HARMONIOUS MIDRANGE TO SUSTAIN THE LOW NOTES. 
• ROSEWOOD: ROSEWOOD, A HIGH QUALITY MATERIAL, HAS GOT A DARK RICH TONE AND A LOVELY 
OVERTONE, WHICH IS ALSO THE BEST IN PLAYING THE BACK AND SIDES OF ACOUSTIC GUITAR. 
• MAPLE: MAPLE IS BRIGHT AND SNAPPY WITH A GOOD SUSTAIN THAT IS USUALLY EMPLOYED IN THE 
NECK OF THE ELECTRIC GUITARS AND OCCASIONALLY IN ELECTRIC GUITAR BODIES. 
EVERY TONEWOOD HAS A VOICE OF ITS OWN, AND PART OF THE ARTISTRY OF A GUITAR LUTHIER IS 
LEARNING HOW TO COMBINE THESE VOICES TO CREATE A BALANCED AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. 
CHOOSING THE RIGHT LUTHIER WOOD 
FOR YOUR PROJECT
SELECTING THE RIGHT LUTHIER WOOD IS MORE THAN PICKING WHAT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL 
ON THE OUTSIDE. YOU MUST HAVE WOOD THAT CAN WORK, STAND THE TEST OF TIME, 
WEATHERING, AS WELL AS HELP TO TONE THE INSTRUMENT WITH THE SOUND YOU WANT. 
AT EXOTIC WOOD ZONE, TONEWOODS ARE SOURCED AND PREPARED TO OFFER 
CONSISTENCY, STABILITY, AND ACOUSTIC QUALITY THAT PROFESSIONAL BUILDERS AND 
HOBBYISTS CAN TRUST. 
THE SITE FEATURES AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF TONEWOOD SPECIES SUITABLE FOR 
VARIOUS GUITAR PARTS - FROM BODY BLANKS AND NECK BLANKS TO FINGERBOARDS AND 
GUITAR PARTS. SUCH DIVERSITY ENABLES THE BUILDERS TO COMBINE AND INTERCHANGE 
WOODS TO ADJUST THE SOUND THAT THEY DESIRE. 
FINAL THOUGHTS
IN THE GUITAR-MAKING INDUSTRY, THE USE OF TONEWOODS IS NOT MERELY A 
MATTER OF CHOICE OF MATERIALS, BUT RATHER A MATTER OF CHARACTER AND 
NATURE FROM THE SOUND POINT OF VIEW. THE SOFTNESS OF MAHOGANY AND THE 
SHEER BRILLIANCE OF SPRUCE HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON - THEY ALL CONTRIBUTE 
AN INVALUABLE PART TO THE FINAL INSTRUMENT. IT IS A MATTER OF COURSE THAT 
EVERY GUITAR LUTHIER AND WOOD LOVER WILL FIND IT INDISPENSABLE TO HAVE 
ACCESS TO BEST QUALITY GUITAR WOODS. THE RIGHT TONEWOODS CAN TRANSFORM 
YOUR PROJECT FROM A GOOD ONE TO AN EXTRAORDINARY ONE, WHETHER YOU ARE 
BUILDING A CUSTOM ACOUSTIC OR MAKING AN ELECTRIC GUITAR WITH LIVELY 
CHARACTER.
IF YOU ARE REALLY INTO THE BUILDING OR UPGRADING OF YOUR GUITAR, TAKE A LOOK 
AT THE TONEWOOD SELECTION AT EXOTIC WOOD ZONE WHICH IS AN EXCELLENT 
PLACE TO START; BECAUSE GREAT GUITARS ARE MADE FROM EXCEPTIONAL WOOD.