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This post may be a bit different from the usual stuff, but as a guitarist and a woodworker, I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than a nicely built guitar with exotic woods.  But what is the best electric guitar wood?

As you know there are countless types of wood, but generally hardwoods are the standard for electric guitars.  You need the guitar to be sturdy, and it has to support the pressure from the guitar neck, so softer woods are not used much (however, Fender has some great sounding telecasters made of pine).

Wood for necks has to be especially strong and woods like hard maple, walnut, and mahogany are used frequently.  Maple and rosewood are the two most commonly used woods for fingerboards, but other hardwoods work just as well.

When it comes to bodies, there are lots of guitar tone woods.  You can either have a solidbody (ex. 1.75″ alder), or use a core body wood with a separate top (ex. mahogany core with a 1/4″ quilted maple top).  There are tons of choices, but here are some of the standard choices of wood for guitars:

Alder- The first guitar I built had an alder body.  It is easy to work with, has a nice tone, and is lightweight.

Ash- Hard and ligthweight, looks great with a natural finish.  Bright tone, popular choice for funk basses and teles.

Basswood- Very lightweight and easy to work with.  Good tone (used frequently by Ibanez), but softer and easier to dent.

Maple- The most common electric guitar wood.  Hard maple is used for necks and fingerboards, and soft maple (quilted, flamed, spalted, burl) is used as a great looking top for bodies.  Hard and stable with a bright tone.

Mahogany- Another common choice for necks and bodies.  Hard, but softer than maple, and easier to work with.  A nice warm tone, and mid-weight, can be used for everything but fingerboards.

Poplar- Similar to alder, it is lightweight and easy to work with.  Fairly soft, it is cheap and easily accessible, used on many low end guitars and popular among beginners making their first guitar.

Rosewood- East Indian Rosewood is the most common wood for fingerboards, and is occasionally used as a top wood for bodies.  Other types of rosewood are used for necks and fingerboards on high end guitars.

Walnut- A great wood to work with, looks great with a natural finish.  Can be used for necks and bodies.  A bit darker tone, suited well for basses.

Of course, these are only a few of the most commonly used woods for guitars.  For more information on guitar tonewoods, I recommend visiting the Warmoth website.  They specialize in making custom guitar necks and bodies, and they have a lot of information on the different types of woods used.

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