Which Wood for Guitar Bodies?

[Steadfastly]

 

Originally Posted by billybilly

I'm a basswood fan too. I think it gets a bad wrap due to consistency in resonance but all the ones I have had sounded great. Dents? Nothing that a little poly can't protect.

 

I'm starting to think more and more along this line. If you're going to paint it anyway you might as well get something light.

[Radar-Love]

Originally Posted by dparr

This guitar is made out of bamboo. A grass.

Hopefully, it's lighter in weight than the other bamboo creations that I've picked up in the past (i.e. -- about half glue and half bamboo).

Bamboo is well known as a very sustainable cellulose resource, that's why it's being pushed as a tree-wood replacement for things like wood flooring.

Originally Posted by gergbee

Not all trees

There are a few trees that can do immediate damage to your skin or even kill you if you come in contact with their sap. So, yes, not all trees.

[guitarcapo]

In my opinion you want a wood that isn't too light or too heavy. A hardwood that can be used for the back and sides of an acoustic as WELL as the top is a good candidate for an electric guitar body. That would be something like koa or light mahogany.

Koa wins for beauty and rarity so I guess in my opinion the ultimate speacies of wood for an electric guitar is all koa.

Something like ebony for the board.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carvin-DC127...-/130822767548

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by guitarcapo

In my opinion you want a wood that isn't too light or too heavy. A hardwood that can be used for the back and sides of an acoustic as WELL as the top is a good candidate for an electric guitar body. That would be something like koa or light mahogany.

Koa wins for beauty and rarity so I guess in my opinion the ultimate speacies of wood for an electric guitar is all koa.

Something like ebony for the board.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carvin-DC127...-/130822767548

Koa kinda invalids your "not too heavy" rule.

[fragglerick]

Originally Posted by Pine Apple Slim

Sure to start a war, but I'll give my perspective, however biased and limited.
Poplar(+)neutral tone, easy to work, light.(-) dings easily but not as bad a basswood, not particularly pretty grain so usually painted.
I've heard some good sounding mexican strats from poplar, Fender Mexicao went to poplar for a while in painted strats. Not much dif tonally than alder.
Basswood(+) neutral tone, easy to work, light.(-) dings easily. Better painted, not much grain. I like it. I had a basswood MIM Fretless Jazz Bass that was great.
Swamp Ash(+) Because thats whats in a blackguard Tele, period.(-) porous grain requires filling for smooth finish. I've never owned a swamp ash guitar. Have a heavy northern ash MIM strat, its twangier than the alder ones I compared it to when I bought it.
Alder(+) A Fender staple. Neutral & balanced tone, easy to work.(-) grain is unspectacular. Never owned an Alder guitar but I've played many of em.
Maple(+) Bright (-) Bright, can be heavy. I have an all hard rock maple Carvin I love. Can be great with the right combination of body size, scale, and pickups.
Mahogany(+) Darker tone. Pretty Grain (-) Darker tone, relatively heavy. Again needs to be combined with the right neck and pickups.
Black Korina-Dont know much about it. Most say its a snappier tone than mahogany but not as snappy as ash. I do know Korina Explorers and Vs are great sounding axes with a unique tone. If I used it I'd pair it with a gibson scale neck and humbuckers. On acoustics, its bright and snappy yet decent bass, and beautiful and expensive.
Walnut-dunno. For an acoustic back and sides, its in between mahogany and rosewood. .Dunno how that translates to elec. I think it would be heavy, and is not the easiest wood to work. Beautiful grain tho.

In my opinion, the wood is just one bit of the equation in the overall sound of an electric solid body guitar. Scale length, body size & shape, fretboard, type bridge, and most importantly pickups also contribute to the tone. Its all the componets in the right combination that makes it special. I have teles with bodies made from plywood, pine, and pawlonia and they all sound different but good. As with all my guitars, they all have different necks and pickups, so its hard to say what the wood contributes. Many would argue it makes no diff.

THIS. ^^^^^

[guitarcapo]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

Koa kinda invalids your "not too heavy" rule.

It's actually fairly light and porous. It was originally the wood surf boards were made of.

When dry, koa ranges in weight from 2.7 pounds per board foot to 3.5 pounds per board foot.

Mahogany is usually 3.5 pounds a board foot.

[twofoolsaminute]

If you're going to start building guitars. I suggest building Fender body styles from Swamp Ash or Alder. You can buy necks that bolt right on and wiring kits are readily available. Once you have that going, you can branch out from there.