Types Of Wood

One of the biggest factors that will determine the price of a guitar is the wood that is used. There are guitars that are made using all solid wood and guitars that are made with wood laminates. Acoustic guitars can have a combination of solid wood tops with laminate back and sides. (You may be wondering where the “top” of the guitar is. It is actually the front of the guitar where the sound hole is, but guitar makers call it the “top.”) In addition to this, many different types of wood are used including spruce, mahogany, alder, ash, cedar, maple, koa, rosewood, and various exotic woods as well. When used in guitar making, these woods will each produce a different sounding guitar. Without going into a complete education on wood, let’s breakdown the basics that you should know as a beginner searching for your first guitar.

Solid wood means it is one piece of wood cut from the tree and used to produce a part of the guitar, whereas a laminate is many smaller pieces of wood glued together in layers. Solid wood will resonate more and have a fuller, richer tone than laminate wood. This is especially true when it comes to acoustic guitars. Solid wood will also change over time and is believed to actually sound better with age, while laminate wood will always sound the same.

The only guitars made with all solid wood are high-end models, typically priced closed to $1,000 and higher. Acoustic guitars with just a solid top, however, are much more affordable. You will find guitars in the $300-$400 price range that will feature a solid top. Though it will not have the full sound and resonance of an all-solid acoustic guitar, you can hear a significant difference between a guitar that is made of all laminate woods and a guitar with a solid top. This $300-$400 dollar price is range is also where you will start to see variations in the type of wood used. You can start to choose between spruce and cedar tops, mahogany and rosewood backs and sides, and literally dozens of other combinations.

Some of you out there may be starting to think this is getting more complicated than you had anticipated. No need to worry. 99.999% of all entry-level guitars are made with laminate woods. Beginner acoustic guitars typically have laminate spruce wood for the top of the guitar and laminate mahogany wood for the back and sides of the guitar. Entry-level electric guitars, although referred to as “solid bodies,” are usually some type of laminate as well.

Unless you are thinking about getting into that $300 and up price range, you don’t have to think much about the type of wood at all. Similar to pickups on an electric guitar, as a beginner, it can sometimes be difficult to even hear the difference between different types of wood. If you are interested in learning more about the woods that are used in guitars, feel free to stop in our store for more detailed explanations and demonstrations.