Tonewood

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Tonewood refers to specific wood varieties that possess tonal properties that make them good choices for use in woodwind or acoustic stringed instruments.

Varieties of tonewood[]

As a rough generalization it can be said that stiff-but-light softwoods (i.e. from coniferous trees) are favored for the soundboards or soundboard-like surface that transmits the vibrations of the strings to the ambient air. Hardwoods (i.e. from deciduous trees) are favored for the body or framing element of an instrument. Woods used for woodwind instruments include African blackwood, (Dalbergia melanoxylon), also known as grenadilla wood, used in modern clarinets and oboes. Bassoons are usually made of maple, especially Acer platanoides. Wooden flutes, recorders, and baroque and classical period instruments may be made of various hardwoods, such as pear wood (Pyrus species), boxwood (Buxus species), or ebony (Diospyros species).

Softwoods[]

• Spruces are often used in the sound boards of instruments from the lute, violin, oud, mandolin, guitar, and harpsichord families; as well as the piano. Spruce is particularly suited for this use because of its high stiffness-to-weight ratio. Commonly used varieties are Sitka (or Alaskan) spruce (Picea sitchensis), Adirondack (or red) spruce (Picea rubens), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), and Picea abies (variously known as Norwegian, German, Alpine, Italian or European spruce).
• Cedars, particularly Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata, not a true cedar), have since the 1950s been used in the tops of flamenco guitars, classical guitars and to a less degree in steel string acoustic guitars.
• Yew was once widely used for lute bowls.
• Other softwoods, such as redwood and Douglas fir have been used to a limited degree. Redwood is not used commonly for guitars with steel strings, but has been used for Spanish guitars.^[1]

Hardwoods[]

• Maple is traditionally used for the backs and sides of violin family instruments. It is also frequently seen in acoustic guitars and mandolins. Most Fender electric guitars feature maple necks (it is one of the hardest and most stable tonewoods, so it is often used in the neck because of its ability to withstand high string tension). Hard-rock maple is commonly used for wooden tripods for its vibration damping properties. Variations of maple (commonly maple wood with flamed or quilted grains) are used on the tops of electric guitars for aesthetic purposes. The very sturdy frame of the modern piano is usually made of maple or of beech.
• Mahogany may be used in the tops of some guitars as well as the back, sides, and necks of instruments of the mandolin and guitar families. Mahogany may also be used for the solid bodies of electric guitars, such as the Gibson Les Paul. Due to lack of availability other similar woods are used as mahogany replacements, such as toona, khaya, meranti, Agathis, nato wood and sapele. Some of these alternatives are Mahogany family timbers.
• Rosewoods are often used in the back and/or sides of guitars and mandolins and fretboards on guitars. The most sought-after variety, Brazilian rosewood, Dalbergia nigra, has become scarce and expensive due to severe trade restrictions (embargo and CITES), scarcity and demand. However, in August 2019, CITES announced^[2] an exception for rosewood used in musical instruments. The most widely used rosewood used now is east Indian rosewood, often paired with a spruce top for steel string guitars and with spruce or cedar for classical guitars.
• Koa is traditionally used for ukuleles. Koa is also used for steel string guitars mostly due to its beauty and compressed dynamic range.
• Ebony is also often used in many types of instruments for fingerboards, tailpieces, tuning pegs, and so forth due to its attractive appearance, smoothness to the touch, hardness and wear resistance. Several varieties of ebony are used. Ebony is often dyed to make it appear more uniformly black than the natural wood, which sometimes shows brown streaks.
• Cocobolo used in upper-end clarinets and guitars.
• Paubrasilia, commonly called pernambuco or Brazilwood, is the most sought-after material for the bows of classical stringed instruments, because of its effects on the tones they produce.^[3]
• Blackwood (Tasmanian/Australian).^[4]
• Walnut is often used for the backs and sides of guitars and mandolin family instruments.^[5]
• Ash, alder and basswood are commonly used for the bodies of electric guitars for their stiff properties.

Mechanical properties of tonewoods[]

Some of the mechanical properties of common tonewoods, sorted by density.