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Choosing by the wood

 

WoodsThe tone of an acoustic guitar is significantly influenced by the woods used. This applies particularly to the sound board, the sides and the back. So, in the selection of your guitar you might wish to do so by way of these elements, if you have experience of the tonal qualities of the various wood types. On this page you will find a list of tone woods utilized in the construction of our model range. 


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AAA European spruce

Botanic name: Picea abies
Origin: European alps, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy
Properties: Complex but transparent tonal spectrum with good trebles
Bright color, with fine annual rings and well-visible vascular rays
High stiffness and low weight at the same time

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AAAA European spruce

Botanic name: Picea abies
Origin: European alps, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy
Properties: Complex and transparent tonal spectrum with high resolution characteristics and perfect response
Bright color, with fine and narrow annual rings, well-visible vascular rays
The AAAA-selection is based upon the even narrower annual rings of the tree. The wood is stiffer and can therefore worked down to a smaller thickness (thinner) which results in a quicker resonse.
Very high rigidity and low weight at the same time

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AAA Cedar

Botanic name: Thuya plicata
Origin: Northwest coast of USA and Canada
Properties: Even and warm sonic characteristics with soft response
Light to dark brown color with clear annual rings

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Back & Sides

Mahogany (Style 14)

Botanic name: Entandrophragma cylindricum
Origin: West Africa
Properties: warm and well-balanced sound with soft basses, present mid range and comfortably gentle trebles
Red-brownish color with fine texture, interlocked grain plays with colors in certain light conditions

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Ovangkol (Style 18)

Botanic name: Guibourtia ehie
Origin: West Africa
Properties: strong bass with clear harmonics
Yellow-brown, sometimes almost golden color with obvious growth lines and a tiny hue of green

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Indian rosewood AA (Style 31)

Botanic name: Dalbergia latifolia
Origin: India and Pakistan
Properties: soundwise like AAA rosewood
Basic color like AAA rosewood, but with a few more (sometimes irregular) stripes. Sometimes also with a stronger red hue

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Indian rosewood AAA (Style 32)

Botanic name: Dalbergia latifolia
Origin: India and Pakistan
Properties: powerful transparent tone with strong basses and prominent trebles. The sonic properties of Indian rosewood are widely considered as a basic reference in the guitar world.
Brown with sometimes purple shades with straight annual rings

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Oak (Style 35)

Botanic name: Quercus alba
Origin: France, Germany
Properties: Strong warm and very complex tone with good separation throughout the range
Yellowish base tone with typical dark-brown structure

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Cypress (Style 36)

Botanic name: Taxodinum distichum
Origin: Turkey
Properties: Warm tone with rich harmonics and very quick response
Golden-yellow color with subtle, straight annual rings
Noticeable sweet smell
The usage of Cypress for steel string guitars may seem unusual, but it works surprisingly well!

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Ziricote (Style 45)

Botanic name: Cordia dodecandra
Origin: Mexico
Properties: Complex and expressive characterful tone in low and high frets with a good balance between strong bass frequencies, comfortable mids and shining trebles. Very good response with the right amount of harmonics and a dynamic range that exceeds the necessary.
Brown basic color with sometimes a shade of green. The texture is formed by remarkable dark-brown lines, that go wavy and overlapping each other across the surface.

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Myrtle (Style 52)

Botanic name: Umbellularia californica
Origin: Northwest of the USA
Properties: smooth and even sound with quick response and especially delicate and silvery trebles
Yellow-brownish base color with strong texture and darker lines. Myrtle can look pretty 'wild' and sometimes gets distinctive dark spots or 'stains' within the grain

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Cocobolo (Style 53)

Botanic name: Dalbergia retusa
Origin: Mexico, Guatemala
Properties: Clear and almost compressed sound with strong basses. The tone has got a high transparency with broad harmonics spectrum. Strings get a good sustain with wide dynamic range.
Red color with reddish shades and exciting dark lines
The weight of cocobolo is a little heavier

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Koa (Style 56)

Botanic name: Acacia koa
Origin: Hawaii
Properties: Warm and punchy sound with delicate trebles and not too strong basses
Brown color with exciting dark-brown lines and flames

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Flamed maple (Style 50)

Botanic name: Acer pseudoplatanus
Origin: Austria, Switzerland, Scottland
Properties: Sweet singing tone with rich mids, not too much bass and subtle trebles
Flamed maple is basically a 'normal' kind of maple. The so-called flames are caused by the weight of the tree itself. In the years of growth the lower log sections get compressed, which makes the fibers grow wavy. Those waves produce the flames in the eye of the beholder.

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Do you wish for even more info on properties or origin of different woods? If so, we recommend our wood guide. For choosing other available types of wood you will find further possibilities in the Lakewood Customshop.