About Tonewoods…
There are many different woods utilized in building today’s instruments. No single wood is necessarily “better” than another; the type of wood used for any given instrument depends on a number of factors. Your personal tastes and musical style will be key in selecting the best instrument for you. Here is a brief description of some of the woods used on Hohner fretted instruments.
ALDER
Alder is used extensively for electric guitar bodies because of its lighter weight and full sound. The closed grain of Alder, along with the natural color and lack of grain lines, makes it easy to finish. The tone is very well balanced with even lows, mids and highs.
ASH
Northern Ash is hard, dense wood. Because of its density, it produces a bright tone and a long sustain which makes it very popular. Its color is creamy, but it also tends to have heartwood featuring pink to brown tints.
BUBINGA
A very strong stiff wood, it is popular for laminate tops due to its innate beauty. Bodies made with Bubinga tend to have increased sustain due to its density and the overall tone is bright and snappy.
EBONY
Ebony is a highly-figured wood that can range from a rich, understated grain to an incredibly intricate grain pattern. It can also include a range of hues, from deep reds and browns to deep black. It is an ancient wood and has been used in the manufacture of musical instruments for centuries. Ebony is a member of the Rosewood family and shares many of the tonal characteristics of Brazilian Rosewood (known as the “Holy Grail” of tonewoods).
KOA
This attractive and figured wood comes from
MAHONGANY
Mahogany is a medium to heavy weight wood with a fine grain and great musical properties. The tone is warm and full with good sustain. Mahogany is very popular in acoustic guitar manufacturing since it is easy to work with, easy to finish and has good tonal characteristics.
MAPLE
Maple is typically a hard, dense wood. The grain is closed and takes a finish well. The tone of Maple is generally bright with good sustain. Maple is a beautiful wood and looks great with clear or transparent color finishes. Flame, Curly, Quilted or Tiger are all common variations and describe the type of visible figuring present.
OVANGKOL
Ovangkol, when combined with the right top, gives you a bright and wonderfully responsive guitar. Ovangkol also has a low-end depth similar to Rosewood, but with a brighter top-end – the kind associated with medium density woods such as Koa and Walnut.
ROSEWOOD
Rosewood is an exotic wood with rich, thick grain. It can have a wide range of colors and patterns present in it striping. You can expect big warm tones from Rosewood with smooth high end roll off. There are several variations of Rosewood available in acoustic guitars – Indian and Honduran are common. Brazilian Rosewood is very rare as it is no longer harvested.
Sitka Spruce is the best known and most widely used top wood for guitar soundboards. It is typically colored from white-ink to a light pink-brown. Sitka Spruce produces a very loud, wood tonality. Its well balanced tone is a favorite for fingerpickers, the choice of many bluegrass players and those who play in a group setting.
ENGLEMANN SPRUCE
Engelmann spruce is a variation fo
Spruce that often has an ivory-white color. Its grain is more consistent and thight than other Spruce varieties. It is a little less
stiff than European Spruce and usually has little figure or “silk.” It offers a
nicely balanced tone which makes it ideal for a variety of acoustic
instruments.