Soundboards.   As already mentioned the traditional timber used for soundboards of instruments is either spruce or cedar. Both have a high stiffness to weight ratio.
	European Spruce (picea abies).  Renowned for producing rich trebles and high end clarity. Generally it has the highest stiffness to weight ratio of all the spruces. The sound produced by a European Spruce matures over a period of years and is said to improve with age in both warmth and clarity. My  personal favorite tonewood.
	Englemann (picea engelmanni) A more immediate tonewood in terms of playing in Englemann produces good treble separation and rich bass response right off the bat with good. Some say the tone dosen't mature in the same way as European Spruce, I however have found it to open up during the first few years of playing and produces a fine instrument for fingerpicking style guitars.
	Sitka (Picea Sitchensis) Sitka spruce has for a long time been used in production guitars because of its consistent quality. It may not be as rich in overtones but always produces a well rounded and balanced instrument at home in all styles.
	Adirondack Spruce (Picea Rubens)  The use of this timber has declined in recent years. It does have a notable pedigree in that it was used on nearly all pre-war Martin guitars. Need I say more!
	Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata) A long time favorite of many classical builders as an alternative to European Spruce. Becoming increasingly popular among steel string players. In particular folk and Celtic styles. The fundamental tone is perhaps somewhat mellower than spruce.
Back and sides The choice of wood for the back and sides of an instrument is diverse indeed below are listed just a few of the more common that I have experience with. If you have a requirement for any other timber not listed or a specific question send it to me here TALK TIMBER
	Rosewood    has long been considered the king of tonewoods for backs and sides. There are however many different types each with their own subtle characteristics.
	Brazilian (Dalbergia Nigra)  This rosewood gave rise to the popularity of all rosewoods used on today's instruments. Now no longer available commercially due to over logging. What does find its way through logging and export restrictions is snapped up fast. The sound it produces has become the holy grail of many instrument makers today. Loud, responsive, well balanced all round and almost unmistakable. Be prepared to pay big money if nothing else will do.
	Indian (Dalbergia Latifolia)   A dark and attractive rosewood that has replaced Brazilian rosewood as the first choice among many Instrument makers. A rich, warm and sustained tone. Good with almost any size or shape of instrument.
	Cocobolo (Dalbergia Restusa)  An attractive wood that many reckon to be the closet to Brazilian Rosewood in the tone it produces. Personally I believe it to have a tone all of it's own rich bright and strong.
	Honduran Rosewood (Dalbergia Stevonsonii) Sound wise more closely related to Indian Rosewood than Brazilian. Attractive pink/purple hue that gives it a wonderful appearance when finished. An Immediate  strong singing tone that leaps out at you.
Mahogany  mahogany has long been used in guitar building. A high stiffness to weight ratio has made it one of the most popular timbers for necks on most flat top guitars. Various types of Mahogany have also been used for the backs and sides of instruments.
	Honduras (Swietenia Macrophylla) Much lighter than most rosewood Honduran Mahogany produces clear and bright sounding instruments with a balanced but not overly strong bass response. Honduran mahogany is the bench mark for other varieties that are finding there way into instruments today.
Maple (Acer spp.___)   is perhaps the oldest established wood used for backs and sides of instruments. Although not commonly used on flat top instruments it is almost exclusively used on the violin family and also on Archtop guitars. Maple produces some wonderfully unique figure including flame, quilted, and birdseye that most people are familiar with. Maple as a tonewood is perhaps less subtle and more transparent than Rosewood or Mahogany when used on flat top guitars. However when used on Bowed instruments and Archtops it is rarely surpassed. There are many types commonly used and descriptions such as hard, soft and rock maple have become almost meaningless in recent years. If you are after a particular species of maple it is essential to specify it by botanical name since it is all but impossible to tell them apart due to the huge variety within each individual species.  As a consequence the tonal difference is also very subjective. I select all my Maple on Aesthetic appeal and the natural resonance of the individual piece.
Fruitwood Although fruitwoods have been used for hundreds of years in Instrument building. Only recently have they started to return to the forefront as makers look to other timbers to replace those that are becoming scarce or expensive. The same cross nomenclature found with maple also applies to many of the fruitwoods. A few are listed below.
	Cherry (Prunus spp.___) Although relatively soft cherry makes an outstanding timber for use as a tonewood. Broadly falling into two categories. European and American. Cherry as a whole falls somewhere between mahogany and maple in terms of tone. European cherry is generally more brown  in color than American which has a more red hue. Both however will  mellow to a rich  golden color. In my opinion one of the least appreciated tonewoods
	Walnut (Juglans spp.__)   A timber that has  a striking resemblance to some of the rosewoods in both looks and sound. Perhaps not as bass rich or complex but produces an instrument with exceptional separation of both bass and mid register with fine clear trebles. Once again it is commonly available as European or American (Black) walnut. The European being browner than the purple/grey of American Walnut. Both produce and excellent instrument		Top of page

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