• BASSWOOD - Sometimes used for inside linings.
• EBONY - Preferred wood for bridges & fretboards on steel string guitars, ROSEWOOD is also good and sometimes preferred for bridges on nylon string guitars.
• CEDAR - A wood softer than spruce used for tops on steel string and classical guitars. Some guitarists prefer this wood for its new guitar tone but some luthiers don't like to work with it on repair jobs because of its soft nature.
• CHERRY - Sometimes used for backs and sides.
• CYPRESS - Used on the backs and sides of flamenco guitars only.
• KOA - Midrange sounding wood from Hawaii used on some guitars for back,sides, and tops.
• MAHOGANY - Preferred for necks. Also good for backs, sides, inside bracings and sometimes tops.
• MAPLE - Sometimes used for backs and sides on larger guitars. Wood of choice for f-hole guitar bodies. Sometimes used for bridge plates.
• NATO - Used as a substitute for MAHOGANY on necks and sometimes bodies of less expensive guitars. It is less stable than MAHOGANY.
• OVANKOL - A ROSEWOOD substitute with qualities somewhere between ROSEWOOD and MAHOGANY.
• PEAR - Used for bindings. Treated PEAR is sometimes used as a substitute for EBONY fingerboards on less expensive guitars.
• PINE - Unfortunately sometimes is used on less expensive guitars for inside linings, end blocks, and heel blocks.
• REDWOOD - Somewhat similar to cedar, used more on classical guitars.
• ROSEWOOD - Usually the most desirable wood used for backs and sides on classical and steel string flattop guitars although MAHOGANY and MAPLE are also very good on the latter. Also used for bridge plates, bridges and fret boards.
• SPRUCE - There are a lot of different kinds of SPRUCE that are used in the making of acoustic guitars and SPRUCE is usually the wood of choice for the front (or top, sound board) of the guitar. Sometimes, it's also used for the bracing under the soundboard. Unless it's an expensive guitar, the manufacturer probably won't even mention the type of SPRUCE it is. German (or European) SPRUCE can be from various countries in Europe and this is sometimes regarded as the best. Engelmann (or Englemann) SPRUCE from the US is usually used on expensive models along with Sitka, and Adirondack SPRUCE also grown in the US maybe Canada. When picking out a guitar, look at the top. If the guitar has a natural finish, the wood should be a light color. There shouldn't be a large difference in shade between the wood and grain, and the grain should be from 12-15 per inch minimum.
• WALNUT - Used for bindings. Treated WALNUT is sometimes used as a substitute for EBONY fingerboards on less expensive guitars. Also sometimes used for bridges.

Guitar Parts

• Back and sides - The back and sides of an acoustic guitar are usually constructed of rosewood or mahogany. Most backs are two-piece though lack of quality wood in large enough pieces makes three-piece backs not uncommon. There is much disagreement about the significance of the back and sides in the contribution to the final sound.
• Fingerboard - Ebony or rosewood are most popularly used for the fingerboard. The denseness of ebony is most resistant to wear from fingers and strings.
• Neck - Acoustic guitar necks are commonly carved from mahogany. A hardwood neck allows the notes to sustain longer. Maple necks are popular on electric guitars.
• Top - Traditionally made of spruce though cedar and redwood are often substituted with good results. By far, the primary contributor to the tone is the top (soundboard). Finer tops are constructed of two bookmatched halves of a single sheet of wood.

Wood Processing

• Bookmatched - A single piece of wood that has been sliced into two sheets only half as thick as the original. Similar to opening a book at its center and laying out the two halves. Each is symmetrically grained which contributes to symetrical and even seasoning along with balanced vibrations for more even sound. Bookmatching is used for top and back pieces.
• Lacquer - Three or four thin coats of sealer are first applied to fill the wood pores. Approximately six coats of lacquer are then applied. Lacquer affects the vibration of the wood. As the guitar ages, the solvents escape and the tone of the instrument mellows.
• Plywoods - Although the most desired top material is solid wood, plywoods are often used. Beside economy, plywoods are generally more resistant to cracks. The tone is not as rich as solid wood, but acoustical/electrical produce powerful sound.
• Grain - The quality of a fine spruce wood can be visually calibrated by the number of seasonal rings per inch. Antique violins may have woods with as many as fifty per inch, though, today this is either rare or nonexistent. Handmade guitars require at least fifteen rings per inch for any spruce top. Choice woods have straight vertical grain with no flaws.
• Seasoning - Woods are somewhat prone to splitting if exposed to changing weather conditions. The best guitars are made from aged woods. Having been stored for perhaps a decade, swelling and contracting with seasonal fluctuations in temperature and humidity making them more stable than young woods. To speed the process, kiln-drying has become common.