Over the decades I have collected many woods for guitar making. Some of the stock listed below has been in my possession since the 1970s. A couple years ago I sold and gave away almost 1/2 of the wood I had to make room for moving to a smaller shop. Although there are many other woods that are quite suitable, I can only stockpile so much, so I have settled on those listed below. If you are unfamiliar with any of these woods, information can be found on the wood-database.
Just a general comment based on too many years dealing with this subject. There is a human tendency to oversimplify complex subjects and endow certain materials with magical properties out of ignorance and wishful thinking. There have been many mediocre instruments made from supposedly magical woods and there are many superior instruments made without them.
All the woods listed below are in stock and available for instruments.
* indicates export restrictions apply due to CITES appendix 1
* indicates export restrictions no longer apply due to CITES appendix 2
- Tops:
- European Spruce (PIcea Abies)
- Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
- Englemann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)
- Alaskan yellow Cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)
- Western red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
- Sequoia Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
- All of the above available with Nomex® Double top
- Backs/Sides
- *Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia negra)
- **Honduran Rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii)
- **Madagascar Rosewood – bois de rose (Dalbergia maritima)
- **East Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)
- **Cocobolo Rosewood (Dalbergia retusa)
- Bolivian Rosewood (Morado – Machaerium spp.)
- Caribbean Rosewood – CheChen – (Metopium brownei)
- Patagonian Rosewood (Anadenanthera colubrina)
- Granadillo (Platymiscium spp.)
- Curly Maple (American and European, Acer spp.)
- Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
- Oregon Myrtle / California Laurel (Umbellularia californica)
- Spanish Cedar – Flamed (Cedrela odorata)
- Alaskan Yellow Cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)
- Sapelle – slightly flamed (Entandrophragma cylindricum)
- African Mahogany (Khaya spp.)
- American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
- Fret board woods
- Gabon Ebony (Diospyros crassiflora)
- the traditional black ebony
- Macassar Ebony (Diospyros celebica)
- Mun Ebony (Diospyros mun)
- looks like Brazilian rosewood
- Texas Ebony (Ebenopsis ebano)
- Mexican royal Ebony (Swartzia cubensis)
- Brazilian Ebony (Swartzia panacoco)
- Royal blackwood (Peltogyne catingae)
- treated Purpleheart, as black as any ebony
- Gabon Ebony (Diospyros crassiflora)
- Neck woods
- Spanish Cedar – Flamed and plain (Cedrela odorata)
- Mahogany –
- *Cuban (Swietenia mahogani)
- *Honduran (Swietenia macrophylla)
- African (Khaya spp.)
- Sapelle (Entandrophragma cylindricum)
- Most back/side wood also available for necks
- Bridge wood
- Heavy woods
- **Any Rosewood listed above
- African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)
- Any Ebony listed above
- Black and white ebony (Diospyros malabarica)
- Bocote (Cordia spp.)
- Ziricote (Cordia dodecandra)
- Light woods
- Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum)
- Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
- Heavy woods
Any other wood on the market is available given some acquisition time and a deposit to cover the additional cost. It should be noted that the cost of ALL woods have risen dramatically since I purchased my stock.