About Guitar Wood
After guitar making tools and equipment the second most frequently asked group of questions is about guitar wood. This section will provide useful information regarding the different tapes of wood used in guitar making, selecting good wood for your guitar, and information on the moisture content of your guitar wood and the effects of the environment on it. Of course collecting information about wood is a good beginning but nothing will equal your own experience with the wood itself. I encourage you to observe the characteristics of the wood you use. Check out its grain, its texture, its stiffness and so on. The idea is to develop an internal database if you will, of the characteristics of this material and how they relate to guitar making. This is a very personal experience that only you can have. In order to make a quality instrument you must develop a relationship with the material. A relationship that yields results. If you are not getting the results you desire, you have to take a look at your approach. And the first place I would start is with wood selection. You will not be able to make a great guitar out of mediocre guitar wood. So it is your responsibility to determine what good guitar wood is for your design.
Below are brief descriptions of the topics covered in the guitar wood information section of the site. These topics can be accessed in the left side bar under the heading guitar wood information and at the bottom of the page under additional guitar wood content.
Types of Guitar Wood
This page covers the types of wood used for the different parts of the guitar. The type of guitar wood chosen for any specific part of the guitar is determined by the characteristics of that species of wood. Different parts of the guitar will require different attributes in the wood to perform their specific function.
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Guitar Wood Selection
Selecting the best wood to make your guitar with will take experience. Some prior knowledge will help point you in the right direction but ultimately you must determine over time what the best characteristics of the wood for your particular guitar design. The intent of this section is to provide some basic information regarding wood selection for your guitar.
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Guitar Wood & Moisture Content
The moisture content of wood is a very important topic in guitar making. The top and back of the instrument are 15" or so wide and made of solid wood. Although the wood is thin it should still be looked at as being solid because that is how it will behave in conjunction with the moisture content in the atmosphere around it. This page is to provide some useful information about the moisture content of your guitar wood and how the environment effects it.
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Guitar Wood Products
After "Classical Guitar Making" was released I became aware that some readers did not have the heavy equipment necessary to re-saw and accurately thickness wood to make the thin stock for laminates. Most were also having trouble finding the necessary sizes commercially in quantities for just one or two guitars. We have made this wood available in small quantities to make it possible for people to make their guitars as demonstrated in the book and dvd.
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