Choosing Your Wood

In general Guitars and most instruments are made from deciduous trees which are known as hardwoods. There are many different types of hardwoods available but there are only a select few which are commonly used for this purpose.

The most common types of Hardwoods used in building Electric Guitars are:

  • Ash
  • Maple
  • Mahogany
  • Alder
  • Basswood
  • Nut
  • Bubinga (bass)
  • Wenge (bass)

These woods have become the standard woods used in guitar making as experience shows that these woods give the sound we all expect to hear!

Maple and mahogany are very similar woods, with respect to sound, as they are both medium-hard to hard timbers.  At the other end of the scale would be Basswood which is soft.

The right combination of woods used in the body and neck can make all the difference to both the sound and playability. This may all sound a bit much to think about at the moment but don’t worry the experts have done all this work for us. Below are two examples of the timbers used in two of the most popular guitars on the planet!!

Gibson Les Paul:

  • Body: Mahogany and Maple
  • Neck: Mahogany

Fender Stratocaster:

  • Body: Maple, Ash or Alder
  • Neck: Maple

The choice when it comes to building your own guitar is obviously yours depending on the look and sound you want but the examples above are tried and tested and are a good place to start until you become more experienced.

Below is a list of the main different components of wood you will need in order to build a complete guitar:

A Body Blank:

A body blank is the wood that will form the body of your guitar. This can be made from one whole solid piece of timber or else you can glue together two or more pieces. The body should be around 45mm thick. The size of the blank can vary depending on what shape you are going to make the body but for most style of guitar a 350mm x 500mm will suffice.

Neck Blank:

The neck of a guitar (in my opinion) is the most difficult part of a guitar to make. However, all it takes is practise so do not be afraid to give it a go! For a standard neck blank you need a 25mm thick piece of wood. the length and with of the wood depend on the scale length of the instrument you intend to build. Typical dimensions are 690mm long and 100mm wide for a guitar and 860mm long and 115mm wide for a bass.

Fingerboard:

The fingerboard is the piece of wood where the frets are. This piece of wood should be 6mm thick in which case your neck blank need only be 19mm thick.

Peg head Veneer:

A peg head veneer should be placed of the headstock of your guitar. It is not totally necessary but it will make your instrument look a lot nicer and it can also be a great way to cover up any small mistakes you may have made in this area!

I have found that finding the right piece of wood for an instrument can be extremely satisfying and you should not rush this process. Research for yourself what is best for you and then you will be sure to make the right decision and avoid being disappointed when you complete your masterpiece!