When considering the sound of a guitar, wood is one of the most important factors. There are a number of guitar shops in Brisbane that offer the finest musical instruments. However if you are looking for your first guitar, whether it is ready made or custom built you need to visit a number of music shops in Brisbane to find the right one. To find the perfect acoustic guitar and to get a tone that you desire will require a lot of understanding of the instrument and the experts of the music stores in Brisbane can help you select the perfect one for your practice.
Picking the perfect tone wood
Generally, the term tone wood is used to build a guitar because it refers to a particular wood contributing to a particular type of tone. Most of the custom built guitars have a combination of woods that will give a certain sound but it is not wrong to have a guitar made of a single tone wood because it all depends on the type of sound that you are looking for. The perfect Brisbane store which has the right musical instruments will help you select the one for your practice.
Importance of tone woods
When you strum an acoustic guitar, the vibrations start from the bridge of the instrument and go to the very tip of the headstock. These vibrations move the wood that goes into the sound hole and creates the tone of the chord. The reason different woods have various sound quality is because some woods are porous while others are more dense.
Type of tone woods for back and sides
Mahogany gives a rounded shape to the guitar and offers a warm sound which is strong and study. You will find the Gibson guitars made of mahogany.
Brazilian Rosewood is the most popular tone wood and is practically one of the reasons why this tree is getting endangered. The dark colours resonate a very balanced tone and are one of the most expensive guitars as they are no more mass produced.
Sapele is similar to mahogany but the sound is a little brighter and the treble is more pronounced.
Koa is for special edition guitars which gives a bright sounding tone with warm characteristics as that of mahogany and it goes better with time.
Tonewood for the top
You can find the most popular tone wood for the tops made of spruce in any musical instrument store. They offer a very balanced tone.
Fingerstyle guitarists find Cedar as the perfect choice for tonal qualities but give a light sound. Many classical guitars have Cedar as the top and are used to have superior clarity and for a crystal clear tone every time you pluck a chord.
Tone wood for the neck
Rosewood is a very popular one that you will find in the biggest music shop in Brisbane. Even when you take the bit of beating quite much, it will still give you the best fretboard.
Maple is the next are mostly used for electric guitars and gives a bright tone and has a light colour.
Why woods?
Generally speaking guitarists are a wooden instrument and has a natural finish when you have an acoustic guitar, but for electric guitars, it requires a painted finish. However, there are alternatives to wood guitars which are metal guitars. However, wood is the preferred option firstly because of tradition and secondly, because it is a highly resonant material that provides the best vibrations which no other material can.