Let’s Talk About Wood
#1 Body Woods Explained
When you’re looking over the specs of a Del-Tone guitar, you’ll probably notice that there are three types of wood we mainly use in the production of our body’s. In this post we’ll explain you what they’re all about.
First of all, we have to be aware that variables exist not only between different types of wood, but also between guitars made of the same type of wood. There can be slight differences in sound, weight and grain pattern between each guitar. This all has to do with wood being a natural product. Each piece of wood really has it’s own character.
Having said all that, let’s have a look at what those different types of wood are all about!
Swamp Ash has been used in solid body guitar building since the early 1950’s. As the name suggest, Swamp Ash grows in the swamps of the southern parts of the U.S.
It’s a grainy wood, that’s why we like to have the open pours filled before we apply the finish. The wood is known for its resonance and brightness. It has a little less warmth then other woods such as Alder. The beautiful patterns on the wood make this our go-to choice for sunburst and butterscotch finishes.
Alder has been used in solid body guitar building since the mid ‘50’s. There are two different types of Alder: European and American Alder. We use the latter, which is better known as American Red Alder, due to its reddish looks. This wood grows on the West-coast of the U.S. an is of medium-weight.
It’s a closed-pore wood, which makes it easier to work with then Swamp Ash or Abachi. It has a strong, resonant, full tone with nice lows. It’s tight grain is less visible which makes it the go-to choice for solid finishes.
Abachi is the best kept secret in guitar building, until now! This wood originates from West-Africa, growing in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. Like Swamp Ash, it’s a grainy wood, that’s why we like to have the open pours filled before we apply the finish.
This is a very light wood, which has a loud, resonant acoustic tone that rings. By the looks the grain on the wood is somewhere in the middle between Swamp Ash and Alder. Making it usable for both transparent and solid colour finishes.
