Nevertheless, design and construction quality being equal, solid wood sounds better than veneer. The back and sides, constructed of hardwood , provide structural support for the soundboard and neck. Rosewood is traditionally used for backs and sides. Softer hardwoods such as nato , mahogany , walnut , koa and maple are excellent and less expensive alternatives to rosewood. Nevertheless, if you can afford it, a well designed and constructed solid wood guitar offers the ultimate tone.
Fingerboards take a beating and thus are made from dense hardwoods such as ebony or rosewood.
Rosewood fingerboards are the norm in mid-priced instruments, e.g., Takamine C132S. Nato, veneer or soft woods are used in fingerboards of budget guitars. Cedar soundboards take several months to break in and sound relatively dark and robust. Moreover, they are more forgiving of sloppy right-hand technique than spruce. Spruce soundboards take several years to break in and offer more clarity than cedar, but less warmth. The density of the hardwood used in the back and sides also influences timbre.