For my arch top guitars I hand select the finest spruces and maples available. These woods, used for centuries in violin construction, have proven to be the most ideal for arch top instruments because of their superior tonal strength and striking beauty. Steel string and classic guitars are built with highly figured Hawaiian Koa, Brazilian, Madagascar and Indian Rosewoods, African Blackwood, Honduras Mahogany, Curly Walnut and Curly Maple. All woods are air dried and seasoned for years before being selected for a guitar. Fingerboards, bridges, tailpieces, fingerrests, and peghead overlays are of choice Gaboon ebony.
Necks are of select, quarter sawn maple for the arch tops, and Honduras mahogany for the flat tops.
Steel string guitar soundboards are Sitka spruce, with options for Englemann, Adirondack or German spruce. Classical guitar soundboards are Western Cedar, or Redwood with an option for German spruce. Each of these tonewoods has a distinctive timbre and is selected according to the player's tonal requirements. The most important characteristic of an acoustic instrument is a full, well balanced tone. For further information on this subject, please request copies of transcriptions published in the American Luthiers Quarterly of presentations I've given to the Luthiers Convention on the subject of soundboard voicing.