The woods from which a parlor guitar is made will have quite an effect on the sound it produces. Solid woods are generally preferred, as opposed to laminated woods, as they resonate more, produce more overtones and generally just tend to sound richer and better. Many of the best parlor guitars feature a solid top. This means the top part of the body, which is in effect like the speaker of the instrument, is made from solid wood so it vibrates more freely and will produce a better tone when compared to a laminate top. You can then get guitars where the whole body is solid, i.e. the top, back and sides are made from solid woods, which will yield an even richer tone.
Spruce is a common tonewood for the top and is fairly bright sounding, with a nice snap and attack. It can also lend some extra punch in the midrange. It’s versatile so should work for any style of music. Mahogany is used on quite a few parlor guitars too. Some players describe it as ‘woody’ or ‘earthy’ sounding. A lot of old blues players like mahogany for its warmth – if that’s your bag, then a parlor guitar featuring mahogany is worth checking out.