Materials

Sitka spruce that is suitable for guitar tops comes mainly from Canada or Alaska. It's very strong, wear resistant and has a good tone production. Sitka guitar has a tendency to be quite warm and middle

Engelmann spruce comes from Rocky mountains or mainly from Canada. It's softer, slightly weaker and more sensitive to rough handling than Sitka spruce but it is still very excellent choice for topwood. Engelmann top is usually fast responsing and sensitive, clesr and bright sounding with less warmth compared to Sitka. Differences are not very dramatical, anyway. Both Sitka spruce and Engelann spruce can be a topwood choice for a master guitar. Engelmann top is very light coloured, almost white.

Traditional guitar neck wood. Quite heavy and very stable. Colour even reddish brown. Excellent sounding wood.

Indonesia, India

The 'common' wood for guitar back & sides. It is softer than t.ex. Brazilian or Amazon rosewoods but more stable and not so brittle. Properly cut pieces are still available with bearable prices. Indian rosewood has excellent technical and acoustic properties for guitar construction wood. Indian rosewood can make a master guitar as well as more "noble" rosewoods. Colour is usually dark brown with violet shades and stripes.

I use elm for bindings. I like the warm colour it has. It's properties are also very suitable for binding wood.

My Madagaskar rosewood is dark brown, heavily striped and hard, almost glassy wood. Only few sets are suitable for large guitar. (Mostly medium size.) Because bending is difficult Madakaskar rosewood guitar is not available with cutaway. Sound has same kind of qualities as other hard rosewoods, brilliance, sustain and well ringing overtones.

I use Finnish basswood for purflings inside a guitar. It's silky white, uniform and light wood and has been traditionally used for purflings.

'Nicaraguan mahogany' I have bought has been beautiful, evenly light coloured South American mahogany that has been very pleasing in every aspect. Guitar with mahogany back & sides is lightweighted with quick response and is tonally middle range focused. Mahogany is usually very stable wood.

I use Brazilian, Madagaskar and Amazon rosewoods as equal fingerboard woods. All of them are hard, quite stable, good sounding and beautiful woods. To make sure that finished neck will be stable fingerboards must be well quartersawn and straight grained. Fingerboard woods must be carefully sasoned for several years before use.

When I prefer dark fingerboard I use Ebony or African Blackwood. (t.ex. FS or S) Ebony usually means trouble if not seasoned properly for five years at least. African Blackwood is blackish brown, very hard, polishes to high luster and has a terrific tap tone. It is more stable as Ebony but expensive and hard to get. African blackwood is my favourite wood for a dark fingerboard.

I use Pau Ferro for acoustic bass fingerboards. It's safe compared to Ebony and large good quality pieces are easily foud. Pau Ferro is very suitable for fingerboards. Colour is light brown with stripes. 

Traditional wood for guitar necks. I use it for acoustic bass necks. Hard and stable wood. Several species.

Maple is used for guitar back & sides too. I have found it quite dry and clean sounding wood suitable maybe best for  12 string guitars.

P.Amerikka.
Kevyt ja pehmeä kansipuu jota käytetään paljon klassisten kitaroiden kansiin. Herkästi syttyvän ja kirkkaan sointinsa vuoksi sopii hyvin fingerstyle-teräskielisen kansipuuksi. Varottava rajua käyttöä. Väriltään tummahkon ruskea.

Genuine rosewood (Dalbergia) growing in southern Mexico an in Middle America. Very heavy, hard and glassy sounding wood. It is beautiful with yellowish, orange and brown stripes. Cocobolo is oily wood and gluing must be done with special care. It is not as stable as t.ex. Indian rosewood and is more brittle. Cocobolo guitar needs good care when temperature sinks below zero outside and air dries rapidly.

Guitar with Cocobolo back & sides is typically bright and strong sounding and quite heavy. I have only few sets in my stock suitable for large guitar. ( Mostly OM size or smaller.)