What is your favourite tonewood and why?

[Ephemeria]

Just curious as to what peoples preferred tonewood is. Body wood, neck wood, fingerboard wood, toneblock, etc.
Let us know what you prefer and why :)

[Crunch]

Mahogany and rosewood is just about all I'm interested in, at the moment.
I prefer it for being warm, dark, dense, and easily accessible.
Spanish Cedar is more up my alley, but no one uses it, making it an impractical favourite.

[Madsakre]

My fav body wood is hard ash. i like the hard, loud, spanking noise.
number 2 must be mahogany.

fretboards. ebony or maple.

[Philly Q]

Most of my guitars are mahogany bodies with set mahogany necks and rosewood boards - it's a good ain't-broke-don't-fix-it combination.  Nice warm tone and (with a bit of luck) not too heavy.

I like swamp ash for Strat/Tele bodies - for weight and looks.  And I like both maple and rosewood boards.

Always wanted something with an ebony board - mostly for looks - but it hasn't happened yet, somehow.

[Ephemeria]

Most of my guitars are mahogany bodies with set mahogany necks and rosewood boards - it's a good ain't-broke-don't-fix-it combination.  Nice warm tone and (with a bit of luck) not too heavy.

I like swamp ash for Strat/Tele bodies - for weight and looks.  And I like both maple and rosewood boards.

Always wanted something with an ebony board - mostly for looks - but it hasn't happened yet, somehow.

Yh I love Ebony fretboards for the looks. It's a shame you can't get rosewood sound, ebony look. I always find ebony feels faster too

[blue]

i'm with Philly at the minute on the Mahogany body, set mahogany neck, rosewood board.  it just works.  i always liked Les Pauls, but now i find my SG, Melody Maker and Flying V are just more alive, more resonant. 

curiously though, my all time favourite guitar, that i always end up returning to, has a Poplar body and a set Maple neck, with Maple board.  i do love the snap of maple fretboards.  i've had a couple of guitars with ebony boards, and i've never really got on with it.  it doesn't have the warmth of rosewood or the snap of maple.  it somehow sounds kind of plasticky to my ears.  i'm in the minority, but i don't really like the look of it either.

[Philly Q]

i've had a couple of guitars with ebony boards, and i've never really got on with it.  it doesn't have the warmth of rosewood or the snap of maple.  it somehow sounds kind of plasticky to my ears.  i'm in the minority, but i don't really like the look of it either.

It just looks "right" on certain guitars - especally with oversized inlays and gold hardware. 

I'm thinking Gibson LP Customs, SG Customs, Yamaha SGs - they look fantastic, and they'd look really weird with rosewood boards.  I've always been disappointed that Japanese LP Custom copies, whilst being otherwise excellent guitars, nearly always have rosewood boards - it's just wrong!

But by the same token an LP Standard, especially if it's a traditional sunburst colour, looks wrong with an ebony board - it's too black.  :lol:

[Ephemeria]

i've had a couple of guitars with ebony boards, and i've never really got on with it.  it doesn't have the warmth of rosewood or the snap of maple.  it somehow sounds kind of plasticky to my ears.  i'm in the minority, but i don't really like the look of it either.

It just looks "right" on certain guitars - especally with oversized inlays and gold hardware. 

I'm thinking Gibson LP Customs, SG Customs, Yamaha SGs - they look fantastic, and they'd look really weird with rosewood boards.  I've always been disappointed that Japanese LP Custom copies, whilst being otherwise excellent guitars, nearly always have rosewood boards - it's just wrong!

But by the same token an LP Standard, especially if it's a traditional sunburst colour, looks wrong with an ebony board - it's too black.  :lol:

Yeah I agree. I'm having a guitar made: Black body with white binding and gold hardware. Rosewood would just look very strange. I like the sleek look :)

[blue]

this is true, and i do have a Les Paul Custom, which would probably look a bit funny with a rosewood 'board.

[gwEm]

i prefer a nice bit of ebony on my fretboard (it feels very nice on the touch, and i like the look)

for the rest, i'm more open, as long as it sounds good. hard to go wrong with the traditional choices! maple neck and mahogany body is a good combo.. or all mahogany, korina, hard ash, alder :)

i never played a basswood or poplar guitar i liked the sound of yet though.

[Telerocker]

For what I do now: both my HSS-strats are (swamp)ash with rosewood/ebony boards. My tele is alder/rosewood. I need clear tones and cut in the band I play now.
But a lot of tonewoods have their own sound/charm. I like a lot of mahogany/maple cap guitars, but a good korina guitar is very appealing too. Just different tones/brightness.

[dave_mc]

I pretty much like everything, depending on the tone I'm after. :lol:

[sgmypod]

I seem to have a thing for mahogany body, usually maple cap. Set mahogany neck rosewood fretboard. Love the warmness of sound.
But then do have one made of same material as see thru stripper heals with maple neck and rosewood board, has a certain sound not quite like any other guitar.
2 with alder bodies one maple neck, other maple rosewood board. Like the last 2 as twangy and bright.

[MDV]

All things being equal - quality and character of the exact bits of wood youre dealing with are far more important than species.

Assured of said quality - DRM, mahogany, swamp ash, maple....in various combinations.

[sgmypod]

Know am going to sound stupid DRM?