Woods - I don't know what I want

Bidley

So a good mate of mine is apprenticing as a guitar builder. I'm getting a loyalty bonus from work in a few months so I'm going to get him to make me a nice acoustic. He's made a couple already and they're really very nice. I know what I want as far as neck profile, body shape etc, but as far as woods go, I'm not so sure!

Basically it'll be a smaller, folk size with a cutaway. I can't get away from thinking a mahogany top would be nice, but what would you fine gents suggest, given the guitar size? What are the characteristics of the different woods?

WezV

I think the taylor site has a lot of talk about the properties of different woods.  take it with a pinch of salt because wood varies and the sound of an acoustics is altered massively by the way it is built

I would ask him what he is comfortable working with, what sounds he would expect to get from certain wood combos and go from there.  Has he built a smaller folk sized cuitar with a cutaway before and what does he expect to be able to achieve

Bidley

Thanks @WezV, sounds like a sensible way of going about it.

stimpsonslostson

I agree with @WezV, it'll obviously have to be a collaboration. 

 

That said, I'd suggest leaning towards something giving a "darker" tone- mahogany/cedar? All the small bodied guitars I've played with that had spruce tops were a bit "zingy" for my taste. 

On the subject of cutaways, have you seen what Faith have done with some of theirs? It's more of a scoop to give some access-

http://www.giggear.co.uk/data/images/products/large/10706.jpg

streethawk

I'll see you the Faith and raise you an Avalon.