What Tonewood is Best for My Playing Style? | Coffee & Guitars w/ Andy Powers

Choosing tonewoods can be one of the toughest, most confusing part of the guitar-buying process for many players. With acoustic guitars, the type of wood being used for the back, sides, and top can radically affect the guitar’s response, as different woods emphasize different frequencies and musical colors. In this episode of Coffee & Guitars, Andy Powers talks about different categories of tonewoods and how you can narrow down your tonewood search based on your playing style.
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[@PaulEmmanuelMusic]

Wonderful video! Is the guitar plugged in just for looks or is any portion of audio from the guitar playing at the end actually being used from the plugin? Or all from mic?

[@gabrielobrien21]

Hi Paul & Sarah, the microphones are most definitely not just for show. They were running through an API console. Andy’s voice is captured via a Sennheiser lav mic. We always take a DI for safety, and I do mix it in a little, bit mostly for low end definition in runs. So it’s 90% mics you’re hearing.

[@eduardoaguilar6210]

"Before I came here I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture I am still confused, but on a higher level." - Enrico Fermi.

[@visitur4914]

Very helpful. Stylistically, Taylor isn't really my jam, but I still have great respect for their guitars.

[@Harp_and_Guitar_Moving_Forward]

Ok

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

Exactly my position

[@bsmetal]

Why isn’t Taylor your style? I’m very curious. New to acoustics myself.

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

@@bsmetal I find them a bit too bright and the notes a bit too prominent for my taste I like more strumming things

[@visitur4914]

@@bsmetal Probably just because they haven't been used in the music I like best. (A question of the chicken or the egg.) I listen to more folk-influenced and classical-influenced rock and pop than "modern popular" music. I'm generalizing, of course. To each his own. Taylors are still beautiful, too.

[@stuartstovall2849]

Thank you!!! Just got a quilted maple Lowden, and I still feel like a newbie in my analysis of guitar tones. I’m primarily a fingerstyle player, so to hear your comment on the maple being THE tone wood for sophisticated melodic pieces made my day. I love the sound but it’s good to hear a pro singing maple’s praises

[@NickMoore56]

Very good advise. I am blessed to have some really nice guitars Rosewood, Mahogany and now a Maple Bedell Wildfire Parlor for the exact reasons you mention. Thanks for the video! Great job!

[@mojo9291]

The guitar you played in this has excelllleeeent tone.

[@kuganthambipillai7280]

Brilliant video. I always wantwd to know this as i strum n sing and hate the sound of most non solid guitars.

[@pointy5911]

Which exotic and expensive tonewood is best for me to fumble through Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in my Learn Guitar in 15 Minutes book?

[@ICECAT-t5r]

Plywood

[@pointy5911]

:)

[@jensbomholt4529]

Invest in a reasonably high quality guitar for what you intend to play 5 years from now. Then you will enjoy each practice session :-)

[@AcousticJamDad]

How about a guitar that has Rosewood sides and back with a Western Red Cedar top??? I have one and my only complaint on it is that I seem to lack volume/punch/boom. Any ideas or suggestions on how to get more punch out of a Taylor with a cedar top and rosewood back and sides???

[@ojtam1453]

Buy Furch CM :)

[@MaxwellBergen]

I dont know a rosewood is know as scooping the mids a bit, which is where the voice sits. So you aren't fighting the guitar trying to cut through

[@986dryy]

Uaaaa. Genial. And ovangkol? More fingerstyle o strumming?

[@Papayajoseph]

He really makes that Grand Pacific sing.

[@kennethdelvalle9881]

Hi! I have a classic nylon strings guitar made all from red cedar. how does it works having cedar for back and sides as well as for the top?

[@terrytarpening9456]

I don’t agree. Rosewood typically is more mid scooped allowing vocals to cut through. Several use mahogany for finger style.

[@YSMiracle]

You are not wrong, however fingerstyle matches well with the rich overtones from rosewood, whereas mahagany sounds a little dry.

[@sinaTonewood]

do you ever tested walnut? specially dense persian ones?

[@maxwellfan55]

Another big tone factor is using cedar over spruce.

[@rodger2499]

Great explanation. I recently bought a 512ce. Great guitar.

[@markossrarkos2729]

for strumemrs: mahogany, koa. for fingerstyle: cedar/spruce.

[@Jam-m7m]

Thanks. If you reply to my comment. Is Andy’s guitar a 517 or a 717 Taylor. Please reply

[@robdonell9915]

What is a walnut back/sides/top guitar better suited for ?

[@erichinkle601]

Walnut is similar to Koa, so it’s more of an in-between wood

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

I'd recommend Lowden's video on tonewoods, he goes in great depth really organically n quickly In short, it's a denser sadder sound, can go either, depends on your songs

[@stevirino]

Walnut is more punchy, brighter and more responsive than rosewood but has less sustain and not as lush, I think walnut makes for a good lead

[@RobyNos]

He's talking about side and back woods ?

[@MartirosHakopianMarHak]

What model is what you playing and what wood is used please let me know....Love the sound ...I have a Gs Mini and 414 Ce ....

[@zfilmmaker]

Judging from the look, I’d say engelmann spruce top with rosewood sides. The top faded stain might look like something else but the grain looks very spruce.

[@Beachreader007]

Andy How about if you play both fingerstyle and strummer. Other then maple. So what’s the middle ground. Thx

[@celsodelacruz4060]

Marino Mazzeo Andy said Koa or Blackwood...I have a 2010 516ce ltd with spruce top and koa back and sides. It’s the perfect sound for both strumming/vocal accompaniment AND fingerstyle. Because it’s aged so well it has a lot of the bass and harmonic that rosewood gives you, the dryness and cut of mahogany, and the clarity of maple for the articulate stuff. New koa guitars sound too tinny, you have to play them in a long time, but well worth the wait!

[@Beachreader007]

Celso dela cruz thx

[@truth-12345.]

So maple it is.

[@vernonknight8611]

What about Cherry wood?

[@solonaskypros3263]

laminated mahogany the immortal wood

[@paigerocks884]

toby from the office can really play huh

[@DavidCruz-xk8qi]

😂

[@sebastiangrimm5671]

Where does Mahogany fit into that list? Thanks

[@harrisonmyers1572]

Mahogany is a drier wood so it’s better suited for the strummers, especially if you’re using a larger-bodied guitar like a dreadnought or a jumbo. But, like Andy Powers said, you have to think about the context: are you playing in a band? By yourself? Are you accompanying a vocalist?

[@hathaway.1166]

@@harrisonmyers1572 what if i do all three of ‘em?

[@AnCapDog144]

@@hathaway.1166 he also said what kind of sound you want

[@SuperEdge67]

@@hathaway.1166 You could go for an all mahogany Martin 00015m, everything sounds good. A versatile guitar. I love mine.

[@johngalt6838]

@@SuperEdge67 I can adjust my HD-28 rosewood for anything....my OM mahogany can handle most anything too just not as powerful as the dread can get.

[@lowellirish]

What about that rare Japanese Dragonwood? Poison Ivy wood? Hemp wood? Pinewood? Eastern Lilac?

[@fantasticleese]

Why would you not mention anything to top vs side woods, and how those combos effect the sound? This is the most basic info and pretty useless, strange for such an accomplished builder to put on its site.

[@Em_Dee_Aitch]

Exactly. Especially since it’s the soundboard choice that gives you 80% of your tone.

[@6h471]

There's a reason spruce is king of the guitar top tone woods.

[@jaredcaldera]

This guitar sounds vintage.. which is weird because it's neither used or torrified.

[@gabrielobrien21]

It actually is torrefied, but it’s also designed to sound vintage.

[@cooloutac]

I completely disagree with him about strumming the thick overtones are berst for strummers, and the mushy muddy muffled mess is terrible for fingerpicking. Its the old mahogany vs rosewood debate that has gone on for 100 years, and the majority of musicians have always disagreed with what andy powers is saying and feel the opposite as do I as strictly a finger picker. So its quite fascinating to hear this guy claim otherwise as if he is just trying hard to be different.

[@ryevick]

Maple for fingerstyle and mahogany for strumming??? Ummm... we'll just have to disagree.

[@maxwellfan55]

I'd agree with him mahogany is great for strumming (also brilliant picking IMO). He didn't say maple ideal for strumming but yes, you can strum maple with good results, just need to strum according to the "give" or limitations of the guitar, because maple has low projection/relatively short decay. But you get the clean clarity like none other, there's zero "mush".

[@Tocoinaphrase]

So in summary - buy maple

[@robmiller3464]

Sorry Andy you have it backwards. Disagree sir

[@GuitarTablatureSkill]

Yes, we agree. Mahogany tend to emphasize in mid tone and make the mushy sound. Rosewood / Blackwood tone will be the best for heavy strumming - heavy rhythmic. #IOHO

[@ricardosotosan2279]

So basically mahogany is the best. Lol

[@FirstNameLastName-pg3pi]

not necessarily. it all depends on what you play, how you play, and what you like to look at

[@Jack-je9fj]

There's a reason the 000-15m is touted by many players/songwriters.

[@SuperEdge67]

I played a Martin 00015m 10 years ago……..and I loved it, but thought it was too expensive. I ended up getting one this year.

[@tda325]

Wish he'd have spent a minute on which is the most versatile; the utility player. A lot of us church musicians play finger style, AND strum like our lives depend on it. One Taylor is expensive, two is out of the question. And for the wingnuts questioning his motives: Don't watch his videos. Problem solved.

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

Maple, blackwood (if you can find a good one), Koa Maple is the only thing available at reasonable prices because other woods hog the limelight

[@JesusSavesJohn3verse16]

John 3 verse 16 ^_^ please search the Gospel (Bible) all who read this. Your soul is far to precious to gamble in thinking there is no hell or need for salvation in The Lord Jesus Blessings friends ^_^

[@zpacleb]

He's pushing maple because that's the easiest wood for Taylor to obtain. I've learned to take everything he says with a grain of salt. He's unbelievably talented and knowledgeable, but now his priority his the growth of the company. I would ask a individual luthier who's a legend in the community and who's not trying to push a product.. like Jim Olson or Ervin Somogyi

[@gabrielobrien21]

He’s not actually pushing anything and maple isn’t the easiest wood for Taylor to obtain. They use rosewood on far more models than maple too. He’s telling you what he thinks fit different players.

[@KL-ps6pp]

Somogyi is full of marketing too.. in my humble opinion

[@zpacleb]

@@gabrielobrien21 the reason they use rosewood so much is because its awesome and it sells. Maple is a wood found here in the US. They even said on other interviews that they want to use more "sustainable" woods. Im not saying its bad, im just saying that Andy Powers's promotion of it could be tainted. Now, as far as Somogyi... yes, his guitars are super hyped and in my opinion, no guitar built brand new should be selling for that of price, but his opinion on maple as a tonewood would be more valuable than from a Taylor Guitars executive .

[@gabrielobrien21]

@@zpacleb the way Taylor sources wood makes it all pretty expensive. They put a hig h price on doing things ethically. Their Indian rosewood comes from tea plantations in India. Their maple is sourced through Pacific Rim Tonewoods, who they partner with to get koa and replant koa. They aren't "pushing" maple at all. They use it on one series. They were using rosewood on 4 until recently, now it's 3 as 700s have switched to koa. Partly because rosewood ended up on CITIES and also because getting it has become constrained due to tons of global problems.

[@zpacleb]

@@gabrielobrien21 I call it as I see it.. Andy's videos about how maple is the most "balanced" tonewood is him trying to convince people that the bad experience theyve had with maple guitars is their own fault for not changing the way they hear it... why? So people will buy them. Youre not actually addressing what Im talking about. Its the same way he marketed V-Class bracing.. he needs people to want what hes selling. Basic marketing. Youre totally missing my points. Its all good

[@davidarnold6376]

Bla bla bla...all this a bit of nonsense...there are just too many contradictions in the real world. Kinda like moon spruce !

[@donlessnau3983]

This guy is living inside his head way too much.

[@sustainablelife1st]

Taylors are kind of the Dodge Ram of guitars. Look good, but not much under the hood.

[@johngalt6838]

Very well made, and consistent, but can't really get depth out of them for me. Jangly with many sounding cheap.