Completely random newbie question

[imissmj]

Seems silly to ask but.....

Is there a reason an acoustic guitar's sides would HAVE to match the back in terms of wood type?

I ask because I recently inquired about having a guitar built with the same wood on the top and back but a different wood type on the sides. The dealer told me in his 25 years he'd never seen this. I would think it wouldn't be that big of a deal all things considered. Interested to hear any information anyone has.

Thanks,

Chris

[riffmeister]

I haver seen guitars which use two different top woods!

So for the sides/back question, I say.......why not?

[PB Wilson]

What kind of wood are you thinking for top and back? Spruce or Cedar? It might not last too long being cozied up with your belt buckle, but it has been done. Richard Schneider had a design that used Redwood for the backs of his classical guitars, although they were quite different from what you might think of as a normal classical guitar.

[imissmj]

Hi,

I was thinking about an all Koa guitar with Maple sides, just to add some visual interest.

Chris

[Matt F]

Originally Posted by imissmj

Hi,

I was thinking about an all Koa guitar with Maple sides, just to add some visual interest.

Chris

Sounds pretty.

[fugot]

The customer is always right, unless the actual builder is more right...and then you have to choose -who knows more about guitars? , you or the craftsman who you are paying money to build your custom piece.

But, Koa top and back with maple sides doesn't seem radical. of course, what do i know??- sounds cool to me though..peace mike

[AbstractLunatic]

I asked everyone here at the store. No one's ever heard of that either...

The sides are supposed to be the same as the back so that the conveyance of side wood vibration matches that of the back wood. Mixing woods would confuse the tone, most likely. However, if you can get a builder to make you one, it would be a cool experiment.

[walterw]

i would be more worried about the idea of a koa top than about mis-matched back and side wood. there's always exceptions, but tops made of hardwoods tend to be stiffer, and thus quieter, than spruce or cedar, which are softwoods.

i've seen crazy high-dollar martins with one side of a two-peice back rosewood and the other maple, as well as obscure 3-peice back guitars with mable in the center and rosewood on each wing, so why not play around with side wood? hell, there are truly fine acoustics out there with solid tops and backs but laminated sides! since the sides are bent into pretty extreme curves, they don't flex at all with guitar vibration like gently arched tops and backs do, but mostly reflect sound. i would thus guess that choosing side wood just for looks is probably ok from a tone snob's viewpoint, as long as it was structurally solid. again, totally not the case with the top, which is the primary sound producer.

[sosomething]

Bottom line, if the builder in question is unfamiliar or uncomfortable doing what you want, it's in your best interest to find another builder.