Because of all the over harvesting of specific woods used for making acoustic guitars, some woods are now very expensive and endangered. Some are actually illegal to import or export (even a finished good) across country borders (Brazilian Rosewood for example).
Here's a really good primer on tonewoods for acoustic guitars: For acoustics, I really like African Blackwood back & sides paired with German/European Spruce. It' s an expensive combo, and better than Brazilian RW/Adi spruce for modern tones -- as well as less cost and easier travel.
For electrics, Warmouth has some very good information on woods used for bodies and necks: Typical strats will use Ash and Alder bodies paired with maple necks and a Maple or Rosewood fingerboard. Les Pauls tend to use Mahogany bodies with Maple tops and Mahogany necks. Ibanez super-strats will use Basswood bodies with a Maple top and Maple necks.
More modern instruments will use a wider variety of woods. Bass guitars for example will use more exotic, harder woods and laminates for the neck and bodies. Modern 7-string electrics will sometimes favor Swamp Ash bodies with a harder, more exotic cap such as Cocobolo, Macassar Ebony, etc. Even more modern instruments will use bolt-on necks of multi-ply laminates that may include Wenge, Rosewood, Ziricote, Cocobolo, Bubinga, Walnut, and other hard, stiff woods. Only recently, more boutique makers (PRS, Suhr, Tom Anderson, etc.) have started to use these exotic materials and laminates for guitar necks, sometimes bolted onto bodies that also have exotic woods for the body or top. This gives the guitars more character.
Here's a really good primer on tonewoods for acoustic guitars: For acoustics, I really like African Blackwood back & sides paired with German/European Spruce. It' s an expensive combo, and better than Brazilian RW/Adi spruce for modern tones -- as well as less cost and easier travel.
For electrics, Warmouth has some very good information on woods used for bodies and necks: Typical strats will use Ash and Alder bodies paired with maple necks and a Maple or Rosewood fingerboard. Les Pauls tend to use Mahogany bodies with Maple tops and Mahogany necks. Ibanez super-strats will use Basswood bodies with a Maple top and Maple necks.
More modern instruments will use a wider variety of woods. Bass guitars for example will use more exotic, harder woods and laminates for the neck and bodies. Modern 7-string electrics will sometimes favor Swamp Ash bodies with a harder, more exotic cap such as Cocobolo, Macassar Ebony, etc. Even more modern instruments will use bolt-on necks of multi-ply laminates that may include Wenge, Rosewood, Ziricote, Cocobolo, Bubinga, Walnut, and other hard, stiff woods. Only recently, more boutique makers (PRS, Suhr, Tom Anderson, etc.) have started to use these exotic materials and laminates for guitar necks, sometimes bolted onto bodies that also have exotic woods for the body or top. This gives the guitars more character.
