Non-tropical wood species used in the guitars made for the Leonardo project;
• Backs and sides:
Beech, Birch, Ash, Chestnut, Plane, Alder, Cherry, French Walnut, Poplar, Black Locust (robinia pseudoacacia), Rowan(sorbus aucuparia), Boxwood, Oak, Laburnum, Pear, Cypress, Maple.
• Fingerboards and bridges:
Yew (taxus baccata), Service Tree (sorbus domestica, other English names include Sorb Tree and Whitty Pear) , Plum (prunus domestica), Boxwood (buxus sempervirens), Black Locust (robinia pseudoacacia), Lilac (syringa vulgaris), Golden chain (laburnum)
• Necks:
Walnut, Alder, Cherry, Cypress, Chestnut, Apple, Maple, Elm, Lime.
Two (downloadable) studies below :
1) LGRP paper about neck stabilty.
Tested woods for guitar neks (comparison of tropical and non-tropical spieces):
Poplar Spruce Linden Cypress Walnut Cherry Plane Maple Pear Beech Apple / Cedar Mahogany
2) Paper by university Ghent about neck stabilty (in Dutch):
"Through the use of four different experimental designs an attempt was made to monitor the long-term stability of two tropical species and fifteen European wood species. A total amount of 250 samples were being tested on their stability. The influence of changing moisture contents was analyzed through controlled variations in relative humidity andcontrol samples are added under constant humidity conditions. String tension was applied by a dead weight which delivers a constant tension or by a tuning key. The results show a clear difference in response between different wood species and a strong influence of changing air humidity.... / ... Several European species show a good long-term stability. Alnus glutinosa (alder) and Juglans nigra (black walnut) are proposed to be worthy alternatives to tropical species for guitar necks."
Note: The samples in the two studies were tested without taking the use of a "truss rod" (or another reinforcing part) into account, as is usual within steel-string guitars (or even carbon fiber rods in classical guitar necks). The use of those 'reinforcing systems' significantly increaseses the possibilities of applying several wood species as alternatives for tropical species.
(*NL) Note in Dutch / Nota in het Nederlands: De Engelse termen Hardwood (NL = loofhout) en Softwood (NL = naaldhout) worden soms foutief vertaald als hardhout en zachthout. Dit zorgt voor verwarring. 'Hardwoods' kunnen immers zachter zijn dan 'softwoods'. Taxus (softwood) is bv. harder dan loofhoutceder, els, linden, populier... allemaal 'hardwoods' !
^ top ^