What no one will tell you about acoustic guitar soundboards! 

Back in '67, I bought a Gibson J-50 brand new, made a year earlier. I paid $250 for it, which was a good bit of cash in those days. There were several of the same brand and model in the store at the time. I spent over an hour playing, picking, and strumming each guitar, intently listening to whatever subtle differences these beautiful instruments were "talking" to me. There was one that had a punchiness, brightness, crispness that sounded better, if only slightly, over it's mates. I knew that each and every one of these guitars had not become fully "awakened" at this stage in their young lives and that over time, and being played regularly, this one particular guitar would blossom into a very good sounding and playing instrument. I didn't know what the action was supposed to be, but I took it to a guitar technician to have him look at the set up features that might need adjustments, if any. I ended up walking out of this store, 250 bucks lighter, but the proud owner of a phenomenal guitar which I keep and played for many decades into the future. Yes, it did wake up several months later to become a very highly prized possession, a good friend, and an instrument that I could develop the type of music I was interested in playing, which at the time was folk/ bluegrass. In the mid '80s I had more than one offer from folks wishing I would consider selling it to them. Of course I refused their offers of 4 figures, near the 2 grand range. Later on during the Dubya Bush era and due to extreme financial hardships, I was forced to sell my J-50, which had been with me since a "baby". I got a decent price, but it cut my heart out ! It's never been replaced to this day, by any other guitar, sadly for me. That's my story about buying a good guitar out of a music store. Bob

It stuns me to discover a 3000 year old buried spruce trunk could be fashioned into parts of a contemporary musical instrument. Sir, your videos , which I discovered serendipitously, are a fascinating revelation in so many ways.

Fascinating! Subbed! I have a hand built 12 string. The luthier kept the two book matched sound boards in a humidity controlled environment for 3 months before matching them. He said he would match them according to the natural curve they developed. The guitar is needless to say, still absolutely perfect after 36 years.

Hey ! You are a guitar scientist man ! Thank GOD for guys like you. Thanks for sharing. You gave me such a profound understanding of guitars and wood. Next time I am going to spend lots of time listening to different guitars. Love from Mumbai, India.

I have just learned more in 33 minutes about the art of woods being chosen for guitar construction than I've learned in the past 40 years! Super thanks, sir!

Well done, Chris... I can share this with some of the folks who fail to understand why the guitars that I have had you make for me are so exceptional when compared with some of the big name instruments in my collection. Keep on, keeping on... and Merry Christmas to you.

There are lots of videos that cover the building process of a guitar, but you provide in-depth knowledge and insight that goes deeper than the "how to" that I don't get from other channels. I've learned quite a bit from your videos - thanks and keep it up!

This is the best wood info I've seen, I love the way you combine precise measurement with tactile, visual, and audio clues. I'm an old dude who's new to guitar building, and your description of factory built vs hand built reminds me of the difference between a custom built race bike and a touring bike from a dealership. I digress. Just acquired my first band saw, now to find a home for it in the shop.

Your shop is absolutely stunning. They layout, the windows, all of it. Kudos!

Wonderful, thoughtful discussion. You appreciate "quantifiable" factors, and yet so much comes down to your experience. That's exactly what anyone would desire in a custom instrument builder.

Thank you for making us more aware of the woods that are used to make such wonderful music.

Chris, thank you so much. This video is outstanding and there is nothing comparable among all the videos posted on RU-vid. I really appreciate your work and craftmanship/knowledge!!!!! I hope I can try some of your guitars soon. And you really have talent for these kind of videos because you have so many things to say and you come across as very easy-going, kind and competent. It is really relaxing to watch your videos and share your passion for guitars. Greetings from Germany, Joe

Man, this was just a glimps of your extensive knowledge with these woods. you are incredibly talented.

So informative. As a Luthier in London I hope to one day actually start to build an acoustic. I enjoyed watching this very much :)

WOW! Truly informative. As a teenager I used to salvage spruce and cedar “blanks” that would eventually be used for guitar wood from an old growth logged out area on Haida Gwaii. Your video enlightened me as to what eventually happens to those 95mm X 1000mm blanks.

Wonderful video! Thank you for taking the time to make this.

Thanks for being a dedicated teacher about tonality. Subscribed and looking forward to learning much more.

Holy crap, this video blew my mind. I'm just starting to do research for my first build, and your videos are the most informative I've seen. I've just finished reading chapter 4 of Somogyi's "The Responsive Guitar", which is all about the material properties of wood. I found this video to be an excellent followup to that. Also, that ancient sitka is absolutely badass.

Excellent! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and advice in a clearly understandable way. Very generous of you to do so. Very appreciated by us on our journey enjoying guitars- both playing and building.

Love to hear a knowledgeable artist talk about their work. Great video production and sound as well. Will be looking at more of your work.Thanks. An easy sub.

Very interesting stuff here. Thank you. I've built a couple instruments but it's a skill I'm still working on. Love watching this kind of stuff

Yeah, really enjoyed your video and the depth of knowledge you articulately shared. I am fascinated by tonewoods and how the build approach and construction impacts the finished sound quality. Looking forward to more of the same my friend… cheers. K.

Wow, a fantastic video.!! I learned more from your video than dozens of others combined together.! Thank you, for making it

I'm checking out as much sitka information as possible for sound boards. You have a wealth of knowledge ! Thanks ! I subscribed.

Wow that glacier wood guitar build is probably the most stunning acoustic guitar i have ever seen i paused the video for a long time looking at how beautiful the wood is and the craftsmanship is absolutely jaw dropping you sir are a master and the story behind the wood its history loved everything about this video thank u for spending your obviously busy schedule to show us your craft 👏👏

That was great! I learned more about tone wood and soundboards in this video than all others combined. Thank you!

So informative - thanks for taking the time for this presentation!

If you're interested in owning some of this, and many other fine tonewoods, go check out our website! www.driftwoodguitars.com/tonewood

Thank you 🙏obviously it was one of the most helpful video I've ever seen on building instruments, very valuable honest informations. I learned and enjoyed a lot. 🌹

Fantastic information and presentation. I just recently discovered your channel and I'm loving it.

Very well explained. I found this out in 96 when I bought a Takamine Sante Fe.....I played several of the same guitar and they all sounded so different. I had played one at a music store in Nachogdoches Texas and fell in love with it. Asked the salesman to hold it for me and I'd be back with the money...in the meantime I had to go to San Antonio for a VA appt....then Dallas a few days later to p/u a friend at the airport. I played the exact same guitar in 5 different stores....didn't care for any of them really. I finally got back to Nachogdoches and was starting to think I must have just imagined how it sounded. It was truly a special guitar....still have it....I've worn a hole through the top nearly from playing so much. Never heard this explained so well. Great job!

Wonderful sir, the way you explain, it makes us feel more about the wood...more than what its basic function is being a guitar top. Keep making more videos to guide us more.thanks

This is very illuminating and I love this builders approach & mindset.

Very interesting,I like your way of explaining things, very clear and concise.

Very well done video, extremely interesting. Many things I knew, other things I did not think to consider. Thank you! Will be looking out for more and look for some of your finished guitars. Greetings from the beautiful Austrian Alps!

I really enjoyed this video. I like the educational aspect. Very informative for luthier and player alike. More videos like this would be cool.

Excellent video. Great descriptions and explanations. Just what I was looking for from an independent (non big name) builder. You seem honest and transparent; which are uncommon traits these days.

I love hearing people talk about things they are super passionate about. Thank you!

Wow i just checked out your website. You build some of the most beautiful instruments ive every laid my eyes on. Im sure they play and sound like a dream as well

A super interesting insight into wood and tone. Thanks for sharing.

Truly excellent video. Back jn the late 1980's I acquired a dozen or more 1x12x1"(3/4" thick) Kiln Dried Quarter Sawn clear Douglas Fir shelving boards. Not a "soundboard wood" but very fine straight grain that when I resawed it into top wood and joined it the tops are truly excellent. The stiffness allowed me to make very thin tops with radically scalloped bracing. So far I have built two Drednaught Body guitars (1988 &.1990) with Black Walnut back, sides and neck with French Lilac fingerboards and bridges cut from 50 year old extremely dense tight grained boards. I air dried those logs for 5+ years. The neck and tail blocks are also Black Walnut. They were my first two acoustic builds. Both have cosmetic issues but play well and sound great. I learned by disassemblibg an old Guild D-40 that had been seriously abused. Found it in a pawn shop in NYC for $5. Those first two builds taught me a lit about building acoustic instruments. Now that I am retired from my "daycjov" I want to tackle building my most favorite stringed instrument... The Baroque Cello.

Thanks that was great information just found you on RU-vid I’ll be watching for more videos thanks again

I’ve been building guitars for about 1.5 years now and it’s a fascinating and absorbing hobby and this video really covers the tonewood topic better than any other I’ve come across so far. More please, awsome.

I recently discovered your channel. Really great stuff. I found this discussion fascinating. I am so interested to understand more about why particular instruments (pre-war Martins, Lloyd Loar mandolins) are so coveted for their tonal qualities and the physics behind it. There was an interesting article in a recent Fretboard journal about this topic (regarding Taylor's investigations into this area), which maybe you have seen. Thanks for this!

What a great find this channel turned out to be. Amazing content.

Thanks for the video! The last part about the users decission is so true, for every self respecting person. I was going to ask if you go any thicker for the top, but you answered that, and also confirms that the feel is so important. It must be nice to get the woods you prefer. Your body designs look neat.

This video is a gift! Thanks for sharing your expertise with us. That ancient spruce sounds amazing!

Superb presentation, especially breaking down the tonal characteristics of the more common top tonewoods in class terms.

Thanks so much for all the info. I have lots to consider now for my first build.

Amazing video! I had no idea about these concepts until today. Thank you.

Wow! Very insightful and an eye-opener, so to speak. I learnt so much from this video.

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge of soundboard qualities !

Not a builder or luthier. Just a long time player. This was a GREAT and very informative video. You guys do a great job. Thanks.

I love these stories that give depth of life to your guitars. The wonderful journeys of these woods, many of which may never have found a new life are inspirational. I built a semi-hollow electric out of the remains of a150 year old piano I found at at goodwill store. When I play it, I feel the wood's history and imagine the joy it brought to others in its former life. These things affect the emotion I put into my playing. I loved this video!

That 3000 years old spruce its just awesome, great video

I don’t even play the guitar I actually make electronic music , but I love watching these videos of people making guitars ... out of the hundreds I’ve watch none have ever explained the tone wood like you have here 🤘

Great history about the bridge wood - I never thought about that. Thank you!

Love you videos explaing in detail about different woods

Loved it man!!! Keep them coming!

Phenomenal channel from the handful of vids on Rhett's electric guitar & the dog bone idea to this 1 so far. Music, audio & world needs more of this type of approach to craft & just doing things in general.

I'm a subscriber to and regular watcher of uploads by Ted and Twoofrd and Jerry at Rosa Stringworks but had never heard of your channel before. Fascinating topic and well explained. Bell rung.

Great and honest information about wood and how different it is going to influence each instrument

I love your videos!! Very informative and educational!!! I'm looking forward to the video when it comes to the wood for back and side.😬😬😬

I love this- and your taking the time to explain all this

My love for wanting to learn and enjoy playing a musical instrument, did not come by how it was made, or the looks or the sound that I made for the first time, but by hearing someone who could actually play it and make it sound good! My Love of the instrument and attachment came by learning to play it and making sounds that is good to my ear.

You have a great knack for making good analogies to make your point! Love this video.

Wow, very interesting . I’ve been playing guitar for 45 years and your video taught me more about soundboards than I have ever heard before , thank you .

I love and admire your attention and care to building these. I just bought a Taylor GS mini and I do love it. It sounds woody and bigger than it is but man... I'd love to buy a handmade guitar from you because as you said the bigger names don't have the time to do things the way you do and they build for the masses. Thanks for great videos and sharing your knowledge

How about a video on bracing, the affect radius plays in the tone of a top, gluing the radiused brace by forcing it flat the way Martin does or using a radiused gluing board like Santa Cruz or Huss and Dalton.

Just so interesting. I am so glad that I stumbled on your website. I am subscribed and plan on spending hours in your company. Thanks so much.

Thanks for explaining the tone woods in detail, very interesting

Wonderful video. You seem very genuine and knowledgeable . Subscribed!

Well done! I kind of thought these things mattered, but I wasn't sure how much. Now I feel like I really understand it so much better! This was such an informative video! I now feel embarrassed about the way I bought my last acoustic guitar, b/c I didn't consider these things. I'm thinking about building one for myself, so now I know many things to consider when selecting the wood. Whether I build or not, any guitars I buy from now on will be more thoughtfully selected! And, I'm now a subscriber!

Interesting about factory builds running pre selected thicknesses for mass top quantities. This is what I believe the result of that is. Out of 10 Martins, Taylor’s, or Gibsons, you play at the store 2 will sound open and 8 will not. It’s the law of averages!!!

Nice to see someone who REALLY knows the nature of wood......respect.

Thank you! Great information and very interesting.

that was great, very informative. You can tell this guy is an elite professional.

Chris, I am a novice builder trying to sort out all of contradictory statements found on-line. Thank you for a very well thought-out and presented tutorial. You have given me a wealth of information.

I’ve got some port orford that I can’t wait to use, the smell is very unique

Great Job!!! Ive listened to many versions of the top discussion and they are mostly general and also similar. YOURS was that and much more. Much more insight into the wood itself and how its true that acoustic guitars all have character that goes beyond just the wood species and the approach a builder must take when making those magical instruments that stand above and feel and sound and resonate. What you hear and what others hear you make from it. More please- body woods yes. I have s custom build that went very wrong due to the builders lack of sensitivity here. I hope to make it right some day but it will take tearing it back down again and starting over

i gave assumed much of this but i have learned so much about the instrument that i love. Just wanted to say i appreciate it and im hooked.

Great info man. Thanks!

Awesome segment- very interesting!!!

Well done. Very informative. Thanks for sharing.

I have purchased a Martin guitar that ships tomorrow; I get to choose from two; your spectacular video is reassuring to me! Bravo and thank you so much

Very interesting and detailed explanations I will never look at a piece of wood the same way

Great video. I didn’t miss a second of it.

I love Cedar top guitars. Even being a strummer more than a picker, I love the response of the cedar over Sitka spruce. Volume tolerances are easily negligible when PAs, pedals, and amps are included. But that is going on just what I hear from manufactured guitars.

I never knew the complexity of the physics of a guitar...really insightful explanation...thank you 👍

Very good, super important information explained simply. Thank you.

Enjoyed every second of this very informative video. So interesting! I think I'll skip my job and become a guitar builder! 😄😄

I got me an orangewood guitar just for kicks (Oliver Mahagomy Jr.) today 5/22/22 saw your Orangewood review. I was blown away! this video cleared all i kind I knew about these guitars. i love nylon

This is very interesting about the wood used for guitars. I learned a lot.

I’m kinda new to this channel. I really like it. Great info. Really like your reviews too.

That was a Awesome video of explaining soundboard and bracing .

I like your reference to the top being happy!

This was fascinating!!

Excellent video! Fascinating

Thanks, nicely done, informative.

This video has made me want to learn to be a luthier. Love the connection you get by learning about each piece of wood and what it wants to do, who it wants to be. I am enamored by this process.