Part 1: “Is Dense Wood Really Better?”
Introduction
Hello. I’m Inoue, the manager of Advance Guitars.
Lately, I’ve had more opportunities to write articles for music magazines.
As I’ve written more and more, I’ve gradually accumulated a list of topics I’d like to explore in greater depth—things I couldn’t fully cover in my articles.
Also, as I interact with customers every day and observe guitars themselves,
I often find myself pausing to think, “I wonder how this actually works?”
I wondered if there was a way to share the questions and insights I have in those moments in a more free-form way.
That’s how I started my “Solo Talk Series” on YouTube.
In this series, I cover a wide range of topics related to acoustic guitars, focusing primarily on things that I personally find “interesting.”
In this article, I’ve summarized the series while adding context to aspects that are difficult to convey through video alone.
I hope you’ll enjoy the world of acoustic guitars from a slightly new perspective.
Part 1: “Is Dense Wood Really Better?”
Is there a difference in the quality of top wood grain?
As I’m starting this series, I thought it might be interesting to explore the topic of “acoustic guitar shop catchphrases,” so I came up with this content.
That’s when I came up with the theme: “Is Dense-Grained Wood Really Better?”
This is because I myself have often mentioned or included in product descriptions that “this guitar uses dense-grained wood.”
In a way, it’s treated as if dense-grained wood is inherently superior—a compliment—
or—to put it a bit bluntly—as a sales pitch for instrument shops?
So, is dense-grained wood really good?
I took the time to organize my thoughts on this—including what makes it good, if anything—and shared my conclusions.
Where is dense-grained wood used?
When it comes to acoustic guitars, my impression is that it’s most commonly used for body woods (such as spruce and rosewood).
Regarding mahogany for necks and ebony for fingerboards, I’ve also seen them described as having “high density.”
In what context is the term “dense wood” used?
I’ve never seen it used in a negative context.
It’s used as a compliment for guitars, in a “positive sense.”
To put it another way, from a music store’s perspective, you could call it a selling point.
What exactly is “tight-grained wood” anyway?
Since we’re talking about acoustic guitars, let’s consider spruce.
The grain of spruce is essentially the width of the growth rings.
There are some types of spruce with a ribbon-like grain that flows horizontally, but I’ll set that aside for now.
" Fine-grained wood " refers to wood with narrow annual rings.
Sincethe width of the growth ringsreflects the speed of the tree’s growth, dense-grained wood indicates slow growth.
Since a tree’s growth is influenced by climatic factors, it varies depending on the local environment—such as temperature and hours of sunlight—as well as the species of the tree.
A uniform grain indicates stable growth.
So, is dense-grained wood better?
Since we’re talking about acoustic guitars, let’s use Martin spruce as an example.
Martin is said to have an 8-tier grading system for top wood.
If we assume that denser wood is better, then the higher the grade, the denser the grain should be.
However, judging by Martin guitars, this isn’t necessarily the case.
In fact, the width of the grain on a Martin D-28 and a Martin D-45 isn’t that different.
I don’t know the exact criteria for these eight grades, but I assume they are based on a comprehensive evaluation of appearance and the characteristics of the tonewood.
I’ve heard that some places use a standard based on the number of growth rings per inch, but even if Martin uses that, it’s likely just a minimum threshold. In reality, I think an expert can immediately tell the quality of the appearance without needing such a standard, so I believe these numbers—like “this spruce has X number of growth rings per inch”—are just that: numbers.
In other words, I don’t believe you can determine the quality of an acoustic guitar based solely on whether the grain is dense or not.
When considering the quality of wood for acoustic guitars, I believe there are three main factors.
These are physical properties (workability/stiffness/weight), acoustic properties, and design.
It is the balance of these factors that allows craftsmen and us, the buyers, to subjectively judge the quality of the instrument.
Should you avoid wood with a wide grain?
If we consider the opposite of “tight-grained wood is good,” then wood with a wide grain pattern would be considered bad; however, it is impossible to determine a specific standard for what constitutes “too wide” to be considered poor.
As mentioned earlier, such wood is culled beforehand, so when it comes to the top wood used in finished acoustic guitars,
I don’t think we need to assume that wider grain necessarily means lower quality.
For example, some Gibson models from the 2010s feature grain that is wider than average.
Based on my experience playing them, they had a soft, rich, and beautiful tone, so they were all excellent choices as personal instruments.
On the other hand, I think it’s perfectly valid to find wood with a uniformly dense grain “beautiful.”
Since acoustic guitars inevitably have less visual detail than electric guitars and the like, I feel it’s truly wonderful to appreciate and cherish that visual beauty as a point of praise.
I also believe that the width of the grain plays a role, to some extent, in the wood’s tonal qualities.
I’d like to discuss this further in the future.
Bonus (Thoughts on Guitars with Very Wide Grain)
To explore this topic, I wondered if there were any trees with wide annual rings and did some research.
It turns out there’s a fast-growing Japanese paulownia called “Japaronia,” and apparently, its trunk grows about 40 cm in just four years.
The width of a single growth ring is 10 cm. Since the width of a dreadnought is about 40 cm, I don’t think it would be impossible to make one with eight growth rings.
If someone actually made one, people would probably judge it as “good” or “bad,” but I doubt any manufacturer would ever make it...
I wonder if it would produce a really loose, floppy sound??
Author: Inoue, Manager of Advance Guitars – Vintage Guitar Researcher
An expert who has been involved with musical instruments since childhood and has appraised and sold over several thousand vintage guitars. He maintains strong connections with collectors and dealers overseas. Guided by the belief that “the history of a guitar can change based on a single color or stamp,” he strives to provide detailed and passionate commentary.
Qualifications & Experience: 8 years as a musical instrument appraiser; contributor and supervisor for publications such as Guitar Magazine
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