My approach to choosing wood, building necks and shaping the character of an OD guitar.
By Omer Deutsch
Does wood make a difference in an electric guitar? It is a question that keeps coming back, and one I think about through the instruments I build. For me, wood selection is part of the whole guitar, alongside its construction, hardware, pickups and setup.
I don’t choose a piece of wood only because of its name or its appearance. I want to understand how it will work in the instrument, and how the finished guitar will feel in your hands.
Tonewood, what does that mean?
Tonewood is a term used for wood selected for musical instruments because of its characteristics. But a species name alone does not tell the whole story. The individual piece, its condition and the way it is used all matter to my choices in the workshop.
In the original newsletter, I compared the wood to a car’s chassis and the pickups to its engine. It is an analogy for how I approach a build: changing one component does not replace the need for a well considered instrument around it.
You can read more about the woods I work with on the OD tonewood page.
Preparation comes before appearance
One of my first priorities is the condition of the wood before it becomes part of a guitar. In my workshop, that means paying attention to moisture and giving the material time to acclimatise.
In the newsletter, I mentioned aiming for around 7 to 8 percent moisture content in my own process. That is a workshop reference, rather than a rule that every piece of guitar wood must follow in every climate. Air drying and kiln drying are methods of preparation, and the conditions the wood is stored in afterwards matter too.
A striking piece of wood still needs to be suitable for the job. The figure is what catches your eye, but preparation is part of the work behind the finished instrument.
Why I pay so much attention to the neck
When I think about an electric guitar’s construction, the neck and fretboard come first in my own priorities. They are central to the way I approach the instrument, followed by the body and the choices of hardware.
In the original newsletter I used percentages to describe that balance. Those numbers were an expression of my experience and feel, not scientific measurements of how much each part contributes to tone. I would rather explain the priority than present it as a formula.
Grain selection, the arrangement of pieces in a laminated neck and the overall design all require decisions. Some methods take more time and material, but they are part of how I work towards the result I want from an OD guitar.
What about decorative tops?
In my own builds, choosing a top is largely about appearance. It is a chance to work with unusual grain, colour and figure, and to give each guitar an individual identity.
My experience with particularly hard top woods, including ebony, ziricote and pale moon ebony, has sometimes led me to notice differences in the finished instrument. That is my workshop observation, rather than a promise that choosing one species will produce a particular sound.
If you are exploring the visual side of your next guitar, browse the OD wood collection gallery. It is a good starting point for a conversation about the look you have in mind and which pieces may suit the build.
Choosing wood for your guitar
You do not need to become a wood expert before ordering a custom guitar. Tell me how you play, what you want from the instrument and what draws your eye. My job is to help connect those preferences with choices that make sense together.
Ask questions about the construction as well as the species. Look at finished instruments, speak with players who own them and listen to their experiences. A list of exotic woods is only one part of understanding a guitar.
For me, the point of this discussion is the finished musical instrument. Your ears, your hands and the way it inspires you to play are what bring all those workshop decisions together.
