Is KOA a good tone wood?

Lightweight, rigid, yet bendable, Koa is a great material for guitar manufacturers to work with. When paired with the right soundboard, it also has a wonderful tonal quality.

Is koa the best tonewood?

Like the 6-strings mentioned above, koa makes a good top wood for acoustic and electric guitars alike. Its gentle high-end boost can bring out the upper harmonics to improve tone, while its articulate bottom end makes for a clean-sounding instrument.

What wood has the best tone?

Spruce. This evergreen, found in northern temperate regions of the globe, is literally top choice: the ideal wood for the soundboard, or top, of an acoustic guitar. Its look — light in color, even in grain — is appealing though somewhat plain; what sets it apart is its beautiful tonal properties.

Is koa better than mahogany?

The Quick Answer. Mahogany acoustic guitars sound warmer and fuller compared to koa acoustic guitars which sound brighter and clearer. Koa acoustic guitars are usually rarer and more expensive, and they have a more unique grain. Both woods are dark although there are some variations in the shades between guitars.

What is Koa wood on a guitar?

A dense tropical hardwood, koa blends midrange focus with extra top-end brightness and chime. The more a koa guitar is played and opens up — especially an all-koa guitar — the more its midrange overtones add warmth and sweetness to its voice.

What no one will tell you about acoustic guitar soundboards!

Do koa guitars sound good?

The Sound:

Koa guitars might sound bright and tight off the shelf, and benefit from a good amount of 'playing in. ' The more they're played, the more the sound opens up. Tones become richer, sweeter and more resonant, with a rich low end and well-rounded sparkle overall.

Why is koa wood expensive?

Koa wood is highly regarded and it is so precious because it can only be found in Hawaii. Its beauty and rarity make koa among the most expensive woods in the world. Koa wood starts at around $40 per board feet and can go up to $200 board feet for rare large slabs.

What wood is similar to koa?

Koa is more expensive than Australian blackwood, which is typically considered a lower-cost alternative to Hawaiian koa. A domestic species, locust, is similar in characteristics to the koa and Australian black acacia tree and is sometimes referred to as false acacia, but don't confuse it with authentic acacia.

Is koa the same as acacia?

The first thing to know is that acacia wood and koa wood are very similar. In fact, acacia is in the same family as koa and sometimes when shopping for an acacia wood ukulele, you will see it called “koa acacia.” There are about 1300 different kinds of acacia wood!

Is Koa wood mahogany?

Found on the big island of Hawaii and made from the Hawaiian acacia koa tree, this tropical hardwood blends the midrange of mahogany with the top end of maple.

Is Poplar a good tone wood?

Poplar is a relatively common electric guitar body material, up there with basswood and swamp ash, though not as popular as mahogany and alder. Its lightweight and neutral tone make it a well-rounded wood, tone-wise.

What wood is best for guitar body?

Mahogany, mainly used in the acoustic world, for back and sides. It is the most commonly used hardwood because it's relatively economical, durable, attractive, easy to work with and resonant. Mahogany became popular in guitars because it is attractive and cheaper to get than rosewood.

Does a maple top affect tone?

For guitars, it's usually used in necks and tops. In terms of tone, Maple enhances upper-mids and high frequencies particularly, however, it also produces a tight, well-defined low end. In electric guitar tops, Maple is known to generate a defined scoop in mid-range.

Is koa A rosewood?

Koa is a dense wood that comes from Hawaii and is a fairly expensive (although not as pricey as rosewood). Koa can be used as a side, back and top wood and most guitars will feature all-koa bodies. In terms of a appearance, koa is a dark wood which has a very unique grain.

Does Martin make a koa guitar?

With the 000-12E Koa in Martin's lineup, now more players can turn their dreams of owning a koa guitar into reality. The back and side of this gorgeous model are constructed with koa fine veneer, which is an environmentally conscious, alternative-wood option, made by bonding koa hardwood to an African mahogany core.

Where are Taylor koa guitars made?

All Taylor guitars are made in one of two factories; either the El Cajon factory in California, or the Tecate factory in Mexico. They're roughly 40 miles from one another. Anything that's a 200 series or lower (so that's the 100 series, GS Minis, Baby range and Academies) are made in the Mexican factory.

What is special about Koa wood?

Koa Wood is legendary in Hawaii. Not only is this amazing wood native to Hawaii but it is known for the deep rich colors and varied grain pattern. Koa has honored heritage in Hawaii and is highly revered and sacred. Koa in battle.

What Colour is koa?

Koa is generally reddish gold to dark brown in color. Its acute interlocking wood grain produces a highly curly or figured appearance. Its origin is always Hawaii.

What is Koa wood worth?

A koa tree—prized for its use in hand-crafted furniture—can be worth upwards of $50,000 in today's market. In theory, you could score $2,500 from a single tree.

Is Koa wood a lightweight?

Koa wood isn't just good for weapons used by warriors in 18th-century Hawaii. A lot of musicians have reaped the benefits of its rich texture and tonal quality. The material is lightweight and pliable, making it easy to create smooth-sounding guitars and other instruments.

Is Koa wood a hardwood?

Koa is a hardwood and has high crush resistance and shock absorbance. It is often compared to walnut, however, it weighs about 25% more and its interlocking grain makes for an exceptional figure. It's thin, light-colored sapwood surrounds the hardwood that woodworkers describe as lustrous, swirled marble.

Is Koa wood dense?

Density. Koa has a density of 37 pounds per cubic foot at 6 percent MC. This means that a board foot will weigh about 3 pounds. This density is similar to many other U.S. hardwoods and a little below hard maple.

Is Koa wood only in Hawaii?

Koa wood is endemic to Hawaii.

The species Acacia Koa grows only in Hawaii and no place else in the world. Sure, other species of the acacia family grow in other parts of the world.

How do you seal Koa wood?