Tonewoods

Tonewoods are at the heart of every great electric instrument. At Fodera, we believe that a great electric instrument is a great acoustic instrument, and that the tonewood selection is critical to how an instrument performs regardless of what electronics are put in the instrument. We have developed wonderful relationships with our lumber suppliers over the years to ensure that only the best quality of materials are used on our instruments. Below is a list of tonewoods that we use for our instruments and some descriptions to help you determine which woods best suit your tonal needs.

 

BODY WOODS

Alder

A classic tonewood that is generally light in weight. Tonally, Alder is a warm sounding body wood with a good dose of low end and balanced mid and high frequencies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ash

Another classic tonewood which can range in weight from medium-light to heavy.  Ash is a brighter body wood compared to Alder with a slightly scooped midrange and more pronounced high frequencies while still supporting the low frequencies well.

 

 

 

 

 

Walnut

A warm yet punchy sounding body wood that is heavier in weight compared to Alder and Ash.  Walnut supports low frequencies very well, has a compressed midrange, and a bright top end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mahogany

A medium to heavy weight body wood. Mahogany is warm and full sounding wood with a rich lower midrange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Limba

A medium weight body wood that is visually appealing with black streaking throughout. Tonally Black Limba is similar to Mahogany with a pronounced midrange character and slighty muted highs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Korina

A medium to heavy weight body wood.  Generally,  Korina is nearly identical tonally to Black Limba.  However, heavier / denser pieces will sound brighter. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TONEBLOCK WOODS

A toneblock is the center portion of a three-piece neck-through body, onto which the outer body wings are glued.  With toneblocks, you are able to further sculpt your desired tone by pairing different tonewoods for various combinations.  The toneblock will either subtract or add certain characteristics to the body wood.  Love the warmth and low end of Mahogany but desire a bit more punch and top end?  With the toneblock you can add a denser wood such as Maple to add some of those brighter and punchier nuances.

ASH

ALDER

 

FLAME MAPLE

ROASTED ASH

MAHOGANY

BLACK LIMBA

 

NECK WOODS

All of our Custom and Standard necks feature three-piece, quarter-sawn construction for enhanced stability and responsiveness.

Hard Rock Maple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINGERBOARDS