A guitar is made of perhaps a dozen kinds of material, but its voice comes mostly from a few woods. Each has its own density, stiffness and way of holding vibration, and each leaves its trace in the sound. Below is a short library of the woods we use, with what each one gives the player and where you will find it in the Arrius collection.
Worth knowing: no wood sounds the same in every guitar. The maker’s hands, the thickness of the plates, the bracing and the finish matter as much as the species. Treat what follows as tendencies, not laws.
Soundboard woods
Canadian (western red) cedar
| Character | Warm, round, immediate |
| Weight and stiffness | Light, less stiff than spruce |
| With age | Sounds full from the first day, changes little |
| Colour | Honey to reddish-brown |
| In our collection | MPR-5000 (special grade), S-1000 (double top), MPR-400, MPR-100 S |
Cedar became a common choice for classical tops in the 1960s, when José Ramírez III in Madrid began using it widely. Under the fingers it answers at once and gives a generous, singing tone that flatters a gentle touch and romantic repertoire. On the Arrius MPR-5000 we use special-grade cedar with tight, even grain, which keeps that warmth clear rather than woolly.
Spruce
| Character | Clear, articulate, brilliant |
| Weight and stiffness | Stiffer than cedar, slightly heavier |
| With age | Opens up over months and years of playing |
| Colour | Pale cream, mellowing to gold |
| In our collection | S-1000 (double top), MPR-400 and MPR-100 S (AAA grade) |
Spruce is the traditional soundboard wood of the Spanish guitar and of most string instruments, from violins to pianos. It rewards a strong right hand, keeps voices separate in counterpoint and grows with its player. Cedar or spruce: what the soundboard decides.
Back and side woods
Indian rosewood
| Character | Deep basses, rich overtones, long sustain |
| Density | High |
| Colour | Chocolate brown with purple and dark streaks |
| In our collection | MPR-5000, S-1000 (with ziricote), MPR-400 |
The classic partner of a fine soundboard. Rosewood reflects sound back into the body instead of absorbing it, which gives the familiar concert-guitar voice: a firm bass, a sweet treble and a halo of overtones around every note. With cedar on top, as in the MPR-5000, it adds weight and structure to an already warm voice.
Ziricote
| Character | Focused, deep, bell-like |
| Density | Very high |
| Colour | Dark brown to black, with spidery, landscape-like figure |
| In our collection | S-1000 (with Indian rosewood) |
A Central American wood of the genus Cordia, prized for its dramatic figure and its clear, focused resonance. Often compared to the legendary Brazilian rosewood, whose trade is now strictly limited. No two ziricote backs look alike.
Java ebony
| Character | Dark, focused, strong fundamentals |
| Density | Very high |
| Colour | Dark brown and black stripes with lighter bands |
| In our collection | MPR-400 (as an alternative to rosewood) |
Denser than rosewood, Java ebony gives a slightly drier, more direct sound with powerful fundamentals and a striking striped figure. Rosewood, ziricote and Java ebony compared.
Mahogany
| Character | Warm, direct, quick, honest |
| Density | Medium |
| Colour | Reddish-brown, even grain |
| In our collection | MPR-100 S (back and sides), necks of the MPR-5000 and MPR-100 S, UK-1500 |
Lighter than rosewood, mahogany gives a direct sound with a clear bass and less reverberation; many players describe it as honest. As a neck wood it is valued for being light and very stable.
Flamed maple
| Character | Bright, articulate, transparent |
| Density | Medium to high |
| Colour | Pale gold with a rippling, three-dimensional flame |
| In our collection | UK-1500 ukulele, binding of the MPR-5000 |
Maple is the wood of violins and cellos. It reflects sound quickly and gives clarity and definition. Its flame figure seems to move as the light changes.
Woods for the neck and fittings
Ebony
One of the hardest and densest woods in instrument making. On the fingerboard it resists wear and holds the frets firmly; on the bridge it carries the energy of the strings to the top; on the armrest it gives a smooth, durable surface. All our classical guitars have ebony fingerboards and bridges.
Spanish cedar
Despite its name, not a true cedar but a relative of mahogany. Light, stable and aromatic, it is the traditional neck wood of Spanish makers. The S-1000 has a Spanish cedar neck.
Bone
Not a wood, but the traditional material for nuts and saddles. Dense and hard, it passes vibration from the strings to the guitar more completely than plastic. All Arrius instruments use bone; the MPR-100 S has black bone.
Why seasoning matters as much as species
Even the finest wood is useless if it is still moving. Fresh timber shrinks and swells as it gives up moisture, and a top glued too early can crack or distort years later. Every piece of wood in an Arrius is seasoned for at least eight years before it becomes part of a guitar, and it comes from verified suppliers with the certificates required for trade in tonewoods. Why tonewood is seasoned for years.
Woods at a glance
| Wood | Used for | Sound in one word | Arrius models |
| Canadian cedar | Top | Warm | MPR-5000, S-1000, MPR-400, MPR-100 S |
| Spruce | Top | Clear | S-1000, MPR-400, MPR-100 S |
| Indian rosewood | Back, sides | Rich | MPR-5000, S-1000, MPR-400 |
| Ziricote | Back, sides | Focused | S-1000 |
| Java ebony | Back, sides | Dark | MPR-400 |
| Mahogany | Back, sides, neck | Direct | MPR-100 S, UK-1500 |
| Flamed maple | Body, binding | Bright | UK-1500 |
| Ebony | Fingerboard, bridge, armrest | — | All guitars |
More terms in our classical guitar glossary.