- Metallic - Indian Rosewood 11:55 Brazilian Rosewood 14:02, 15:52 Madagascar Rosewood 17:03 Cocobolo 18:18, 19:54 Padauk 24:18 Indian Ebony 26:47 - Woody - Honduran Mahogany 14:50, 36:29 African Mahogany 37:04 Maple 40:52 Walnut 42:53, 50:33 Hawaiian Koa 47:36 - Top - Sitka Spruce 1:02:18 Adirondak(Red) Spruce 1:03:13 European Spruce(Itanlian/Austrian) 1:04:33 White Spruce(Canadian) 1:05:50 Red Wood 1:06:29 Torrified Adirondack 1:07:00

Ive been working for dana for almost a year now.. i have to say, watching him voice and just tbe company as a whole, is the greatest gift ive ever been given in my life! Such an amazing person

A very interesting talk with actual demonstrations that really brough what he was saying alive!

I like watching Dana's eyes and facial expressions as he taps the wood.... it's almost like you can see the brain processing the sound waves as he does so.

Wow, this might be the most interesting geek talk I've ever heard. I got a little excited and jealous when he started passing the wood slabs around to the audience.

What an excellent presentation. I loved hearing Dana tap the woods in front of the microphone. Fascinating.

One of the coolest demonstrations I've ever seen - amazing knowledge and clever use of the boards to illustrate their resonance without even using strings or a guitar.

He gave such a great presentation! Lots of interesting, useful info and details, without ever advertising for himself, nor making absolute statements, always just saying what works for him with how he makes Guitars.

Thank you Dana. This is everything I wanted and needed to know re tonewoods, definitive, clear.

What a great, instructive video! Thank you Dana and thanks to you guys who made and posted this.

Such a nice talk and lots of information. Thank you Dana Bourgeois.

Thanks for sharing an awesome video! Met Mr. Bourgeois last year in Lexington, KY. Such a nice gentleman, took much time to answer my questions. Thank you Dana, you are the best!

Dana is a Master , attended a tone tap lecture of his at the Artisan show and a wealth of information

Really good overview of the tonewoods Dana - much appreciated...

Great video! The best I've seen.

Superb watch. Such insights and knowledge

I’ve always avoided picking up a Bourgeois due to cost, but this is making me want to try one.

Awesome, learned so much 🙏

Like a master chef, with Huge Intuition for music!!!....this is Fantastic!🎶🎵

This video is fantastic. I love the guitar building and voicing videos from Dana Bourgeois. This guy has so much knowledge and passion in building acoustic guitars. I didn’t pay enough attention to Bourgeois guitars I’ve seen in a couple of stores but after seeing these videos, I’m definitely going to check them out more closely. I just wish more stores carry them in Toronto area. Thank you for these great videos!

Fascinating - thank you

I like to say that rosewood has more of a bell-like sound quality. I've believed this ever since I saw Paul Reed Smith pick up a 4"x 4" post of solid Brazilian rosewood about 4 ft long. He held the post with thumb & fingers of one hand, allowing the post to freely hang downward, as he rapped the post with his free hand. To my astonishment, this post of solid Brazilian rosewood rang like a bell, or metal pipe, and continued to ring!!! Most other wood types would've had a dull, thudding sound.

Very cool. Thanks.

His guitars are right on the border of Heaven

this is amazing stuff!

Most important video on KZfaq.

Very interesting video and a very informative. Thanks

Wow! This is an amazing video. I learned so much here. I have also heard Tom Bedell speak on a similar topic, which sparked my interest in tonewoods. I recently purchased an Eastman OM, which uses the Bourgeois method for tuning the soundboards, and I am totally impressed with the sound.

a very interesting presentation.

He did a fine job on mine. Best guitar I've ever owned

I must line up my hi's and low's and mids with Dana , that tunes me in to play now.

Very interesting and amazing sounds from the different woods.

Dana! Just build me a D-28 copy. You are one of the best! Reclaimed stumps of Brazilian Rosewood.

fascinating video. /thanks

You've built within me a Romance now... "Velocity of Sound" is her name Thank you for this - truly a wealth of information - loved this video - thank you

The wood with the HIGHEST velocity of sound is not Brad Rosewood....it is Braz Pernambuco...the wood used in violin bows...er, I mean, THE BEST violin bows. Over 5,000 metres per second. These is a meter that measures this.

I could just tap boards with him for a year. Really great video, thank you.

He seems like such a nice guy. I thought this was very interesting and entertaining to listen to.

Love this. If anything could pull me away from my obsession with mahogany guitars it would an Addy /Brazilian made by this man.

I had a boss who found a stack of 1/2"x8"x4' quartersawn old growth redwood in his garage. He asked if anyone wanted them then his buddy snatched them before I could put them in my car at lunch, I'm still mad about it.

very interesting!!

I watched this whole thing. I have so much respect for this knowledge and love the information. It was still a very slow watch haha.

Wow surreal video ! What an insight for someone like me about take a massive punt on which woods for my forever guitar. Have to say that first piece of Padauk has it for me. All those people assiduously holding up lumps of wood and tapping was a golden KZfaq moment😳

Very informative, I enjoyed listening to Dana's presentation. I once drove 800 miles to Bourgeois Guitars and asked Dana to build me a guitar with an 1-5/8" neck due to a injured hand. He bluntly refused to even talk to me, which I did not appreciate. Since then, I have had two guitars made with my required 1-5/8" neck. They have worked out fine, no problems. Barry M Nova Scotia, Canada

Ok how cute was it when they started clapping for him and he joins in for a second before realizing 😂

What Dana says about straight-grained woods is exactly what I’ve noticed in real-life in regards to grain. Every straight-gain koa guitar I’ve ever played has sounded so much better, more lively, punchy and dynamic than their crazy-patterned siblings.

If you had a Pernambuco piece there it would ring and ring and ring!

I just bought a martin D18 sinker mahogany. Best sounding guitar I have ever played.

Thank you! Verry intresting. But now I wonder, that I love the sound of my maple/ sitka sruce jumbo so much. Couse in the examples they did´nt went the most resonating woods. But in a Jumo they work.

Awesome video. Nice taking the time to actually tap all the woods and explain. Gonna disagree on slow high altitude Alpine Swiss spruce just a little. 275-300 year old guys. Although I'm talking about a specific type of European in high elevations, veey cold, harsh growing conditions. It's basically Adirondack, but without the harshness, and more overtones. Red spruce u can drive slightly harder but it's not that mucb a difference. Especially considering how the alpine makes up for it. It's the best of red, mixed with the best of Sitka imo. You get the fundematals of Addy, with slight overtones and a very quick fast response with a quicker decay on picking. Different type of quickness. It basically sounds like an old red top almost out of the box. And the highs are nice and thick. It's a clearer sound too. And will reveil mistakes. Not as grungy I guess. But very loud. Sometimes extremely. But I love Addy for other reasons too and I'm not hating. My favorite tone wood by far. But I'm talking the old growth Swiss alpine high altitude stuff. There are may different types of the same European species and they all have different properties. Super versatile. Great for finger picking, blue grass, strumming, blues, or just some beautiful melodies. Some great sustain on slower pieced songs. Notes just ring out. On and on. It's just such a dam good too wood. Gotta get the good stuff though. Florinett has some of the best I've seen. Just needs to age a bit after u get it. But it's unbelievable. Almost certain Martin got it from them and then let it age before they used it finally after a 10 year hunt for the best FSC alpine they could find. After years of research and talking I'm almost sure, but can't completely confirm. But it's FCS certified and only a couple do that. And it's top notch stuff and only veey veey little have both. And I have other clues from messages. I'm also not a fan of torrifed and never will be. Don't like cheating. Don't like the look. I'd rather age it myself by playing over the years. It's also actually the stiffest per weight. At least the good stuff is. I believe the deflection is. 062, while red is 063,and yet weighs about 5 grams less on average on two of the same size and thickness. All my guitars in the future will have it. Any custom I get made will be that or Addy. Still a huge fan of Red if braced right, etc. Sitka I like still, but Swiss just took over for me. Especially over mahogany. By far my favorite over hog is Swiss alpine. Ugh. It's like merging your great hog with a bit of rosewood. Sold my rosewood after I got my Martin D mahogany 09, which is a ge with Swiss alpine spruce moon wood top and bracing. First time they used it for both. At least as far as they can track. The cm om13 used it to and what a guitar. Either way the right builder can make any spruce sound great. But make no mistake there is difference.

Very informative video. What does easy decay mean?

It looks like a Shure SM81 he's using to pickup the tone of wood when he taps it.

There are about 20 different Acacias, just in Australia alone.

"I generally break backs..."

Have you ever made tops with the bottom half indian rosewood and top Brazilian rosewood .

What would be the best wood combo for a good old 30's blues sound?

Interesting to listen to one man's take on wood sound quality. Even someone as experienced in listening as Dana. He is himself...in that we hear sound differently. I've always prefered the sound of a guitar with a mahogany back/sides. Yet I like mids and lows. Body. In the end we have to be THERE...in the shop to really hear the guitar. The headphones we're using watching KZfaq videos will affect the sound we hear. As would the speakers we have on the table. So...

What’s your thought of Cambodian rosewood?

Years ago, I stepped into my local Guitar Center. They had just received a batch of Taylor guitars. I played 8 of these all the same model. You would think they all sounded the same? Absolutely not true. I did buy one that did not have the prettiest top, but it sounded more clear and projected better, and just felt like it vibrated more in my hands. So this video doesn't mean all too much to me because the guitar that you play, and sounds the best to you is the one to buy.

I wonder about Okume also I have heard that California Bay Laurel is a good tone wood aka Myrtlewood.

Did I miss him mention anything about Lutz Spruce?

Thank you Sir.. Very informative.. Educational, instead of sale oriented. Torrefaction Maple?

I used a piano sound board on a dreadnought, it sounded like a banjo

The African Padauk sounds better to me than the Brazilian Rosewood. Wasn't expecting to feel this way.

What would a guitar sound like if it has spruce back and sides and a Brazilian rosewood top?

What is your opinion on Osage Orange?

Dana. What guitar is in the back with the slot head?

hard curly maple back and sides

thank you question please have or can you find or make guitars out of Lignum Vitae?

Did I miss maple? Some maple woods sound great. And pau ferro( iron wood)

My question is: why not cedar?

I watch for some reason a lot of guitar building videos. This is very interesting to learn there is so much to the different types of wood, and listening so far (43 minutes in) to woods used back and sides. I read that back and sides material, no matter what it is, only influences about 5% of the sound. Has anyone heard that before? If that's true, then they could save a lot of trees by using some synthetic material for back and sides and be serious about choosing what type of wood for the face. I'm only amateur but listened to an interview with the 2 guys that build the Casimi guitars in South Africa. They really like African Blackwood a lot. Is that mainly them, as Dana seems not that impressed with African Blackwood, doesn't even use it. The Casimi guys never said they had a problem with their guitars cracking easily... but maybe that is true because the Casimi guitars haven't stood the test of time yet as they seem fairly new. Any input from anyone is greatly appreciated. Thanks for such a great presentation!! I'm only amateur and find it interesting! I like what Taylor is doing about ebony, buying the last stand of it and carefully managing it for future generations. As far as ethics and wood, and Dana saying India is very good at managing their forests... doesn't the need for money and greed set in with getting the rosewood and weakening regulations on India's harvest? My guitar has East Indian Rosewood back and sides, so that doesn't come close in sound and beauty to Brazilian Rosewood? In 1977 my roommate in college was very kind and I visited his home and met his family in Lake Minnetonka, MN. His mother worked for General Mills, the big flour company with headquarters near to where they lived. Her job was giving tours of the company facility to people from all over the world. She gave my friend and I a special VIP tour. When we were in the main conference room that had a big long table, a very big room, she said all the beautiful walls were of rosewood panels. Now days, what happens to buildings like that, where there is a lot of rosewood from the old days, and the building is being demolished or remodeling etc. Do guitar builders ever buy that and use it? I met a violin builder who has a small school, like about 8 students. He showed me different boards he had found from old building sites where demolition was going on. He would search for pinewood. He loved pinewood from very old buildings. He would just hunt in the scrap piles. Some pieces he loved were badly damaged, yet he said they were still excellent wood and worth repairing. Pretty amazing! He had built 365 violins in his lifetime by then (about 5 yrs ago) and seemed in his sixties. I wonder why violins don't have hardwood back and sides... His violins would even auction in New York City for a lot of money. Why don't renowned guitars sell for as much as violins? This man was so talented they were bringing a 3.4 million dollar violin to him. They were coming from Chicago to his school/studio/shop in St. Paul, MN!

Can you get Billy Proletariat on next please?

The Padoak sounded like a gong!

Free L.L. Bean advertisement :D

Great presentation. I would have loved to have heard the Macassar Ebony guitar as I'm I'm having a classical instrument made with it as I write. And being not at all biased, I believe building classical instruments an infinitely better use of tone woods than building steel-string thumpers, - just kidding.

And cedar?

What is the loudest possible wood for the Banjo Killer? I'm sooooo quiet.

Hello Dana, i'm from across the bay, north of Yarmouth NS. I just finished listening 2 ur tone woods talk. n realizd i'd herd of u b4: a cousin said a few years ago she'd like 1 of your guitars - i'd assumed u were a 1 man luthier from N B. like is said in french: i herd a different bell sound about the Italian violin fiddle masters. n if it's important i might have the reference. seems their best spruce had bin submerged under water 4 @ least 6 yrs to bring the grain closer 2gether thereby making the wood harder, or is it stiffer? i 4get. n that their maple wood wuz harvested in the dead of winter when the sap wuzn't running. n i suspect that like our forefathers they also cut their wood when the moon wuz @ the right sign of the Zodiac. there's a best time to cut trees so the paint sticks 2 the wood better, so it dries without ever rotting, just like there's a time 2 drive fence posts so the frost don't heave them up, a time 2 slaughter 4 best meat, n a time 2 cut alders so they don't grow again or plant seeds. n if u'r interested. i can find the parameters 4 that 2o. n i suspect, it's a bit like how MicMacs choose n havest an ash 2 make baskets. along w being straight n free of branches for @ least 6' n have a certain diameter. it must have a certain sound n smell, n since they did everything w nature, i can easily imagine that in the past, they checkd out the planets, as all aboriginals on the planet do. i wuz surprizd that there r no females in ur work crew photo. saw dogs... can't c what their use'd b 4 making guitars. Martin benefitted from women's better finishing abilities than men's. n i heard that from furniture makers 2o. ur website contact system is non functional when i click SEND Happy New Year, :o)))

What and how finisher and finishing is best for guitar?

Yellow Birch---didn't see that discussed---

Effective speaker and good talk, but I couldn't resist a chuckle when he started nervously juggling his water and cap around 35 minutes in.

Loved this. What I took away from it is as annoying as it sounds, Brazilian is just ughhhhh, it just does the job so well.

With metallic you mean bel like?

I spy, with my eye, two tele’s hanging on high.

Sounds like a Sasquatch hunters convention with all that wood knocking.

they all sounds same for me) does that mean that i don t have musical ear?

I honestly don’t think the Maple sounds dull.

Is he planning of building guitars or drums?

Holding my phone in a way that the speaker is over my hand. Maple vibrated the most.

Does anyone know if in case of a laminated or plywood kind of coated with the tone woods would have the same tonal properties? or maybe some? or none at all?

I live in Iran and I am a professional Iranian classical music instrument player. I play an instrument called SETAR . Setar's bridge is wooden. I wanted to know what would be the best wood for transferring sound from the strings to the soundboard?

I always thought mahogany was supposed to have more mid range vs rosewood

"I'll tell you a walnut story..."

The legend goes that Dana personally goes to Home Depot to select the finest plywood to build his guitars.

I would think they could make a machine to grade wood

In my experience Padauk rapidly loses its orange, going deep blood red. Then it slowly keeps on going until finally stabilizing at a boring dark brown color with a tiny hint of red and purple. I find it to be just another flashy but ultimately quite ugly coarse grained exotic.

Interesting how his belief that rosewood is the more “mid rangey” tone and mahogany is the one that is NOT “midrangey” & has deep lows and great highs are actually the vice-versa belief for the general guitar knowledge of luthiers from makers like Martin & Taylor. Im kinda confused now. This guy though seems really passionate about his career. Great presentation btw.

I would have thought that for really meaningful tap test results each wood sample would need to be exactly the same dimensions, be clamped in exactly the same place and tapped in the same place.

Hi Dana, I'm Mr. Proletariat