NATO wood: description and purpose in guitar making

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The wood from which the body, soundboard or neck of the guitar is made is a fundamental factor for the quality sound of the instrument. The wood used to make guitars comes in three types: soft, medium and hard.

NATO wood is a type of mahogany. Only this breed is one of the cheapest and most affordable mahogany. That is why most often you can buy a guitar that will at least partially be made of nato. Now we will try to talk about what it is - nato wood, and also find out if it is suitable for all component parts and types of guitars.

Why are guitars made of wood?

When it comes to electric guitar, many people think that pickups and strings play the main role when extracting sound, but this is not entirely true. The fact is that the wood from which the body for the guitar and its neck are made interacts with the aforementioned “iron”. Thus, the level of rigidity, the ability of wood to resonate with the strings from which it is createdinstrument, affect the quality of the sound.

As for the nato wood, it is suitable for rhythm guitarists, and quite hard, since the nato is a “heavy” breed.

Wood in classics and acoustics

Clearly, an unplugged electric guitar cannot be played: no sound will be output from the speakers. The sound will sound more like a pathetic squeak.

But acoustics or classical sound great without pickups, without piezo pickups (picks are not suitable for classical guitar due to the fact that its strings are made of nylon, which is a dielectric). In this case, wood plays an even more important role.

Mostly mahogany, which means nato wood in particular, is used for the backs and sides of the guitar.

What other materials are used for back decks

Quality expensive guitars are assembled from rosewood. This is one of the best materials for back decks. It is believed that high-quality, expensive rosewood is Brazilian or Indian. Keep this in mind when choosing a tool.

What other wood is used in the manufacture of guitars

When it comes to classical guitar, either spruce or cedar is mainly used for the top deck. Despite the resinous nature of these species, they give a deep sound due to the aging of the wood before manufacturing for about 8 years.

Frontboards in classics and acoustics must be very hard, so they are made of ebony orrosewood. NATO wood is never used for this purpose.

Artificial Materials

Now many cheap guitars are made from plywood, laminate, etc. No need to think that the instrument will sound like a "shovel". If you take care of the guitar, do not let it dry out and become damp, then the sound production will be quite suitable.

Such guitars are more suitable for fans who are not averse to singing along with the guitar on vacation or at home for themselves, for yard or school rock bands who are going to play in the garage for the soul.

Professional musicians must purchase exceptionally expensive instruments, because the wood that formed the base of the guitar will determine the depth and purity of the sound, hardness or softness, etc.

Electric guitar necks

The body of an electric guitar can be created from a single piece of wood, and nato wood for guitars is perfect here.

Most power tool necks are made from maple. Naturally, the overlays here should be harder, so they are made of ebony or rosewood.

Manufacturers of popular brands very often use different types of wood for vultures, gluing them together. If the neck looks like it is 3-7 boards attached to each other and tightly glued together, then you are holding a mixed version of the neck in your hands.

If the layers are not clearly visible, it is most likely maple.

Which wood guitar to choose for different playing styles

For solo guitarists, guitars from such breeds as:

• agathis;
• alder;
• poplar.

They have a great high end, so they play nice melodic solos.

Ash, linden and mahogany native to Africa are suitable for all-around guitarists. If you play both solo and rhythm - choose an instrument from these breeds - you won't go wrong.

Rhythmachs, riff lovers, harder and heavier mahogany body, including nato mahogany, walnut, durable rosewood, etc.

How to recognize the type of wood a guitar is made of

Firstly, only a master can do this with 100% accuracy. However, you can read about the material and analyze the images in the specialized literature, since many breeds have their own pronounced signs that you need to know.

Reputable music stores provide all the information to their customers. It can be obtained both from the sales assistant and on the website of the selling company, and it is better to do this, armed with the knowledge from our article.