Density

How much mass a wood has for its volume, normally expressed as kilograms per cubic metre or as a specific gravity figure.

For instrument making, density is a shorthand for a cluster of properties: denser woods are usually stiffer and harder, they resist wear better and they take longer to break in, while lighter woods move more easily and tend to sound more open. It is not a ranking, since a light piece of spruce and a heavy piece of rosewood are both right for their job. The useful comparison is density against stiffness, because that ratio decides how a plate or a neck behaves.

Example: an ebony fingerboard is much denser than a rosewood one, which is why it wears slowly and adds a bright, hard edge to the attack.

Density

See also