Birch

A light, pale, close-grained hardwood of the genus Betula, best known to musicians as the plies of a speaker cabinet.

It grows across the northern hemisphere and glues and finishes dependably, which is why birch plywood became the standard panel for guitar cabinets and, occasionally, for laminated instrument bodies. Solid birch has been used for necks on inexpensive guitars and for drum shells. It is commonly described as bright, hard and thin compared with mahogany, with a quick, snappy attack but little low-end weight. Its drawbacks are that it dents easily, that it is plain and pale enough that most makers paint it, and that solid boards move enough to need careful seasoning.

Example: A birch-ply cabinet for a small combo stays light and rigid, and the same material occasionally appears as a laminated body on entry-level guitars.

typical use: Laminated bodies, occasionally necks, and speaker cabinets.

Birch

See also