Does the kind of wood an electric guitar is made of make a difference?

Question

if so, what is the best kind?

Answer 1

The type of wood used definitely makes a difference, not only to the tonal characteristics of the guitar but affects sustain and resonance of the instrument as well. In general hard, dense wood gives a thin, bright sound with lots of sustain. Softer wood tends to produce a more full sound with increased midrange tone but less sustain. The three traditional woods used for electric guitars in order from hardest to softest is Ash, Mahogany and Alder. A layer of Maple is sometimes glued to a mahogany core as on Gibson L.P style guitars partly to achieve a best of both worlds sustain and tonality and partly for aesthetic reasons, often using highly figured flame, or quilted maple for it's depth and beauty. Other exotic woods are sometimes used such as Walnut, Korina, Rosewood, Bubinga, Paduak, and even Ebony, but they are not commonly used for body woods.

Answer 2

The kind wood for a guitar can make a difference because of the density of the wood. Maple is the wood of choice.