(When mention bright or dark in this case, it’s referring to the tone)
Low to entry Level Woods (found on budget guitars)
Agathis - Known as "commercial grade mahogany." it has tonal properties of mahogany but definitely inferior to mahogany.
Hardwood- or just plywood. Found on low-level squier strats. Inferior to Agathis as a tonewood.
Basswood- A fragile, light wood, damaged easily. Can also be considered as a mid-level wood. It has a warm bassy tone as implied in its name. Used mainly for rock/metal guitars.
Mid level WoodsAlder- Produces a full sound, commonly found on strats, lightweight. (similar woods: Poplar.)
Ash- There is swamp ash and Hard Ash. Swamp ash is a very light wood, commonly found on strats, some say its like a balance between Maple and Mahogany. (one very bright and the other warm.)
Hard ash has a bright tone and good sustain.
Maple- Maple has a very bright tone, comes in quilted and flamed versions.
Mahogany- The sound is warm and full with good sustain.
High-End woods
Walnut- It is a very attractive wood and has a similar sound to maple but not as bright. It is quite a heavy wood.
Rosewood- More commonly found on Fretboards than guitar bodies. Rosewood is an extremely heavy wood and Rosewood bodied guitars are very rare. Not as bright as maple and possess a very dark color.
Originally Posted by: schmangeugly fat chicks