About | Froise Guitars 1

About Froise Guitars

I started my career studying engineering. Then I studied and practiced as an architect. For most of my life, building guitars was a weekend obsession, not a job.

My first acoustic guitar attempt was in my twenties. It weighed as much as a brick. The action was so high you could have parked a car under the strings. It was terrible. But I loved making it.

Over the years, I kept doing woodwork as a hobby. I repaired and set up guitars for myself and friends. I learned what made a good guitar feel good – and what made a bad guitar fight back.

A few years ago, I decided to stop treating lutherie as a side project. I went full time.

Since then, I've built about 18 guitars.

I also spend time repairing and setting up other people's guitars. That hands-on experience with dozens of instruments – from cheap beaters to vintage gems – taught me more about what works (and what fails) than any book could.

Most luthiers learn by apprenticeship. I learned by engineering, architecture, and relentless self-teaching.

That means:

Precision – Engineering taught me tolerances and systems thinking
Design – Architecture taught me proportion, light, and how form follows function
Humility – My first guitar still hangs in my workshop. It reminds me that I started from zero, and I'm still climbing.

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I love being in my workshop. Even when I'm not building, I'm there. I love the smell of the wood. I keep one of my early guitars on the wall to play when I need a break. In the evenings, I listen to music there. It's my favorite place to think.

Materials

A note before you read: I don't buy pre-packaged tonewood kits. I hand-select each board from small mills and specialty suppliers. The wood you see on this page is in my workshop. I'll update this section when I run out or source other timbers.

Tops – The Voice of Your Guitar

The top (soundboard) is the most important piece for tone. It vibrates with the strings and shapes the guitar's entire personality. Here are the three spruce tops I use most often.

European Spruce (Picea abies)

"Responsible, complex, and refined."

European spruce has a famously articulate, ringing quality. It responds beautifully to a light touch but doesn't choke when you dig in. Notes have a chime-like clarity with overtones that bloom as the guitar ages.

Best for: Fingerstyle, Celtic, classical-influenced playing, and anyone who wants a guitar that keeps revealing new details over years of playing.

Sounds like: A well-tuned bell in a wooden hall.

Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)

"Warm, forgiving, and quick to break in."*

Engelmann is the warmest of the spruces. It has a softer, more elastic feel under your picking hand, which makes it ideal for gentle to moderate playing. New Engelmann-topped guitars already sound played-in from day one.

Best for: Light strumming, singer-songwriters, players with a soft touch, and anyone who finds Sitka too aggressive.

Sounds like: Your favorite worn-in flannel shirt – comfortable and sweet.

Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

"Bold, loud, and unstoppable."*

Sitka is the workhorse of the tonewood world. It has a high stiffness-to-weight ratio, which means it can handle heavy strumming and flatpicking without breaking up. The tone is direct, powerful, and focused.

Best for: Bluegrass, aggressive strummers, players who need headroom, and anyone playing in loud band settings.

Sounds like: A confident handshake that means business.

Body Woods – What I Have In My Workshop Now

I keep a small, rotating inventory of body woods. Below are the boards currently on my shelves. When one runs out, I remove it from this page. If you see something you like, it's available for a build – or you can buy a completed guitar made from that wood in my [Available Guitars] section.

Imbuia (Ocotea porosa)

"Looks like rosewood, sounds like mahogany – but darker."*

Imbuia comes from the highlands of southern Brazil. It's dense, heavy, and stunning to look at, with olive-brown to chocolate colors and fine striping. Tonally, it gives you the warm, focused mids of mahogany but with more low-end thump and a quicker attack than rosewood.

Weight: Medium-heavy (great for smaller body sizes or a 00/OM).

Tone words: Warm, woody, fast decay, clear trebles.

Best for: Blues, roots, and players who want something unique that still sounds familiar.

Rhodesian Teak (Baikiaea plurijuga)

"Piano-like sustain and glassy clarity."

Also known as Mkushi Teak or Zambesi Redwood. This African hardwood is extremely dense and naturally oily. It polishes like glass under finish. The sound is striking – scooped mids, extended treble shimmer, and sustain that seems to last forever. Initially, the wood is a light brown/pink, but over time matures to a rich burgandi colour.

Weight: Heavy. This wood works beautifully for electric guitars or smaller acoustic bodies.

Tone words: Bright, airy, surgical note separation, endless sustain.

Best for: Fingerstyle players who play complex chords, jazz players, and anyone who wants a guitar that cuts through a mix without a pickup.

Maple (Acer saccharum / Acer pseudoplatanus)

"Bright, punchy, and immediate."*

Maple is the classic bright wood. It doesn't add warmth – it reflects what you put in. The note attack is fast and percussive, with excellent clarity across all strings. Maple also takes stains and bursts beautifully if you want a traditional look.

Weight: Medium to medium-heavy (European maple is lighter; hard rock maple is heavier).

Tone words: Snap, cut, sustain, clarity.

Best for: Country, pop, jazz archtops, players who want their guitar to be heard in a loud room, and anyone who loves a plain or flamed maple visual.

Other woods that I've used include Knysna Blackwood, Beech and Meranti, but I don't currently have these available.

Can I get other woods?

Yes. Absolutely.

I have relationships with small mills and private suppliers. If you don't see a wood you love on this page – maybe mahogany, walnut, koa, wenge, or something else – just ask.

Two things to know:

I will give you an honest lead time for sourcing. Some woods take days, some take months.
I will show you photos of the actual boards before I cut anything. No surprises.

To start a conversation about a custom wood set, head over to my Custom Orders page or email me directly at [your email].

Sustainability

I don't buy from questionable sources. Every wood I use is legally harvested and, where possible, certified or verifiably reclaimed. If you have questions about a specific wood's origin, ask me.