Below are a few of the traditional tree species that have been used to make musical instruments for centuries:

• Ebony (Diospyros spp.)
  • One of the most sought after woods for fingerboards of guitars and stringed instruments, Ebonies are native to many parts of the tropics in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Ebony trees in virtually all regions have become endangered through over exploitation and some are already extinct. In particular, most mature ebony trees throughout India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Madagascar have been removed. The pressure on habitats and popularity of the wood for musical instruments and other uses has increased the use.
• Maple (Acer spp.)
  • Maple is a very common wood for making necks as well as backs sides for guitars. Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), although not an endangered tree, its habitat is often home to other common tone woods red alder, western red cedar.
• Koa (Acacia koa)
  • Koa wood is highly prized for building guitars and ukeleles. Endemic to the Hawaiian Isles, koa plays an important role in the ecology of the islands, with many endangered birds and more than 50 native insect species dependent upon it in some way Koa tree is in decline but the demand for its wood is not, putting a tremendous strain both on koa itself and the many species that share its habitat and its fate.
• Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)
  • Mahogany is one of the most valuable tone woods, found in everything from guitar necks to piano casings. Mahogany is a huge, long-lived and very slow-growing species: the trees most desired for commercial uses are often 300 to 400 years oldEndangered by centuries of indiscriminate (and increasingly illegal) logging for, mahogany is now listed under the global Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The native habitat of bigleaf Mahogany (Swietenia macropylla) once stretched from Mexico to South America, but the species has all but disappeared throughout much of this range. As the true mahoganies disappear, unrelated but similar "mahogany" species in Central Africa (Khaya spp.) are being increasingly exploited to fill the void..
• Pau Brasil (Caesalpinia echinata)
  • Pau Brasil (Pernambuco) is not only highly sought after for making bows for stringed instruments, it is the national tree of Brazil. Endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil, it has become extinct in many regions of the country.
• Rosewood (Dalbergia spp.)
  • Rosewoods comprise 100 species, distributed in many tropical regions of South and Central America, Africa, India and Southeast Asia. Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) is listed as CITES Appendix I. The situation is almost as dire for other rosewood species, particularly African Blackwood (D. melanoxylon), Honduras rosewood (D. stevensonii), Indian rosewood (D. latifolia) and Cocobolo (D. retusa). Despite international recognition of green felling bans, demand is so high that illegal trade continues.
• Spruce (Picea spp.)
  • Spruce has excellent acoustic properties and is highly valued for making instruments. The Sitka spruce trees that are sought after for tone woods are 200 to 300 years old, making conservation of the species a top priority. Mature trees reach 70-90 meters in height and are found in the coastal temperate rainforest of western North America.
• Cedar (Cedrela spp. and Thuja spp.)
  • The many different species of cedar are valued not only as tonewood for acoustic instruments, but also for their aromatic wood and barks. Used for music, musk and medicine for centuries, these species are increasingly at risk. Western red cedar (Thuja plicata), found in the Coastal temperate rainforest of North America, is a very prized tonewood that can live for a thousand years or more. Cedrela odorata, found throughout Central America, is now threatened with CITES Appendix III listing.