French Walnut Acoustic Guitar Back & Sides Sets
French Walnut Acoustic Guitar Back & Sides Sets
French Walnut (Juglans regia) is a tonewood of exceptional character — prized by discerning luthiers for its rich, complex grain patterns and a tonal profile that sits beautifully between the warmth of mahogany and the clarity of rosewood. Sourced from European-grown trees, French Walnut offers a distinctly refined aesthetic with its chocolate-brown heartwood, subtle figuring, and silky lustre that deepens with a fine finish.
Tonal Characteristics
French Walnut delivers a balanced, mid-forward response with warm low-end presence and articulate highs. It produces a focused, musical tone with excellent note separation — well-suited to fingerstyle playing, singer-songwriter builds, and parlour or OM-style guitars. Sustain is smooth and even across the frequency range, making it a versatile alternative to traditional tonewoods.
Working Properties
French Walnut is a pleasure to work with in the workshop. It bends reliably with standard heat and moisture, holds glue joints well, and sands to a superb surface. It accepts both oil and lacquer finishes with excellent results, and its moderate density makes it forgiving during shaping and thicknessing.
Set Specifications
- Species: French Walnut (Juglans regia)
- Origin: Europe
- Back dimensions classical: approx. 500 mm × 190 mm × 4 mm (per leaf)
- Sides dimensions classical: approx. 800 mm × 115 mm × 4 mm (per side)
- Back dimensions western: approx. 530 mm × 210 mm × 4 mm (per leaf)
- Sides dimensions western: approx. 830 mm × 125 mm × 4 mm (per side)
- Supplied as: Bookmatched back (2 leaves), 2 sides
- Finish: sawn / thicknessed
- Moisture content: Kiln-dried and acclimatised
Ideal For
Acoustic steel-string guitars, classical guitars, parlour builds, and OM/000-style instruments. An excellent choice for luthiers seeking a sustainable, European-grown alternative to tropical rosewoods.