Solid wood guitars do not contain laminated (layered) wood, so as an example if you own a solid top acoustic Martin D18, the top is all solid wood, not layered in any way. Personally I don't mind nato. It offers a cost effective way to build a guitar with great looks and great tonal output. Mahogany is a wood that is used for both acoustic guitar tops (soundboards) and for back and sides. Maple This is a dense, hard wood that’s being used on necks, fingerboards, tops and occasionally bodies and comes in three major figure patterns: flamed (stripes across the grain), quilt (cloud like shapes across the grain) and no pattern at all called plain. For pure tonal reasons, the cap isn’t necessary: after all, a flattop mahogany guitar also has plenty of bite. As wood becomes more scarce and guitar companies struggle to keep price points low, one way to save resources is to use laminate woods in the body construction of the guitar, defined below. It s also known as Eastern Mahogany. With the limited supply of lightweight Mahogany nowadays, it seems Okoume tonewood is a inevitable trend as alternative to Mahogany. It s also a value-priced wood used more in the lower cost instruments. Guitar companies like to call it "Eastern Mahogany"....I think just to make the name seem better, as I don't think its really related to Mahogany. Usually Nato wood is used for the neck in acoustic guitars. There are 49 types of Mahogany, but many are practically extinct because of the wood’s popularity for furniture and musical instruments, and the types used today are not the same as the Mahogany used in guitars in the 1940s or 1950s. When used as a top it produces a warm, earthy, mid-range dominant sound with subtle overtones. Mahogany is a fairly dense/hard wood and is relatively heavy and strong-ish. Nato (the wood) Nato is one of the softer hardwoods like Mahogany, Walnut, Koa and Maple. Nato is a term for several species of Asian hardwood that often used as a substitute for Mahogany in less expensive imported guitars. Often referred to as 'Eastern Mahogany', Nato is a species which offers similar looks and similar characteristics to regualr mahogany. As far as I know, China guitar manufactures have been using Okoume to produce cheap LP copies and low-cost acoustic guitars for a very long time because of the huge availability and low-cost of Okoume. Nato. Mahogany gives a warm timbre with a lot of bottom end. If this is what you after, then this is a great wood option for you. It s a good, less expensive alternatives to Rosewood. It is a reliable, strong wood. Many guitar and bass bodies are made from Mahogany. Mahogany: Mahogany is great for the backs and sides of a guitar as it has a great mid range character. Ovangkol. It can enhance the mid range tones and add meatiness/thickness to the sound. Used for: Back/sides. Highs are typically soft and not overly pronounced. Its not great, but a guitar with a good top can still sound good with nato back and sides.