This paper presents a collection of wood species with important uses in musical instruments, in reference to historical and geographical cultural specificities, with ranges of viscoelastic vibrational properties by species. Data combine our experimental characterizations and extensive literature review, gathered in a specific relational database. An overview of vibrational properties' distribution on c.400 species is introduced. Two case studies of wood choices for a given function in different epochs or regions are presented: woods for historical bows in Europe, and woods for idiophone bodies in different continents. Trends are contrasted: very different properties associated to historical changes in the first case; some common features over different regions in the second case.