An Ethical Approach to Sourcing Wood

Having lived on the west coast of the United States my entire life and in the Pacific Northwest for the past 30 years, the beauty, utility, and fragility of our ecosystem is readily evident. As a direct user of raw forest materials, I make it a goal to understand where the wood I use comes from and how it’s sourced. In general, I try to source salvaged tonewood for the soundboard, back, and sides. Below are some definitions of the types of wood I use.

Salvaged Wood

Reclaimed wood can provide some of the oldest and most interesting wood available to the luthier. Sourced from old structures like churches, decommissioned commercial groves, or sunken logs, they often feature unique grain patterns and historical character. In high-end acoustic guitars, salvaged wood is prized for its sustainability, distinctive aesthetic, and rich tonal qualities, as the aged wood often has a stable, resonant quality. Salvaged wood blends the story of the forest with environmental awareness. Below are several types of salvaged wood I seek out.

Forest Floor Salvage. Forest salvage recycles trees from the forest floor, leaving the old growth forest intact. Trees that have been cut and left by logging companies or trees that fell during one of North America’s many winter storms are just two examples of high quality wood available to the ethical harvester.

Post Wildfire Salvage. A specific type of forest salvage, Post-wildfire forest salvage involves the recovery of usable timber from trees damaged but not completely destroyed by fire. This process aims to make the most of the remaining resources, reducing waste while supporting forest recovery efforts. Salvaged wood from post-wildfire areas is often transformed into furniture and musical instrument wood, where its unique character and resilience are valued. By utilizing this wood, we can help clear affected areas, promote new growth, and create products with a story of renewal.

Sinker Wood. Perhaps the most interesting type of salvaged wood, sinker wood refers to logs that sank during transport in rivers or lakes, often over a century ago, and have been preserved underwater in low oxygen muddy environments. These logs, typically from old-growth trees, are recovered and processed into tonewood for high-end acoustic guitars. The prolonged submersion gives sinker wood unique tonal qualities, including enhanced resonance and warmth. The wood's tight grain and rich coloration make it highly prized for crafting visually stunning and acoustically superior guitars.

Sources

Local Sources. In general, I source wood from companies based in British Columbia and Oregon that specialize in acquiring lumber from Canada, the United States, and South America.

Every attempt is made to source from FSC certified companies that operate mills within the country of origin, increasing the likelihood of a legal and ethical harvest from forest to maker.

Building Forms. The Spanish tradition uses a plantilla template (one-half of the guitar face) to create the outline of the soundboard, and a dished out work board to create the on the top radius during the gluing of braces. A more modern approach is to include the use of a CNC cut full template and an outside form to hold the sides in place during the stages of connecting the neck to the body and during the closing of the soundbox. While every hand built guitar will have some minor inconsistencies due to variations in wood and the use of hand tools, it is also true that this more intimate approach to guitar building allows the builder more opportunities to sense the qualities of the wood being used.

Radiuses Soundboard. Although much less pronounced than other arched instruments such as an arch top jazz guitar, the Spanish method utilizes a radius in the area below the sound hole. I apply a fifteen foot radius to both the lower top and the overall back of the guitar, which creates torsional strength and aides in sound projection.