The Sound of Certified Wood

FSC Certified Guitar Makers

Musical instrument manufacturers source timber from forests all over the world. Tone and sound quality are influenced by the type and quality of the wood. Therefore, to ensure a supply of the required species for generations to come, many manufacturers have become Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

FSC certification around the world offers the music industry an alternative to species such as mahogany and rosewood that are often from forests of questionable management. FSC certified forests provide many species traditionally used for instruments, as well as many that are coming into their own and being recognised as quality-sounding substitutes. FSC certified forests provide chain of custody companies like Gibson Guitars, Modulus Guitars, Martin Guitars, and Dave Maize Guitars with granadillo Chechen, and katalox from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, cherry from Pennsylvania, maple from Wisconsin in the US, and certified mahogany and rosewood.

Gibson Guitar's started to look into FSC certification in 1994 when CEO Henry Juszkiewicz met Richard Donovan, Chief of Forestry at the Rainforest Alliance's (RA) anniversary gala who convinced him that Gibson could benefit from using certified woods in the manufacture of its musical instruments. Because the forests were responsibly managed, they would always be able to produce a supply of choice woods. Gibson Guitars now crafts the FSC certified Les Paul SmartWood Exotics with certified mahogany backs and curupay fingerboards, and a certified Les Paul Bass with a certified mahogany body and maple top. Martin Guitars produces the certified SWD model, made of cherry, basswood, hard maple, and Mexican katalox. Modulus Guitars uses granadillo, Chechen, red cedar, chakte kik and soma to make electric guitars and basses. Dave Maize Acoustic Guitars makes bass guitars with certified, recycled and salvaged wood. Adam Clayton of U2 uses a Dave Maize guitar made of certified wood.

The buzz around certified instruments continues to grow. Musical events, like the Rainforest Alliance's 'Smart Sounds' and SoundWood's 'SoundWood Jam', where the artists all play certified instruments, are attracting big music names like Keith Richards, Keb'Mo', the Bacon Brothers, Carly Simon, and Taj Mahal. The musical instrument industry provides a good model for other industries that favour tropical wood. It has shown that it is possible for environmental and social values to be partnered with economic success. "The guitar is an excellent ambassador for certification and certified wood," says Robert Garner, SoundWood's Director. "Each instrument can be made of pieces from certified forests all over the world."

Thu 1 Dec 2005