BUY RAINFOREST-FRIENDLY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

step #22

“You can’t save the rainforest all at once; you have to save bits of it at a time, and hope the idea will grow.”

STING
MUSICIAN

Time for a positive lift! We’re happy to report that the music industry is already on board with shifting to more sustainable woods for instrument making. We understand how critical tone is to a musician and that there’s a deep attachment to the tone of time-tested tropical hardwood. But you might be surprised at the tonal quality of the new rainforest-friendly woods and materials being used today. Check them out!

THE SCOOP

Musical instruments have traditionally been constructed of a wide variety of woods prized for their workability, tonal qualities and beauty. For example, it’s not uncommon to find a guitar made of three or more different types of wood, as the properties of each wood lends well for different functions on the guitar. The problem today is that many of these woods—typically rosewood, mahogany and ebony— come from endangered forests and are Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)-protected.

The music industry has in recent years realized that if wood resources are not managed well, some of these prized woods may disappear forever. Gibson first teamed up with the Rainforest Alliance in 1996 to begin obtaining responsibly grown and harvested mahogany. The result was the world’s first eco-friendly guitar, the Les Paul SmartWood Standard, crafted using wood from forests certified by the Rainforest Alliance to the comprehensive standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).*

*Gibson’s sourcing was called into question by the U.S. government after two raids found allegedly illegally sourced tropical woods on its premises in 2009 and 2011. The cases are pending, but Gibson has responded by firming its resolve to move toward sustainable wood sources. Currently, more than 50 percent of the wood used to make Gibson’s guitars comes from FSC-certified sources, and that percentage will continue to increase until its supply chain is 100 percent FSC-certified.

With more than 3 million acoustic and electric guitars sold in the United States alone every year, the entire music industry is now concerned about threatened forest habitats (many of them tropical) and the future of musical instrument making. Most of the big manufacturers have partnered with Greenpeace to create the Greenpeace Music Wood Campaign (www.musicwood.org). Current partners include Gibson, Martin, Taylor, Fender, Guild, Yamaha, Walden, Luthiers Mercantile International, Pacific Rim Tonewoods, North American Wood Products and Allied Lutherie, with additional companies soon to come on board. Also joining in are artists, tonewood suppliers, instrument retailers and music industry associations.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Next time you go to purchase a guitar, look for one that is made of FSC-certified woods.

If you don’t like the idea of using any endangered wood at all, here are some even better rainforest-friendly options. Innovation at its best!

Flaxwood

The brainchild of Heikki Koivurova, a Finnish industrial designer, flaxwood was born out of a desire to create an environmentally friendly, recyclable wood-based material to use instead of exotic tonewoods for building instruments. Flaxwood is FLAXWOOD a wood-based tone material that has www.flaxwood.com been created by breaking the grain structure of wood and injection-molding it into shape together with an acoustically sensitive binding agent. Take flaxwood seriously, as the June 2009 issue of Premier Guitar gave the Liekki model a five-star review.

FLAXWOOD
www.flaxwood.com

Simon Lee Cyclotron Guitars

These guitars feature high-quality hand-built designs with bodies made of recyclable plastics—from crushed CDs to yogurt containers to vending machine coffee cups. You get to choose! Tim Marten, the former guitar tech to Jimmy Page SIMON LEE of Led Zeppelin, says that “Simon’s CYCLOTRON GUITARS forward-looking guitars all make sense when you pick one up and start to play—clarity and sustain that need to be heard to be believed.”

SIMON LEE CYCLOTRON GUITARS
www.simonleeguitars.com

First Act Bambusa Guitars

First Act’s earth-friendly axe is its new Bambusa guitar. The guitar’s body and neck are constructed of bamboo, a fast growing renewable resource. Surprisingly, in its processed state, bamboo is harder than maple, making it an excellent-sounding and ultra cool-looking substitute for high-quality tonewoods.

FIRST ACT BAMBUSA GUITARS
www.firstact.com

Of course, you can always by a preowned guitar. You might save some of your hard-earned cash unless it’s a classic. Well-made tonewood guitars are said to improve with age.

Guitar makers are leading the way in terms of musical instruments made with better or alternative woods. But tropical hardwoods are also used in pianos (mahogany), classical instruments such as violins and bows, and ukuleles (koa). Ask about how the wood of whatever instrument you’re considering purchasing is sourced.

This sends a clear message to retailers that consumers are Rainforest Alliance concerned. And this will make its way back to manufacturers.

Although the musical instrument sector is a very small one in terms of tropical wood use, the sound of its impact can be heard around the world.

RESOURCES
www.rainforest-alliance.org

Forest Stewardship Council
www.fsc.org

Greenpeace Music Wood Campaign
www.musicwood.org

Flaxwood
www.flaxwood.com

Simon Lee Cyclotron Guitars
www.simonleeguitars.com

First Act Bambusa Guitars
www.firstact.com