Italiano
Breaking news brought to our attention the problems of woods used for guitarmaking. Species protection and guitarists preferences do not always go together well, and industrial producers are finding it more and more difficult to maintain a supply of top grade woods.
The problem is that the use of fine species and top grade woods in musical instruments is tied together with the cost of production. Labor and production costs in industrial environments is so low that even in an “economy instrument” players often expect high grade woods which are typically used mostly because is a effective “sales hook”.
Millions of guitars produced every day make use of fine woods. If some species is at risk, it is because they have been harvested too extensively and sold too cheaply. So there has been a lack of controls in forest management. Last year the US legislated new laws trying to limit and control wood importation and marketing of endangered species.
Gibson said they were working with Greenpeace to take care of responsible wood use, and that is very cool. But to me, it would be cooler if everybody (as we do) used FSC o PEFC certified woods, especially for wood coming from parts of the world where control is essential.
https://www.fsc.org/about-fsc.html
https://www.pefc.org/.
These certifications grant that forest management is made with a sustainable strategy to avoid over cutting and risk of extinction.
Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, said on a interview for The Independent: “The real wood guitar is disappearing, and we must act now as in 10 years there will not be anymore around”. This sounds like advice to the public that they should expect more and more “wood alternatives” will be introduced in guitarmaking.
What this situation will go to? I expect prices for sensitive woods will rise. I have no worry about it. I do not use any. Then the technology and financial power (also to convince buyers) will probably lead to new guitar production systems with a probable introduction of new materials and solutions. And that is the most challenging and interesting fact about it. I am very sure Stradivari did not use cyanoacrylate glue, but only because he didn’t have it!
