Official Luthiers Forum!

[QUOTE=RussellR]
How long does it take for a tree to grow to a suitable size ?
[/QUOTE]

By the time you grow a tree suitable for a guitar top.. I'm guessing the carbon fiber guitar will have been perfected..

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CVT Inc.
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Hi Russel,

I too do not replant. But let me elaberate. Most wood that is bought at a dryland sort or from booms in the ocean comes from clearcuts. Large expances of land where every tree is removed. These areas are then replanted, typically monolithically with what ever species will be projected to be of highest value. I harvest in a selective manner where I enter a mature sand of trees and choose one out 100 or more. The cones from these trees exist in the crown of the tree which is left in the harvest area. So these cones will produce many trees to replace the one fallen. Some of the trees I harvest are called "over mature" meaning that some decay is starting to set in. In cases like this the top may be dead, this is good for guitar wood as the it is only the lower section of the tree that offers quality wood. So my process is low impact and selective. A very few trees are harvested in a large stand of trees. These current two trees are about 100 metres apart with probably 4 different species of trees surrounding them. I think that you can see from the photos above that the forest remains intact. I hope this answers your question.

As for how old these trees, I will count the rings in the next few days but I am going to guess at 400 to 700 years.

Shane

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Canada

Luigi and Shane

Thank you very much for your answers, I knew the trees must be old but didn't realise how old. Sounds like the kind of harvesting you do allows nature the oppurtunity to replenish. Who knows in 400 Years, somebody might be glad you did .

Please be clear I am not critising, I use plenty of spruce myself, was just interested to see how it worked.

Any one know how llong it takes to grow Brazilian Rosewood

Russel,
I did not take your question at all as critism and I am always somewhat at a loss on how to answer that one. I posted to a topic on MIMF to a fellow looking for "environmentally friendly tonewoods". Again, I considered for a while before I posted but basically it is very difficult to say that harvesting old growth timber by driving a diesel pickup into the forest and firing up a noisy, fuel inefficient chainsaw and falling these magnificent specimens and then plodding a trail, either by foot or machine, to haul them out would be said to be "environmentally friendly". But knowing that this selective harvest leaves pletty of space for displaced organisms to reside and understanding that these very same trees in the 1950's were chipped for pulp , to me justifies the process. This wood will live for many more generations in the fine handcrafted instruments that they will become a part of and will emmit a joy and peace that I hope future generations will truley appreciate. How does that saying go? Guns to plow shares, plow shares to instruments.....may our world find peace in the calmness and thought of great music accompanied by classic instruments made from fine tonewoods.

Shane.

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Canada

Shane, this thread is absolutely fascinating, and a wonderful treat!
Thanks so much for being willing to go into such depth about what you do.

You are most welcome Charlie. It is may absolute pleasure.

Shane

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Canada