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TONEWOODS: A NEW VIEW

Very interesting article on tonewoods and sustainability by Adam Bradbury in issue 455, especially the need for large good-quality trees within any species.

We were travelling round Australia in October/November last year; the place is just massive, so is the variety of trees and wildlife. Luthiers there, led by classical makers, have been very experimental over the years. One of the solutions for acoustic tops is the bunya pine (Araucaria bidwillii), which grows down the east coast. It is protected to a certain extent, but is quicker growing than spruce and is viewed as a top tonewood in Australia.

Makers of acoustics seem to use this a lot over there now. When we were in Byron Bay in Queensland (just as the fires were catching hold more widely), we went into Byron Music who were super helpful and showed me which acoustics were bunya-topped. I thought these bunya acoustics were quite bright sounding, but that’s all subjective and dependent on build. The only thing that