The word "tonewoods" comes up often and conjures up visions of secret forests where trees grow in some magical way such that the wood harvested from them can only be used for musical instruments. To the contrary, tonewoods are not some special species of tree; instead they are a selection and grading of erstwhile common woods that are set aside for their cosmetic and structural features that render them fit for use as the components of musical instruments.

The key features that are considered when choosing tonewoods are: grain, figure, weight/stiffness, clarity, and preparation.

Grain is a natural attribute of the tree and speaks specifically to the lay of the annular rings. If the tree has experienced slow growth, its annular rings will be close together. If the growth has been dramatically different year to year, the rings will be of inconsistent width; being further apart in years of rapid growth and closer together in years of slow growth. If the tree was affected by an unusual occurrence such as a fire, a neighboring tree falling against it, a lightning strike, and so on, the rings will be inconsistent widths across the entire log.

Figure represents an abnormality in a tree's growth. There is no such thing as a curly maple tree. Curl in wood occurs when a heavily laden tree is bent over to one side causing the wood under the bend to be compressed. The compression causes ripples in the wood that we call "curl." When the tree is sawn open, the effect of the ripple appears as curly figure. (Typically, the side opposite to the rippled or curly side is straight grain since it is under tension rather than under compression.) Curly maple, is also known as "flamed maple," "tiger maple," or "fiddle-back maple." In the lumber industry, the main difference between these figures has to do with how far apart the figures are. Quilted maple is a variation of curly maple whose grain has rippled in two directions, and the quilted figure is the result of the confluence of two directions of curly grain. (Quilted figure can also be enhanced by careful transverse cutting of the log.)

Of the other considerations when choosing wood, weight and stiffness have the most to do with tone. For soundboards, we choose light supple woods like Sitka Spruce, Englemann Spruce, Adirondack Red Spruce, Western Red Cedar, and Redwood. These woods typically weigh about 25 pounds per cubic foot, are considerably strong yet flexible and are not prone to checking or cracking. Of interest, Sitka Spruce has the greatest weight-to-strength ratio of common woods and was used to build airplanes during WWI and into the 1930s (remember the "Spruce Goose?"). And, there is no wood officially known as "Adirondack Red Spruce" - it is simply Red Spruce (Picea rubens) that came from the Adirondack Mountains that is located in the northeastern part of New York State. The Adirondack Mountains range from 1,200´ to 5,000´ and provide an ideal climate for slow growth trees that boast close annular rings. However, in 1984 the New York State Constitution was amended to prevent logging in the Adirondacks and the wood we know as Adirondack Red Spruce now comes from neighboring mountain ranges and down through the Appalachian Mountains.

Clarity speaks to how unblemished the wood is, and this is dependent on where the wood is grown, minerals in the soil, ambient conditions, wildlife and insect infestations, and so on. It is fairly uncommon to find a board set the size needed for a mandolin soundboard or backboard that doesn't have some tiny natural defect.

Lastly, preparation is important and involves the methods of cutting and curing the wood. Wood can be prepared so that the grain or annular rings are approximately parallel to the surface of the wood, and this is referred to as "flat sawn" or "slab sawn." It can also be prepared so that the grain is perpendicular to the wood's surface, and this is referred to as "vertical sawn." (While folks often refer to maple backboards as being quarter-sawn - such that the grain is at a 45° angle to the face of the board - "quarter sawing" is actually a method of cutting commercial lumber so that the log is broken into four even quarters from which 2˝x4˝s, 2˝x6˝s, 2˝x10˝s and so on are methodically taken.) If the grain is approximately 45° to the board's surface, it is more properly referred to as "quartered grain." Of course, not all boards can be prepared either slab sawn or vertical sawn as the yield and grain direction is dependent on the girth of the log (tree). For backboards, we prefer slab-sawn maple because of its flexibility, and for soundboards we prefer vertical-sawn or approximately vertically sawn spruces because of their stiffness and stability. In Europe, it is common to find mills that pie-saw a log that results in the wood being prepared in wedges. Pie-sawing is efficient, provides board sets (halves) that have very similar grain and figure, and the process yields little waste.

Curing is very important. When a tree is harvested, it contains about 100% of the moisture it can hold (the moisture is mostly water). In order for the wood to be worked and to prevent mold and rot, the moisture needs to be extracted either by curing the wood in a large moisture-controlled oven called a "kiln" or by placing it outside (out of direct sun) so that it can be air dried. Properly dried wood for furniture and musical instruments will contain about 8-15% moisture according to the species.

The grading rules are a bit vague, but basically, woods with reasonable clarity, generally consistent grain (both distance apart and straightness), and rather consistent color across the board are graded as "A". As the wood continues to be selected for more clarity, more consistent grain, and more consistent color, it is graded as "AA". When the wood has very few natural blemishes, has good consistent grain and color, it is graded as "AAA." And, lastly, wood that is absolutely clear, has very straight and even grain, and very consistent color across its entire width is graded as "AAAA."

Bridge fitting is very important when performing mandolin set up. Both feet of the bridge must be in perfect and complete contact with the soundboard to ensure the efficient transfer of the strings' energy to the soundboard as well as for the well being of the soundboard (if the bridge feet are not shaped to the soundboard, they will press into the soundboard wood and deform it).

Here's a neat trick Ken Roddick (our Production Manager) uses when fitting bridges. The idea of using sandpaper rough-side-up is not new, but to prevent the sandpaper from sliding around, Ken uses paint masking tape (the blue kind) and tapes the sandpaper to the soundboard.