LITE YEARS AHEAD

Are man-made alternatives the key to sustainability?

Dumping traditional tonewoods for engineered materials may be a step too far for some. But it’s an obvious area to explore. California’s Blackbird Guitars produces completely woodfree instruments made from a “flax linen fiber and bio-based resin material” called Ekoa, which it says is lighter than carbon fibre, stiffer than fibreglass, stable under temperature and humidity changes, and offers “a better soundboard than spruce because of its superior stiffness-toweight values”.

For individual components, the wood fibre-based composite Richlite, approved by the Forest Stewardship Council, Rainforest Alliance and Greenguard, is already familiar as fingerboards and bridges on, for example, Martin’s Mexicanmade guitars.

Rocklite, meanwhile, is a blend of American tulip and European eucalyptus, says its UK developer Steve Keys. Luthiers in Sweden have been early adopters, in the US Michael Bashkin uses it, and it’s finding fans among young British luthiers, too, including Tom Sands who says it looks like wood, has a tap tone like wood, and works like wood. “You plane a fingerboard, you get shavings and curls coming off just like ebony.” Listen to Sands and Keys in conversation on

The Interval podcast. Bob Taylor is a fan of wood. “I do lend hope to some woods that are being modified, and if the growth in that business sector continues, I can imagine some modified woods being blended into guitars.” But he adds, “If people like the forest then they should be careful about demonising wood. If we simply decide to abandon certain wood species it’s not like forests will be left alone. They’ll surely, absolutely be converted into other uses. Let’s just grow wood. It grows on trees. Grow it. Use it. Grow it some more.”