Dick Boak of Martin has worked with an extensive list of artists on their Martin Signature models. The list includes, but is not limited to, the likes of Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Peter Frampton, Joan Baez and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Recently we spoke to Boak about the wood used in making guitars--from both an ecological and a sound standpoint.

Martin, along with Gibson, Fender and Taylor are involved, with Greenpeace and Native American owned forestry company Sealaska, in a project to help sustainable logging of the remaining Sitka spruce forests on privately owned land in Alaska. Part of this is the Forestry Stewardship Council--a sort of "Good Housekeeping" seal for forestry companies. While there are many woods that can be used in guitar-making, guitar tops are most often made of Spruce. If something can be worked out to preserve the Sitka spruce it is hoped more can be done to protect other species.

The reason Spruce is used is simple--the sound.

"The difference in tone is 100 percent of the reason why one wood is chosen over another," says Boak. " The reason why spruce is used is that it has strength to weight ratio as strong as can be without being heavy. That allows it to vibrate like the head of a drum. Anything that mimics spruce is a good option--hemlock, Douglas fir, Port Orford cedar. In the Rocky Mountains Engleman spruce."

There is also spruce used from the Italian Alps, the Carpathian Mountains and there is a large amount of spruce in Russia.

Guitar makers want "book matched pairs". Basically imagine a tree split and opened like a book. Boak says this is because you want specific straight grain cut out to make a guitar. Why not use one big piece? Boak says you wouldn't find a tree big enough to do that.

The top of the guitar has to be light and vibrating and a wood that is similar to spruce. The back and sides, which are reflective, can be made of a harder wood according to Boak.

"Mahogany, Rosewood or Koa are considered optimum other woods can be chosen; attractive hardwoods." says Boak.

When used for backs and sides Mahogany produces brilliant, crisp, clear treble (it is also used on guitar tops--more in part 2 with Dick Boak). Rosewood is rich, bassy and resonant while Koa is in between.

"When you change the wood, maple back and sides, get perhaps a harsher sound," says Boak. "Poplar sound dissipate doesn't have the clarity, projection or texture."

But there are literally hundreds of good choices to make a nice sounding guitar.

For the neck the optimum woods are mahogany and Spanish cedar. For the fingerboard ebony or rosewood.

One thing you will notice is that all these woods are being cut down rapidly in ecosystems that are under threat. Boak says guitar makers can be part of the solution.

"Without wanting to sound arrogant the value of a larger tree--Utilize valuable trees for things that are valuable." says Boak. "Make guitars rather than two by fours."

How does this save trees? There are a lot less trees cut down to make guitars than two by fours. If these valuable woods were used only for specific purposes a lot fewer would be cut down.

"Use quick growing trees for lumber," says Boak. "Why sell these woods for nothing when they could be sold 15-25 dollars per sound board?"

Adirondack spruce used to be the type most used in manufacturing guitars. For the most part it exists only on public lands where logging is not allowed. It is also part of a Martin legend. The story goes that Martin company moved to Nazareth, Pennsylvania to be near the spruce. The story is false. Boak says Martin moved to get out of New York City and to find an environment more like the family's original home in rural Germany. There was another reason as well.

"Nazareth is an ideal place to make guitars," says Boak. "It is hard to find a better place than Nazareth to build instruments.--one the workforce is skilled and two the environment is ideal.

Woods are sensitive to temperature. Phoenix is not a good place to make guitars.

There are also other options than wood. Boak says there will come a time when wood is not available.

"These days there are synthetics; graphite is strong and light and we have experimented with it," says Boak. "It is different , not a woody natural sound, it has a dry and slightly metallic sound. It is durable and impervious to temperature and humidity changes. We have also used an aluminum soundboard. We joked about them being made from recycled Coca Cola cans. Different from Spruce but not objectionable."

Next we will talk to Boak about other woods that can be used in guitars as well as other ways Martin works to make an ecologically friendly guitar.