Tonewoods: Legal and Environmental Issues in the Guitar Industry
Lacey and Guitars / Rosewood: Loved to Death?
Tonewoods are woods that are prized by instrument builders because of their tonal qualities, high strength, and beauty. These qualities have made these woods highly sought after products in the international marketplace.
Lacey and Guitars
The first company to be swept up in a timber investigation under the amended Lacey Act was Gibson Guitars. U.S. Federal agents investigated Gibson's imports of rosewood from India and ebony from Madagascar. Following a great deal of media coverage, the company reached a settlement with the government in 2012 and implemented a comprehensive sourcing program.
In July 2015, U.S. prosecutors indicted U.S. sawmill operator J&L Tonewoods, the company's owner, and three additional individuals on eighteen criminal counts related to the theft, damage, and receipt of stolen U.S. government property – namely, big leaf maple timber illegally cut from Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington State. By February 2016, all four had pled guilty, and in April, the owner of J&L Tonewoods was sentenced to six months in federal detention.
For better or worse, the guitar industry – which uses only a small fraction of the wood traded across the world – has become a lightning rod for concerns about illegal logging and the sourcing of precious woods around the world. Two tonewoods in particular represent the spectrum of legal and environmental issues today: rosewood and maple.
Rosewood: Loved to Death?
"Rosewood" refers to a variety of species of the genus Dalbergia, many of which are greatly valued in guitar construction, particular for fingerboards, as well as the back and sides of acoustic guitars. If you listen to a country music icon or a master of the classical guitar, more likely than not, you are hearing rosewood. There are hundreds of species of Dalbergia distributed across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, but Brazilian (nigra), Madagascar (spp.), and East Indian (latifolia) dominate the guitar industry.
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Frequently asked questions
Why was Gibson Guitars investigated under the amended Lacey Act?+
U.S. Federal agents investigated Gibson's imports of rosewood from India and ebony from Madagascar. After significant media coverage, Gibson reached a settlement with the government in 2012 and implemented a comprehensive sourcing program.
What happened in the J&L Tonewoods Lacey Act case?+
In July 2015, U.S. prosecutors indicted J&L Tonewoods, its owner, and three additional individuals on eighteen criminal counts related to big leaf maple timber illegally cut from Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington State. By February 2016 all four had pled guilty, and the owner was sentenced in April to six months in federal detention.
Why has the guitar industry become a focal point for illegal logging concerns despite using little wood?+
Although the guitar industry uses only a small fraction of the wood traded globally, it has become a lightning rod for concerns about illegal logging and the sourcing of precious woods because of high-profile cases and the premium placed on rare tonewoods.
Which rosewood species dominate the guitar industry?+
While there are hundreds of species of Dalbergia distributed across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Brazilian (nigra), Madagascar (spp.), and East Indian (latifolia) rosewoods dominate use in the guitar industry.
How is rosewood typically used in guitar construction?+
Rosewood is greatly valued in guitar construction, particularly for fingerboards as well as the back and sides of acoustic guitars. It is commonly heard in country music and classical guitar performances.
What qualities make tonewoods so sought after internationally?+
Tonewoods are prized by instrument builders for their tonal qualities, high strength, and beauty, which has made them highly sought after in the international marketplace.