Alternative sustainable Mexican tropical woods for classical guitar frameboards and fretboards

Abstract

Sustainable wood species suitable for constructing frameboards and fretboards of classical guitars and other string musical instruments, are identified and proposed as alternatives to wood species traditionally used for these purposes, but being currently ecologically endangered. Two sets of wood species were considered: (1) experimental woods, as possible alternatives, and (2) reference woods, traditionally in use, but considered at risk. Wood samples were studied in terms of anatomical characteristics: sizes of vessels, fibers, rays, and the corresponding ratios, amount of extractives, type and amount of axial parenchyma; and also in terms of physical vibration characteristics. Experimental woods of low mass density also have vibration qualities below those found among the reference wood species. The anatomical characteristics observed in these low density wood species feature large vessel diameters, thin fiber walls, and low amounts of extractives and parenchyma. Experimental woods of higher densities show larger, more adequate vibration parameters, and a variety of cellular characteristics, with modest amounts of extractives. Reference woods show larger transmission, more desirable vibration properties, diverse vessel diameters, with significantly thick fiber cell walls, and abundant axial parenchyma and extractives. Results were analyzed in terms of different variables, showing clustering of wood species according to anatomical and physical vibration similarities. This study allows recognizing characteristics closely equivalent to the reference woods among some of the experimental wood species, making them suitable for classical guitar frameboards and fretboards, as well as identifying some experimental wood species not necessarily suitable for this purpose.