dannymaddock

Thank you so much for your responses, I wasn't expecting that many replies That really has cleared up something that was bothering me, I thought I'd be alienating a huge demographic but it doesn't seem that way at all. Very good points made all round and I think the main thing I can take away from it all is that it doesn't matter, as long as the look, playability and tone suit the individuals needs. Not as much love here for the 'decorative' woods as I thought there would be, which I'm glad about. I personally prefer a clean, minimal look. I like natural wood but I think heavy figuring and burrs are just too much sometimes (emphasis on 'sometimes', everything has its place). @Monkey Steve to answer your question I'll give you a bit of context. I'm a furniture maker and have been for about 10 years now. I've worked for companies that make fine furniture using all sorts of decorative veneers and timbers, and I've worked for companies that try to source sustainable materials, one even went as far as using solely indigenous, sustainably grown timber. I've also been vegan now for about 3 years and the more I read (not just about timbers but the impact of any industry on the environment) the more I dig my heels in and avoid using certain products or even avoid entire companies. The company I currently work for are very good at sourcing responsibly but due to the work we do, I spend a lot of time on building sites and I have seen first hand the amount of waste that the construction industry produces. Companies will over order on materials, use half of it, and then the other half goes into landfill. I can't spend the rest of my life in this industry, it is wasteful and even demand for products like MDF and plywood are causing huge amounts of deforestation. I care enormously about where materials come from, not just for the environment but for human rights issues too. The greed that drives corrupt governments just makes me angry. I've made a few basses over the years for myself, so I think it's time to consolidate my two passions and make a go of it. The amount of timber consumed by the guitar industry is nothing compared to other industries, and actually the responsibility lies more with Fender, Gibson et al, but we can all do our bit

Hi everyone! I am in the process of setting up my own company making custom bass guitars. I've been wanting to do this for years now, and I want to do as much research as possible! For the record, this is not me trying to plug my company or products, I am conducting some much needed market research :) Anyway, something that is important to me is ethics and sustainability. I know that many timbers used in guitar making come from dubious sources but they are usually the kind of woods that really look amazing. I personally feel that these woods only make a minimal difference to the overall sound of an instrument and there are lots of alternatives that sound just as great. I want to get your opinions on this subject specifically in the guitar making industry. I think the easiest way is for me just to put down some questions and let you guys go nuts. Have you ever thought about where the wood comes from for instruments? If a wood looks amazing but came from an unethical source, would it bother you? Would you buy an instrument from a company that refuses to use a certain timber? How important do you think the wood is to the overall sound of a bass (i realise there may be many, many discussions about this on here but can we keep it specific to exotic timbers vs native european timbers?) Do you like decorative timbers, or prefer a more simple aesthetic? Thanks in advance guys, all opinions are welcome and appreciated! Danny