Thread: CSIRO - Australian Timber - Luthier Survey

Attention all Makers of Stringed Instruments!

Andrew Morrow of CSIRO in Melb is currently working on a Funded Project with Maton Guitars to manufacture & test Australian Timbers in the use of making Guitars.

Maton are being used from the Manufacturing stand point of consistant (CNC Machine) manufacture of 30+ guitars with different soundboards.

These guitars will be tested and reports collated for this Project.

Below is the email I have received on behalf of Andrew Morrow to share with you folk here on the Forum!

It is a survey that he would like you to complete (as luthiers of all levels) so he can collate the data for this part of this project. (Not just guitars)

(The Survey is attached to this Post - Please print out, complete the form and mail to Andrew Morrow by 31st October 2007)

Here is the email from Andrew Morrow CSIRO:

Luthiers survey

My name is Andrew Morrow and I work for Ensis (formerly C.S.I.R.O Forestry & Forest Products) and am currently running a project looking at the use of Australian timbers in stringed musical instruments. A component of the project is to quantify the current use of native timbers in terms of species, quantities, product quality criteria and the potential for futher utilisation of this amazing resource.
I am hoping to use the feedback from instrument makers at whatever level to put together a snapshot of current usage and enable us to focus on species for evaluation in the laboratory tests in the second part of this project.

This will give all working & aspiring luthiers an insight into whats available, what others are doing and link these views to processors to ensure the right decisions are made in the sawmill.Some incredible innovations are happening out there both in the choice of materials and in different engineeering approaches to luthiery. I hope to capture this and much more during this project which has taken on a life of its own and grown into something much bigger than originally intended.

The project is a “Gottstein fellowship”, which is a timber industry funded trust in memory of a researcher killed in New Guinea in a tree felling accident, whilst collecting tree seed.
The results will be in the form of a publically available report which will ;

qOutline the present use of Australian native timbers in stringed instruments
qIdentify additional species with the potential and availability for utilization in instrument construction
qDescribe component product quality criteria, as required by instrument makers
qDetail the ‘ acoustic performance’ of Australian tonewoods both in laboratory tests and in finished instruments

The results of the report will be published around the middle of 2008, and will be available electronically or in hard copy at this time.
Individual companies will not be identified in the report, but the information provided will be combined to summarise the current and potential utilisation of Australian timbers in stringed instruments.
If anything requires clarification don’t hesitate to contact me via e-mail mailto:[email protected] or by phone (details below).
Yours sincerely



Andrew Morrow
Projects Officer
Ensis Wood Quality
Bayview Avenue
Clayton Vic 3168
Private Bag 10
Clayton South Vic 3169
Australia

Tel: +61 3 9545 2131
Mobile +61 0404 003791


Neil has kindly allowed this survey to be posted on the Forum as it is a First for Australia in supporting the industry and makers!