The Future of Ebony....

[tuk]

What started out being a good investment turned into really more of a social, forestry, ecological...save the world type of operation

Walob

Corner and control the last remaining Ebony in the world...check!
Increase value of investment: price of streaky ebony raised by 500%...check!
Repackage unpopular/cheap streaky-ebony products as an attractive, wholesome environmental endeavour...check!
PR-->Taylor guitars leading the way in saving forests...check ! ..while in truth no forests are actually being saved

[AlanB]

Walob

Is that a synonym of "marketing"?

[tuk]

[Winterdune]

Obviously Taylor is doing the best for his business. He's a businessman! Of course it's marketing dressed up as eco-awareness. And of course it's best to stop using ebony all together - but are any of you going to? It does not matter how much you use as an individual - anyone who uses it is contributing to the global demand. So in the real world I'll take - and praise - any business decisions which reduce environmental impact. As a guitar player and a birdwatcher I'd rather have the trees than the wood.

I asked in another thread about alternatives to rosewood and ebony for fingerboards. I'll ask again now. What non-tropical hardwood could you use?

Cheers
Sean

[wechard]

Personally, I've always liked non-wood fingerboards on basses and electric guitars (e.g. phenolic). Never tried one on CG, but I would expect to like it there too.

[Michael.N.]

Obviously Taylor is doing the best for his business. He's a businessman! Of course it's marketing dressed up as eco-awareness. And of course it's best to stop using ebony all together - but are any of you going to? It does not matter how much you use as an individual - anyone who uses it is contributing to the global demand. So in the real world I'll take - and praise - any business decisions which reduce environmental impact. As a guitar player and a birdwatcher I'd rather have the trees than the wood.

I asked in another thread about alternatives to rosewood and ebony for fingerboards. I'll ask again now. What non-tropical hardwood could you use?

Cheers
Sean

I've already given two alternatives that are suitable as fretboard material. Hardly any players will be impressed by them though. That's the problem. It doesn't matter how 'green' you are as an individual maker, you are going to struggle to sell anything other than Spruce/WRC, Rosewood and Ebony. The modern Classical Guitar world is very conservative in that respect, that's despite the earlier history of Lacote and Torres using many examples of alternatives - at least in regard to Back/Side woods.

[FHC]

Everyone likes the idea of generating electricity from windmills until they are in your own backyard.

[Winterdune]

I've already given two alternatives that are suitable as fretboard material.

Yes - and thanks Michael. I was just wondering if there were any others.

Cheers
Sean

[AlanB]

Everyone likes the idea of generating electricity from windmills until they are in your own backyard.

My nextdoor neighbour is currently looking into costs with a view to asking for permission to erect a wind turbine in his own garden

[Les Backshall]

...I asked in another thread about alternatives to rosewood and ebony for fingerboards. I'll ask again now. What non-tropical hardwood could you use?...

For fingerboards, I think pressure dyed wood, such as maple, as Micheal.N mentions, plus synthetic materials are the way of the future. I have about thirty ebony fingerboards in stock, and won't be buying any more once they are gone. The same with rosewood: I decided at the outset, never to use Brazilian (of whatever vintage), and once my supply of Indian is finished, I won't be buying any more of that either (there probably won't be any left by then anyway).

...It doesn't matter how 'green' you are as an individual maker, you are going to struggle to sell anything other than Spruce/WRC, Rosewood and Ebony. The modern Classical Guitar world is very conservative in that respect...

I think this is changing - people are definitely becoming more environmentally aware. My last three commissions were English Walnut (storm of 1987), American Black Walnut (from Kew Gardens) and Lacewood (European, not sure where) - all at the clients' request; and I recently played a stunning Montero in Satinwood. I'm also looking to source some local fruit woods to use in multi-piece backs in a year or two. There's plenty of good stuff out there and, although it may take a few years, I'm sure the market in 'alternative' tonewoods is really going to take off. It would undoubtedly be speeded up though if some of the better known makers started moving in that direction (e.g. Kevin Aram, who is using yew for some instruments).

Les

[Aaron Green]

There are plenty of ebonies through out the world...they just aren't black. There are plenty of woods throughout the world that can work for guitars, but it takes a real successful instrument to gain attention of the players. Classical players (I mean pros) are much less fussy about the materials of their guitars than they used to be. They just want the guitar that will blow everyone else's away. So build that and if it's made of knotty pine, it will still sell. It seems to me that the steelstring crowd is much more wood fetish like. As such if Bob Taylor makes strippy ebony an ok feature then all the better. But I agree, his position is firmly one of doing well by kind of doing good. I know he's in it to do the best he can first and foremost. As we all are

aaron

[FHC]

Everyone likes the idea of generating electricity from windmills until they are in your own backyard.

My nextdoor neighbour is currently looking into costs with a view to asking for permission to erect a wind turbine in his own garden

There goes my statement (LOL)

[Tom Sommerville]

This pitch of Taylor's reminds me of what some wag said of early missionaries:

"They came to do good, and they did very well."

In fact, Ebony may not be the ideal fingerboard material, it's not as stiff as some, not as abrasion resistant as others, is not very stable, and it makes
me sneeze.

Acetylization (sp?) and plastic infusion of more common woods will eventually surpass it, I suspect.

It's just that I 'm beginning to think that Environmentalism is the latest refuge of the scoundrel. I have always believed in stewardship, abhorred waste and kept to a code of moral responsibility, but environmentalism is an ideology that may be causing more hurt than help.

I do have the utmost for respect Taylor, he's a remarkable man. He strikes me as a generous employer and forward thinking and ethical businessman. This move is laudable, but he doesn't need to get on this bandwagon.

[dennyuu]

I did a little checking online and found Taylor Guitars to be environmentally friendly over a number of years.

Businesses can profit while being environmentally friendly .... seems okay to me.

This link is to an article in 2008 where Taylor praises itself for being among a select group of California business that are making efforts to save the environment.
http://www.taylorguitars.com/news/2008/ ... al-efforts
It's a good thing, and we hope that Bob Taylor is sincere and serious about the environment.

Taylor is one of those companies still manufacturing in the United States, and that's another good thing.

[Finn]

I personally think ebony with a little streaking is beautiful and also having some character. I would not mind buying a guitar made with it.