Sonowood.
Instrument Making without Tropical Timber

Sonowood. 
Instrument Making without Tropical Timber.

Wood from Sustainable Forestry for Musical Instrument Making.
Geige aus nachhaltiger Forstwirtschaft - Violin Made of Sustainable Wood - Swiss Wood Solutions-2
Gitarre aus nachhaltiger Forstwirtschaft - Guitar Made of Sustainable Wood - Swiss Wood Solutions-1

The Challenge


Tropical timber is traditionally used in musical instrument making. But overexploitation on a worldwide scale means that stocks of most tropical timber types have decreased dramatically and many are at risk of disappearing altogether. The consequence? Quality suffers and availability decreases. More stringent import and trade restrictions such as CITES are also complicating international logistics for both tropical timber and musical instruments.

The Solution


Swiss Wood Solutions developed Sonowood as an alternative to tropical timber. We exclusively use local wood from sustainably managed forests. Following a special modification process, the wood matches or even surpasses the physical, mechanical and tonal qualities of tropical timber. Sonowood is not a plastic composite but real wood without additives.

The Result


Sonowood is a leading-edge solution, offering musical instrument makers the perfect substitute for endangered tropical timber. It is ideal for stringed instruments, guitars, and other plucked, wind or keyboard instruments. The high sound velocity and a damping comparable to ebony make it ideal for creating optimized sound qualities and ensuring excellent playability. Sonowood is 100% sustainable wood that is ethically and morally safe to use, and easy to process. It can be manufactured in a consistently high quality and is constantly available. Sonowood is not affected by the terms of CITES, meaning musicians need have no concerns when crossing international borders.
Boris Haug - Wilhelm Geigenbau - Geigen aus nachhaltigem Holz - Fiddles Made of Sustainable Wood

 

No one can justify the clearance of tropical rainforests. We believed in Sonowood right from the outset and were happy to support the pioneering work involved. It is now used in our workshop on a daily basis. Sonowood’s material qualities allow me more leeway when it comes to shaping the sound.

 

Boris Haug
Luthier
Wilhelm Geigenbau
Suhr, Switzerland
Dr. Mauro Bodio - Testimonial Guitar Maker Made of Sustainable Wood

 

The guitar with the fingerboard and bridge made of Sonowood has a very warm acoustic color. My customer is simply thrilled.

 

Dr. Mauro Bodio
Guitar Maker
Chin-Ting Huang - Testimonial Pacific Quartet Vienna - Bratschen aus nachhaltigem Holz - Violas Made of Sustainable Wood

 

The sound with Sonowood is warmer and more open than with the tropical wood fingerboard. The response is also much clearer than before.

 

Chin-Ting Huang
Violist
 Pacific Quartet Vienna
Fidel Peugeot - Testimonial Professioneller Gitarrist - Gitarren aus nachhaltigem Holz - Guitars Made of Sustainable Wood

 

Sonowood will revolutionize the manufacturing of wooden instruments.

 

Fidel Peugeot
Professional Guitar Player 
Switzerland / Austria
Stefano Gibertoni - Valerio Nalin - professionelle Geigenbauer - Professional Luthiers - Swiss Wood Solution

 

Our first approach on using Sonowood as an alternative to tropical woods was for ethical reasons. After having used it for some years, we also love the look and the way it feels.
Stefano Gibertoni / Valerio Nalin
Luthiers 

Winners of the Certificate for Artisanship 2022 from the Violin Society of America for a string quartet using Sonowood fittings

Mira Gruszow - Gideon Baumblatt - professionelle Geigenbauer_innen - Professional Luthiers - Swiss Wood Solution
We've been using Sonowood for several years already. We especially like the black beech fingerboards. Colleagues and musicians alike never see the difference to ebony and we believe its material and acoustic qualities are only comparable to the high end ebony. We are grateful to be able to count on this sustainable alternative for years to come.
Mira Gruszow / Gideon Baumblatt
Luthiers 

Winners of the Gold Medal for Artisanship 2022 from the Violin Society of America for a string quartet using Sonowood fittings

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