Silver Linings

hi thank you! <33

violins specifically have a tradition of being made out of maple with a spruce top. spruce soundboards are pretty standard across most stringed instruments for acoustic reasons, so while maple may be substituted for another wood, the spruce top is almost always a constant. the look of the wood and the acoustic qualities are equally important for selling violins, so the standard choice of wood that balances both would be norway spruce and norway maple. (species, not location)

maple in general is known to have a distinct figure to the wood that violin makers call “flamed,” which, when quarter sawn, looks like iridescent stripes that are made more vibrant with translucent varnishes. norway maple is known to have this figuring as well as the most desirable acoustic qualities for classical violin standards. (violas, cellos, and basses are less standard than violins are, and may substitute other woods like beech, poplar, or willow for backs, and plywood for basses.)

as for the spruce, the ideal is a relatively tight grain with little discoloration in the growth rings. having between 5-10 growth rings per cm ish can usually guarantee that the arched top of the violin will be able to withstand the pressure of the strings while also vibrating well if, made correctly. this means the tree must be allowed to age and the wood used should be from closer to the center of the tree, where the rings are tightest. the minerals in the groundwater can also cause discoloration in the wood, which has little to do with sound but could make the instrument harder to sell.

the best tonewood is harvested at the new moon iirc, from areas where they receive balanced sunlight on all sides and the trees are close enough together that they are forced into growing straight up without forming branches until the canopy. this means that any tree cut down has an effect on the quality of the wood surrounding it, so harvesters are very mindful about when and where they cut trees in any given forest.