The latest Taylor Guitars Wood & Steel magazine (Vol. 93 2019 Winter, p. 28) shows us that Tasmanian blackwood has finally made it to the peak of Taylors model range.
https://www.taylorguitars.com/wood-and-steel
Fifteen years after introducing Tasmanian blackwood into their limited production and three years after introducing blackwood into their regular production in the 300 series models, Tasmanian blackwood is now included in Taylor’s top-of-the-line Presentation Series (PS) models.
The Presentation Series are an annual limited edition series of guitars that feature premium woods and premium appointments.
Our Presentation Series celebrates the finest in materials and craftsmanship detail. This year we’re thrilled to introduce the wood pairing of figured Tasmanian blackwood and Adirondack spruce to the collection. Tonally, we love blackwood — it’s loud, responsive and warm, yet with a clear focus. The sets we’ve selected boast a beautiful blend of variegation, figure and grain structure reminiscent of Hawaiian koa, featuring golden-brown and dark amber ribbons of color. Together with a top of creamy Adirondack spruce, this guitar is no mere showpiece; its dynamic voice is ripe for the picking (or strumming). Or, if you prefer the rich, dark variegation of a sinker redwood top, the option is yours. We’ve also shifted from a beveled armrest to our radius contouring, which ensures comfort for players of all sizes. Our elegant suite of aesthetic appointments saves the understatement for other models, tracing the lines of the guitar with sparkling paua and other eye-catching ornamentation, including our intricate Nouveau fretboard/ peghead inlay. From every angle, these guitars deliver stunning aesthetic appeal.
Tasmanian blackwood Presentation Series models to become available are: PS12ce, PS12ce 12-Fret, PS14ce, PS16ce, PS56ce, PS18e.
These guitars are so new they haven’t yet made it onto the Taylor website. Stay tuned!
https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/features/series/presentation
Prices for Presentation Series guitars start around $US9,000. These are top-shelf guitars for people with deep pockets.
Even despite the inevitable “koa’s poor cousin” comparison, Taylor are obviously confident they are making progress getting Tasmanian blackwood accepted into world guitar markets.
Congratulations Taylor Guitars!!
For Tasmanian farmers to get their product into the top of the market should be an occasion for recognition and celebration.
Unfortunately that is not how wood markets operate.
Is this extraordinary market achievement resulting in more Tasmanian blackwood being planted by Tasmanian farmers?
Surely it should!
Utilising market forces (price, supply, demand, achievements, etc.) to help drive the future of the blackwood industry should be the backbone of industry and Government policy.
Unfortunately market demand just helps the Tasmanian Government/Parliament justify logging native blackwood forest in our Conservation Reserves.
Thankfully this is not where Taylor Guitars source their blackwood timber, which comes from Tasmanian Tonewoods salvaged from Tasmanian farms.
https://tasmaniantonewoods.com/
But in the opaque world of the global timber trade politics and greed often confound good intensions.
So here’s the take home message:
Tasmanian blackwood timber achieves another major international market milestone (thanks Taylor Guitars!!!), but no Tasmanian farmer will learn anything about this achievement, let alone be moved to invest in planting blackwood for the future.
Are you beginning to understand the problem we face?
The burning of Notre Dame and Tasmanian Special Timbers
The burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on 15/4/2019 provides the perfect metaphor for the continuing destruction of Tasmania’s natural heritage.
The world was horrified that the 800 year old World Heritage Listed cathedral was on fire. How could humanity lose such a treasure?
But here in Tasmania 800+ year old heritage is destroyed every single day!
Here in Tasmania 800+ year old trees are cut down every day, at taxpayer expense, to provide a lowly subsistence for the rent seekers in the Tasmanian special timbers industry; sawmillers, furniture makers, luthiers, craftsmen, shop keepers, etc..
Trees such as Celery Top Pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius) and Myrtle (Nothofagus cunninghamii) live within Tasmania’s cool temperate rainforest and can live for 800-1000 years, germinating long before Bishop Maurice de Sully commenced the construction of Notre Dame in 1160.
Some of these trees are even in designated Conservation Reserves that were specifically established to protect these very same ancient trees and forests.
Such is the perverse corrupt nature of public native forestry and politics in the island State of Tasmania.
https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/energy_and_resources/forestry/special_species_timber_management_plan
The public response to the damage at Notre Dame has been nothing but extraordinary. €100s millions have been pledged by individuals to rebuild Notre Dame and restore this international treasure.
Meanwhile in Tasmania these 800+ year old trees are destroyed with no process transparency, no FSC certification, at considerable public expense and no thought for the heritage that is being destroyed.
These people are the Notre Dame arsonists of Tasmania:
http://livingwoodtasmania.org.au/
https://www.facebook.com/TasmanianSpecialTimbersAlliance/
and many, many more. They number in the thousands in Tasmania!
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Posted in Commentary, Island Specialty Timbers, Markets, Politics
Tagged Notre Dame Cathedral