Mariner Guitars
British company Mariner Guitars unveils Sustainable Guitar
If you have been following our cycle diaries closely, you will notice that by now, we have started to focus on new and interesting innovations bursting out of the seams of the music industry and into the realm of sustainable products and services. JB has launched our Moving Arts research which scopes the greenhouse gas emissions of the touring industries for theatres, orchestras and bands - and supporting this are some interesting case studies, including on sustainable musical instruments.
After a very recent press release from Mariner Guitars in May 2010 we are happy to case study one of the UK's very own innovations in the relatively small world of musical instrument manufacturers. Whilst this specialist sector is a small percentage of a wider scope that uses specific wood species to build their products, their reliance on the use of certain woods is not sustainable.
Some woods are chosen because of their tonal qualities, but a ‘tradition' of using certain types of woods to produce a guitar remains; only recently have the music instrument manufacturers started to source FSC woods, working with the Music Wood Coalition project headed by Greenpeace. We have already seen some great moves towards sustainable instrument making, ensuring that the industry has a more positive outlook as well as being beneficial to the environment.
What makes this guitar series so sustainable? The Green Series guitars are mostly built out of the solid wood Paulownia which is sustainably managed and grown on plantations thereby not reliant on rainforest woods. Mariner have provided a growth time of approximately 7 years, which, when compared the popular wood Mahogany, can be 38 years quicker! The Paulownia trees also come with huge green foliage, helping to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, and it is indigenous to China where the guitar is produced.
For the concerned guitar buyer, you will also be happy to know that there is a low moisture content which helps the guitar to resist cracking and shrinking. The wood has a straight and rigid grain which provides strength to the product, yet remains lightweight.
You may be wondering about the other woods and materials used within the guitar: the other woods, including Sonokeling, Nyatoh and Spruce are all sustainably managed, and there are no fossil-based plastic bindings or fittings used within the construction.
To find out more information, please visit the Mariner Guitars official website, or to view their Green Series guitars visit the page here.
