Mirboo North Blackwood turned into guitars

AFTER destruction comes creation, and a few of the trees torn down in the Mirboo North storms are undergoing a melodic transformation. 
A local music enthusiast, knowing that the Australian Blackwood, a tree from the Acacia family, is used to create guitars, contacted Cole Clark Guitars.
Blackwood is a dense, strong and stable timber, traditionally used for furniture but is also popular with guitar makers and guitar players. 
The company specialise in making musical instruments from Australian natives and salvage timber from all over the country.
Operations Manager, Karl Krauss is based in Bayswater, and made the journey to Mirboo North after he got the call, to have a look at the logs.
Karl liked what he saw, but transporting the huge logs back to the factory was going to be a costly process, so Karl whipped down with his mobile saw milling machine and milled the logs into moveable planks.
 The planks will be air and kiln dried until they reach between 12 to 15% moisture content.
The timbre will then be cut into various components and the back and sides of the guitar will be put together and kiln dried once again until they reach approximately 6% moisture content. 
Following this they are rehydrated a little, to 8% and the electronics are placed in the guitar and the rest of the components are put together. 
This process takes between 16 to 18 hours, done over a couple of weeks, before the guitars are painted or sealed, strings are attached, and they are ready to be played.
Karl explains that Blackwood timber can vary greatly in colour and this is often due to where in the trunk the piece comes from or how the tree has formed as it grows, which affects both the colour and shape of the grain.
According to Karl, the Mirboo North planks that will form these guitars are reflective of this, with colours from brown with black streaks to streaky browns to a lighter tan grain.
Blackwood guitars are known to produces a warm, full tone with a rich midrange, with many players and makers comparing Blackwood s tonal qualities to that of koa; and it can withstand the rigours of on road touring.
 "All the different timbers they all have their own sort of voice, their own tone. The Blackwood compared to the softer timbers, they are a more mellow sound, and harder timbers have a brighter sound," said Karl. 
Cole Clark Guitars clientele boasts international music legends like Ben Harper and Jack Johnson and many Australian artists such as Angus and Julia Stone, Xavier Rudd, Pete Murray and James Blundell. 
It takes two to three months before the Mirboo North guitars will reach the shelf and they retail from anywhere between about $2000 and $7000. 
Cole Clark Guitars are always on the lookout for native timber they can use sustainably, with clear straight sections and no knots, they are willing to come and have a look if there is a tree being felled.