Uses of Conifer Wood in Musical Instruments

Comments

Nearly all use of conifer wood in musical instruments is concerned with the construction of stringed instruments. Native American flutes and various drums or percussion instruments may also use conifer wood; apart from the flutes, woodwinds do not.

Wood used in musical instruments, particularly soundboards, is commonly called "tonewood." There have been quite a variety of changes in wood use for musical instruments over the years; for example, yew was traditional for lutes, but is scarce and hard to work, so is seldom used for that instrument nowadays. Also, there is ongoing adaptation as supplies of many of these woods are very limited. In general, conifer soundboard wood must be quartersawn from exceptionally large trees - often, old growth. Supplies for many species are low and dwindling.

This list is an endless work-in-progress in which I catalogue some of the conifers that are used in musical instruments, and how they are used. Notes are listed below the table.

Species	Trade name	Uses
Araucariaceae
Agathis australis	Kauri	Guitar soundboards, backs, headstocks; Appalachian dulcimer headstock; balalaika soundboard; violin soundboard; piano case; organ case. Often subfossil "swamp kauri" is used.
Araucaria bidwillii	Bunya	Guitar: soundboard.
Cupressaceae
Athrotaxis selaginoides	King Billy pine	Guitar: soundboard.
Callitropsis nootkatensis	Alaska yellow cedar	Guitar: soundboard, back and sides (flamenco guitars, especially). Mandolin soundboard.
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana	Port Orford cedar	Guitar: soundboard, back and sides; solid body. Mandolin: soundboard, back and sides. Native American flute.
Cupressus sempervirens	Spanish cypress	Guitar: soundboard, back and sides (flamenco guitars, especially).
Hesperocyparis macrocarpa	Macrocarpa	Guitar: soundboard, back and sides (flamenco guitars, especially).
Juniperus virginiana	Juniper	Guitar soundboard, Native American flute. Species typically indicated by source (eastern US) and red/white wood color.
Sequoia sempervirens	Redwood	Guitar: soundboard, back and sides; solid body. Mandolin soundboard and headstock.
Thuja plicata	Western redcedar	Guitar, lute, mandolin, and ukelele soundboards. Native American flute.
Taxodium distichum	Bald cypress	Guitar: soundboard.
Pinaceae
Picea sp.	Spruce	Picea is, broadly speaking, the preferred soundboard wood for all stringed instruments, including pianos. These days most such instruments, below a certain price point, come from China, and have soundboards of unspecified spruce of Himalayan or Russian origin.
Picea abies	European, Italian, Carpathian, or German spruce	Bouzouki, guitar, harp, harpsichord, lute, mandolin, piano, ukelele, and violin family soundboards (Stradivarius soundboards). A substantial amount of spruce tonewood from Europe is actually from P. engelmannii, which is widely grown there.
Picea engelmannii	Engelmann, white or German spruce	Guitar, mandolin, and violin family soundboards.
Picea glauca	White spruce	Guitar and piano soundboards.
Picea jezoensis	Yezo spruce	Guitar and piano soundboards.
Picea × lutzii	Lutz spruce	Guitar soundboards.
Picea pungens	Blue spruce	Guitar soundboards.
Picea sitchensis	Sitka spruce	Clavicord, guitar, mandolin, piano, ukelele, and violin family soundboards (Steinway pianos use Sitka spruce).
Picea rubens	Adirondack spruce	Guitar, mandolin, piano, and violin family soundboards.
Pinus lambertiana	Sugar pine	Solid guitar body, Native American flute.
Pinus palustris	Longleaf pine	Guitar: soundboard, back, sides; solid body. Drums.
Pinus ponderosa	Pine	Native American flutes and drums.
Pinus resinosa	Red pine	Guitar: solid body.
Pinus strobus	Eastern white pine	Guitar: soundboard, back, sides; solid body. Violin soundboard (some Appalachian fiddles).
Pinus taeda	Loblolly pine	Guitar: back and sides.
Pseudotsuga menziesii	Douglas fir	Guitar: soundboard, back and sides; solid body. Mandolin: soundboard, back and sides.
Podocarpaceae
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides	Kahikatea	Guitar soundboard.
Dacrydium cupressinum	Rimu	Guitar neck, back and sides; Appalachian dulcimer soundboard; ukelele side; lute soundboard, bowl and neck; balalaika (complete); violin back and sides.
Lagarostrobos franklinii	Huon pine	Guitar soundboard.
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius	Celery top pine	Ukelele soundboard.
Podocarpus nubigenus	Podocarp	Guitar back and sides.
Podocarpus totara	Totara	Guitar side, back, headstock, neck, and soundboard; Appalachian dulcimer back and side; piano case.
Prumnopitys taxifolia	Matai	Guitar neck, back, and side.
Taxaceae
Taxus baccata	Yew	Lute bowl; guitar soundboard, back and sides; piano case.
Notes Violin family = Double bass, cello, viola, and violin.

Useful link: Guitar Bench Magazine Tonewoods Database.