The term "resonant wood" is often used in musical circles when people talk about an instrument. Almost all manufacturers of these products use resonant wood because of its amazing acoustic properties. Where is such wood used and from what raw material is it obtained?
The use of resonant wood
Most often, resonant wood is used to make musical instruments - namely, their decks. The main musical instrument that has been made from this type of wood for centuries is the violin. The most suitable materials for producing resonant wood are pine, spruce, Siberian cedar, Caucasian fir and maple. If the wood has excellent acoustic properties, it can be used even if it is defective.
Today, resonant woods are a unique natural raw material that is very expensive.
Russian manufacturers of musical instruments began searching for resonant wood in Russian forests at the beginning of the 20th century. As a result of the research, it was found that domestic raw materials are in no way inferior to foreign trees in terms of their acoustic characteristics and quality. The best physical and mechanical properties were shown by the spruce from the northern regions, which has small annual layers, which provide it with a high modulus of resonant elasticity.
Signs of good resonant wood
The highest quality resonant wood is formed in harsh (for example, mountainous) climatic conditions, as well as in dense plantings. According to the instrument makers, a good resonant spruce should be completely vertical, have a narrow, symmetrical and pointed crown, a 5-6 meter zone without knots and a barrel with a cylindrical surface.
Some French masters believe that the bark of a resonant spruce should be gray and consist of smooth small scales.
In addition, the number of external signs of resonant spruce includes the absence of resin pockets, knots and other defects. Typically, resonant wood is white with a slight yellowness that intensifies over time outdoors. Also, it should be well planed and looped over the layer, and its cut turns out to be glossy and clean. Sanded resonant wood has a velvety surface with a subtle matt sheen.
There are only three varieties of wood: streaky, fiery and red-layer resonant wood. The streaky one is expressed by a slightly wavy shift of the wood fibers, the fiery one has a beautiful patterned appearance and looks like tongues of fire, and the red layer is distinguished by its red color.
