Sonowood.
Instrument Making without Tropical Timber.

Sonowood. 
Instrument Making without Tropical Timber.

Wood from Sustainable Forestry for Musical Instrument Making.
Geige aus nachhaltiger Forstwirtschaft - Violin Made of Sustainable Wood - Swiss Wood Solutions-2
Gitarre aus nachhaltiger Forstwirtschaft - Guitar Made of Sustainable Wood - Swiss Wood Solutions-1

The Challenge


Tropical timber is traditionally used in musical instrument making. But overexploitation on a worldwide scale means that stocks of most tropical timber types have decreased dramatically and many are at risk of disappearing altogether. The consequence? Quality suffers and availability decreases. More stringent import and trade restrictions such as CITES are also complicating international logistics for both tropical timber and musical instruments.

The Solution


Swiss Wood Solutions developed Sonowood as an alternative to tropical timber. We exclusively use local wood from sustainably managed forests. Following a special modification process, the wood matches or even surpasses the physical, mechanical and tonal qualities of tropical timber. Sonowood is not a plastic composite but real wood without additives.

The Result


Sonowood is a leading-edge solution, offering musical instrument makers the perfect substitute for endangered tropical timber. It is ideal for stringed instruments, guitars, and other plucked, wind or keyboard instruments. The high sound velocity and a damping comparable to ebony make it ideal for creating optimized sound qualities and ensuring excellent playability. Sonowood is 100% sustainable wood that is ethically and morally safe to use, and easy to process. It can be manufactured in a consistently high quality and is constantly available. Sonowood is not affected by the terms of CITES, meaning musicians need have no concerns when crossing international borders.
Boris Haug - Wilhelm Geigenbau - Geigen aus nachhaltigem Holz - Fiddles Made of Sustainable Wood

 

No one can justify the clearance of tropical rainforests. We believed in Sonowood right from the outset and were happy to support the pioneering work involved. It is now used in our workshop on a daily basis. Sonowood’s material qualities allow me more leeway when it comes to shaping the sound.

 

Boris Haug
Luthier
Wilhelm Geigenbau
Suhr, Switzerland
Dr. Mauro Bodio - Testimonial and Guitar Maker Made of Sustainable Wood

 

The guitar with the fingerboard and bridge made of Sonowood has a very warm acoustic color. My customer is simply thrilled.

 

Dr. Mauro Bodio
Guitar Maker
Chin-Ting Huang - Testimonial Pacific Quartet Vienna - Plays a violas made of wood from sustainable forestry

 

The sound with Sonowood is warmer and more open than with the tropical wood fingerboard. The response is also much clearer than before.

 

Chin-Ting Huang
Violist
 Pacific Quartet Vienna
Fidel Peugeot - Testimonial and Guitar player with a guitar made of wood from sustainable forestry

 

Sonowood will revolutionize the manufacturing of wooden instruments.

 

Fidel Peugeot
Professional Guitarist
Switzerland and Austria
Stefano Gibertoni and Valerio Nalin - Luthiers working with wood from sustainable forestry

 

We initially chose Sonowood over tropical timber for ethical reasons. Now that we’ve been using it for a few years, we also love how it looks and feels
Stefano Gibertoni / Valerio Nalin
Luthier 

Winners of the Violin Society of America’s Certificate for Artisanship 2022 for a string quartet using Sonowood fittings from sustainable forestry

Mira Gruszow and Gideon Baumblatt - Luthiers working with Wood from sustainable forestry
We’ve been using Sonowood for many years now. We especially like the black beech fingerboards. Colleagues and musicians can’t see any difference between them and ebony, and we think the material’s properties and tonal characteristics are comparable to those of this high-quality wood. We’re grateful that we can rely on this sustainable alternative going forward.
Mira Gruszow / Gideon Baumblatt
Luthiers 

Winners of the Violin Society of America’s Gold Medal for Artisanship 2022 for a string quartet using Sonowood fittings from sustainable forestry

Interested in Sonowood?

If You Are an Instrument Maker:


Contact us.


We will be happy to discuss your individual requirements and answer any questions you have about Sonowood square timbers made from wood from sustainably managed local forests. 

Contact us >

If You Are a Musician:


Contact one of our partners. Or ask your preferred luthier about Sonowood.


We have carefully selected our partners: these respected experts have extensive experience in crafting high-quality musical instruments – and they rely on Sonowood. They will be more than happy to help you with making or modifying your instrument.

To the Sonowood Partners >