Tone wood: I get my tone wood from a local dealer with 30 plus years of timbering, selecting, harvesting, processing and selling experience. His tone wood comes from New York state and is selected by him personally. The wood I use is Red Maple for the neck and back plate, Red Spruce for the top plates and occasionally Engelmann Spruce for a top plate, Engelmann Spruce for blocks, and Red Spruce for linings.

Accessories made of wood: Violins and violas are made with ebony; which comes from Africa. I try to make sure the wholesalers and dealers I interact with use ethical ebony. It’s not easy to know. I do what I can. I keep every little scrap of it around. It really is too precious to waste.

Examples: Please visit my violin pages and view the grain quality.