Are You a Green Guitarist?
If you’re an ecologically concerned guitarist you’ll probably want to minimize the impact that your guitar playing has on the environment.
You may be thinking: ‘how does my guitar playing having any negative impact on the environment?’
It’s not your playing that causes any problems, no matter how bad it is. It’s the wood and resources that have gone into making those lovely guitars that you’re playing.
Electric guitars are generally made from some sort of hard wood. Necks are often made from maple and bodies, these days, are often made from various hard woods, often originating from South America. Trees that provide the hardwood used in making these instruments take a long time to grow and are therefore not easily replaced.
Many reputable guitar manufacturers and luthiers obtain their wood from renewable sources. But this isn’t the case for all of the mass produced guitars on the market today.
There is one simple technique that any guitarist can use to minimize the environmental impact of their obsession. Buy second hand. Avoid buying new instruments and recycle those which have already been made.
While it’s always thrilling to buy the latest, greatest, limited edition guitar from various reputable guitar makers you’ll be doing the environment more good by looking for an older, pre-owned guitar.
If a spanking, brand new axe is what you must have then pay a visit to the manufacturers web site and find out where they source their wood. If their website isn’t very clear then drop them an email and ask.
Also, stop to think about all the other accessories that you use with your guitar. Your guitar strap, picks, guitar stand, amplifier and tuner. And then give some thought to the electricity you are using when you play. Are you really a green guitarist?
Written by Hybrid on December 16th, 2009 with
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