A little background on this guitar: In 2008, I was working for a Natural Resource Management team conducting forestry projects in Colorado’s front-range forests. Of which, Ponderosa Pine Trees are one of the main inhabitants. A main objective was to remove pine beetle infected trees. I spent about six months with a chain saw in hand and pine pitch stuck to my face and clothes getting to know this material. The Ponderosa has some beautiful characteristics: The grace they possess in filling space in a healthy forest, the sweet aroma in the air, and the way the bark on older trees has a rich red color. The bacteria associated with the Pine Beetle leaves the wood with “blue stain” adding another element to perk my interest in creating an instrument out of it. And it is satisfying when you can use a regional material, really creating a Colorado guitar.
