The tree

Lately I have been making rosettes from the tree. No, not The Tree, that log of quilted mahogany that sells for thousands of dollars per set. I don’t suspect I’ll be getting my hands on any of that. No, I am talking about a formerly magnificent silver maple tree that was the centerpiece of our backyard.

Thirty years ago, it was the tree that held the tire swing my daughters enjoyed as kids. It’s the tree that hosted an annual party every June, shading a daylong jam by my musician friends along with up to a hundred listening friends.  Under its huge leafy boughs we shared music, food and each other’s company.

Then, in 2012, the tree lost a huge limb to hurricane Sandy. The limb crushed part of the roof of our house. And then, over the next several years, all the other limbs except one hit the ground. That one stubborn, impossibly long limb still shades our patio.  

Cutting into the fallen limbs I found the spalting--black streaks and sometimes various tones of brown that are often found in a tree that is dead or dying. The coloration is caused by bacteria and fungi that take advantage of the tree’s weakened state. Spalting can be strikingly beautiful against the pale tones of maple. Unfortunately, the more heavily spalted the wood is, the more structural strength it has lost. And while I have seen photos of guitar bodies made of lightly spalted wood, I won’t use it to build guitar bodies.

So I stick with using my spalted maple pieces for rosettes, headstock overlays and end wedges—parts that have no structural role.  Even then, the trick is to find pieces that are solid enough to sand and take finish. Pieces that are too far gone get spongy and crumbly and take finish unevenly. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the tree has provided me with lots of spalted wood to choose from.

Naturally, everything dies. The circular shape of a rosette brings to mind the cycle of life. It's bittersweet to know I can allow the tree to live on in a small way and continue to be loved as part of my guitars.