When it comes to ebony, some people in the music industry are taking a hands-on approach to promote environmental sustainability. Today, much of the ebony used for musical instruments comes from West Africa, where Taylor Guitars is leading the charge to save the species. In 2016, the California-based guitar maker worked with scientists from the Congo Basin Institute to launch the Ebony Project in Cameroon. It aims to study the species and replant ebony forests. So far, the project has planted more than 15,000 ebony trees.
The company is also helping to educate musicians about how the ebony in their instruments is produced. “If we wanted to continue making music, we needed to understand the resources used to make our instruments,” says Scott Paul, Taylor’s director of natural resource sustainability.
Ebony has long been prized for its rich, black color. But many ebony trees actually have marbled coloring. Unfortunately, a tree’s color isn’t known until after it is chopped down and its interior wood is exposed. People harvesting African ebony trees have long taken only the valuable black wood, leaving the marbled trees to rot. But in reality, there’s no difference in how the differently colored woods sound. So Taylor decided to use ebony of any color or pattern for its guitars to reduce waste and promote conservation.