The Age of the Tone Wood
As a centenary business, they are fortunate to have inherited 40 to 60 year-old woods from previous generations. They use woods which have dried naturally in the construction of their instruments because of their ability to withstand changes in humidity and because the crystallisation of their resin gives a better sound quality. As they use them, they replace them to promote this way of drying the wood. For woods that they have used recently, such as Madagascan Rosewood, the minimum drying period before use is 10 years.