The Guitar: Tracing the Grain Back to the Tree

The Guitar: follows the global journey of the world’s most beloved instrument—from the forest floor to the finished instrument in a musician’s hands. Authors Chris Gibson and Andrew Warren explore the deep devotion guitar lovers feel, uncovering the craftsmanship, culture, history, and natural resources behind the guitars we cherish.

Travelling through guitar factories, sawmills, rainforests, Indigenous lands, port cities, and timber booms, the authors trace the origins of iconic guitar woods and the people involved at every stage of their transformation. Featuring first-hand accounts from hundreds of interviews across the Pacific Northwest, Madagascar, Spain, Brazil, Germany, Japan, China, Hawaii, and Australia, this book captures the unseen stories behind tonewoods, manufacturing, forestry, and global trade.

Both eye-opening and hopeful, The Guitar reveals the rarely told connection between musical artistry, environmental stewardship, colonial histories, and evolving global industries. Essential reading for anyone fascinated by guitars, craftsmanship, or the world’s natural resources.

Highlights

• A global journey tracing guitars from forest to workshop

• Insights into timber milling, forest management & instrument building

• Interviews with craftspeople, mill operators, luthiers & industry experts

• Explores history, colonialism, capitalism, and environmental impact

• For guitar lovers, musicians, environmentalists & curious readers

• Paperback, 288 pages, published 2021